Finding Success the First Year: A Survivor's Guide for New Teachers

(Paperback)

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Description

New teachers have it tough. They have a very difficult and complex job, and they must learn how to do it in front of a studio audience of unruly adolescents, anxious parents, and watchful administrators. To help new teachers navigate this daunting backdrop, Finding Success the First Year is here to act as a personal guide to the first year of teaching.
This book was written by a new teacher navigating through his own first year, and it uses those experiences to serve as a foundation for a step-by-step guide on how to survive and thrive in that all important first year. With everything from answers to frequent new-teacher questions and warnings of common new teacher pitfalls to specific strategies and veteran tricks useful for clawing back precious hours of the day, Matthew Johnson gives clear tips and clear reasons for them in a straightforward, jargonless voice and a mixture of practicality and philosophy.

Reviews

Finding Success the First Year answers questions for new teachers that they haven't even had the time to ask. It is relevant and practical because it was written 'on the job' by a beginning teacher. This should be required summer reading for any new teachers. I will be recommending it to my students! -- Linda McGarry, School of Education, University of Michigan
Being a first year teacher, I knew I had many unknown challenges ahead of me. After reading this book not only do I have an idea of what these challenges will look like, I also have different tools to handle these situations. This book is a must read forall beginning teacherssss -- Jeff Cammann, Rolling Hills Prep School
In Finding Success the First Year, Matthew Johnson delivers pragmatic teaching advice in concise, accessible prose. It's the kind of nuts-and-bolts guidance that is often overlooked in teacher training that beginning teachersand experienced ones for that matterwill find invaluable. -- David West Brown, author of In Other Words: Lessons on Grammar, Code-Switching, and Academic Writing
Being a first year teacher, I knew I had many unknown challenges ahead of me. After reading this book not only do I have an idea of what these challenges will look like, I also have different tools to handle these situations. This book is a must read for all beginning teachers -- Jeff Cammann, Rolling Hills Prep School
First-year teachers frequently have difficulty finding a resource that is succinct, helpful, and all encompassing. Johnson's Finding Success the First Year is the ticket. He has written an extremely practical book that addresses nearly every possible aspect of a first-year teacher's experiences. The book is divided into clear units and chapters on topics such as secret weapons (e.g., enthusiasm, setting the right tone, respect, and power of positivity), relating to students, and more. The chapters are short and easy to read and include specific experiences (e.g., parent e-mails, participation, body language, picking one's battles, and rituals) that first-year teachers will relate to readily. The author keeps a focus on student learning and engages in self-reflection, which makes his suggestions powerful. Each chapter ends with an exit slip that sums his writing well. In addition, there are some connections to other texts for further readingFirst-year and preservice teachers will find this resource invaluable. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and practitioners. * Choice Reviews *

Author Bio

In the two short years of his career, Matthew Johnson has already experienced a variety of schools, taught most of grades 712, and striven to be a part of every little corner of school life. To learn more about Finding Success the First Year, and to get your hands on essential first-year teacher resources, please visit the author's website: www.matthewmjohnson.com.