Academies & Institutes

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Survival Tools for New Teachers

Presenter: Vickie Gill
Workshop Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Registration time: 8:30 am
Registration fee: $150 ($125 for Texas ASCD members)

Dates and Locations:

Please contact our office to schedule this institute at your location.

Summary: When one teacher really wants to insult another teacher, he or she will say with a slight sneer, "That wasn't very professional of you." As we head for our first teaching job, our professors wave goodbye and murmur, "And remember, above all, be professional." We nod knowingly, yet walk away without a clue as to what that specifically means. It's kind of like telling your class to "Be good!" when you have to run to the office for a few minutes. You have to define your terms. One student may think that means to read quietly in the textbook until you return, another may think you'll be quite pleased that she didn't set anything on fire.

In this workshop, we will discuss how to be professional with our students and with our colleagues. This program covers the essentials (major and minor) for new teachers, such as getting organized and keeping up with the required paperwork, dressing in an appropriate way for the job, dealing with stress and frustration, communicating with parents, and learning to respect the power that is given to us as educators. We will also discuss how to create and implement a logical, efficient, and effective plan for maintaining discipline, both inside and outside of the classroom. In addition, participants will find a clear and persuasive answer to the dreaded question that at least one student will ask every year: "Why do we have to learn this stuff?" Teachers do not always have a great deal of control in choosing what to teach, but finding a way to communicate the importance and usefulness of what they teach is key to their success.

Vickie Gill is the author of The Eleven Commandments of Good Teaching, The Ten Commandments of Professionalism for Teachers, and The Ten Students You'll Meet in Your Classroom, all published by Corwin Press. She has taught English, Remedial Reading, and Journalism in high schools in Central California and rural Tennessee for the past 29 years. Vickie has won numerous teaching awards and was a finalist for Tennessee State Teacher of the Year in 2000. Over her career, Vickie has specialized in working with junior high and high school students who struggle with reading and writing, as well as with students who have been labeled as "behavior problems" or "at risk."

Who Should Attend: Administrators, Principals and Classroom teachers

Register by credit card.

To register by purchase order or a check, download a registration form (PDF) or call 1-800-717-2723 ext. 10 for assistance.