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"A must-have for any beginning middle-level teacher" (VOYA). Day One and Beyond by veteran teacher Rick Wormeli gives you advice on what to do in the first day & week, discipline, grouping, teaming, parents, homework, record keeping, and more. Pair it with Rick's first book Meet Me in the Middle for a comprehensive tour of best practices!

TEACHING SECRETS: THE ORGANIZED MIDDLE SCHOOLER
Little wonder that new middle schoolers are so disorganized, writes Laurie Wasserman in this "Teaching Secrets" essay at the Teacher Magazine website. Most "have spent their first five years of school with a single teacher for the majority of the day." When they enter middle school "they are given a combination lock, a hallway locker, a homeroom, and a schedule that often has four or more subject-area teachers...This is where the child with significant organizational challenges becomes both overwhelmed and frustrated." Wasserman, a sixth grade special ed teacher who works with ADD/ADHD students, shares her secrets for building the Organized Middle Schooler. (Free registration)

TEACHING SECRETS: HOW TO SMILE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
When Kathie Marshall entered her first middle grades classroom nearly 30 years ago, “I found myself running to veteran teachers at the first sign of trouble, asking “What do you do?” Without fail, she remembers, someone would say, “Don’t smile until Christmas!” Their advice to assume a “grim and commanding presence” didn’t square with Kathie’s vision of an inviting teacher. Her alternative? Early in the year, she and her students work together to develop class rules and routines. After three decades as a classroom teacher, she says, “I have never had a problem getting students to develop a list of guidelines both they and I could live with. And I never hesitated to throw in rules that mattered to me."(Free registration)

TEACHING SECRETS: ASK THE KIDS!
Fourth-year teacher Ariel Sacks has spent her short career in the inner-city NYC schools. In the middle of her second year she had a revelation, triggered by once-excited eighth graders who were now "yawning, poking one another, throwing paper balls, and complaining during class." Ariel's first reaction was to bristle. "I was becoming that cranky teacher I vowed never to be." Then her a-ha moment arrived. Why not ask the kids what they wanted that they weren't getting? Teacher and students began talking -- and negotiating -- and a new, more positive atmosphere emerged .(Free registration)

TEACHING SECRETS: HALLWAY HINTS
The Teacher Leaders Network offers a collection of quick "hallway hints" for new teachers in this Teacher Magazine article from August 2007. Among the useful topics: Remember the two P's – Patience and Pace; never go it alone, and soak up the school culture. In a second installment, Hallway Hints II, TLN's expert teachers share their thoughts about super-planning; letting the students do the work, making it personal, allowing learning to marinate, and never forgetting that "kids will be kids." (Free registration)

STUDENTS CAN DO HARD THINGS
"What can our students possibly learn if we only gave them easy tasks?" asks middle grades teacher Anthony Cody in this recent Teacher Magazine essay. "On the other hand, how can we motivate our students to accept a challenge if they doubt their own ability?" Students who lack motivation are often not convinced that the effort they invest in themselves is going to be rewarded, says Cody, a science content coach in the Oakland CA schools. "They simply have not been academically successful in the past, so why bother?" He offers several useful strategies that can increase students' willingness to embrace and master difficult assignments. (Free registration)

WONGS' 10 TIMELY TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
Harry and Rosemary Wong, authors of the mega-bestselling First Days of School, have written a monthly column for Teachers.Net since 2000. They've now put together a nine-year index of their advice columns. We like these columns because they tell stories of successful new teachers and provide the level of detail novices want and need. Spend some weekend time with these webpages. The payoff is tremendous.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT 101
Education World has put it all in one place—a decade's worth of tips and advice about classroom management. The content is all written in Education World's user-friendly and engaging style, and there's plenty of it. New and veteran teachers alike can learn something from "King of Classroom Management" Fred Jones or from Dr. Ken Shore, the "Classroom Problem Solver." You'll also find tips for establishing classroom rules, managing student behavior, providing rewards for students (or not), dealing with homework, and much more in the nearly 100 featured articles

BEST PRACTICES: RETHINKING BULLETIN BOARDS
Don't just pretty up the room, use your bulletin boards and other wall materials to support your learning objectives. This discussion among members of the Teacher Leaders Network will give you some ideas. (Free registration)

PARENTS FROM MARS, TEACHERS FROM VENUS
This Teacher Magazine essay by sixth grade teacher Bill Ferriter begins with a tongue-in-cheek proposal to "make a mint" by explaining the complex relationship between parents and teachers. Bulging cheek aside, both parents and teachers will find some excellent pointers here, plus some lively commentary from readers who hail from both Mars and Venus, it seems! (Free registration)

MATH: A WEBSITE FOR NEW TEACHERS
Veteran teacher Terri Husted has compiled an impressive array of ideas drawn from her own experience — plus resources available elsewhere on the Web. "My first advice to anyone starting in teaching is to be careful of those who claim they know the perfect method of teaching," she says. "Teaching is an on-going learning experience." Amen to that! Much of Terri's content will also be of interest to "not so new" math teachers.

PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG URBAN M.S. TEACHER
English teacher Ariel Sacks began her career five years ago, after completing a residency program at New York City's Bank Street College. After a three-year stint in Harlem, Sacks is beginning her second year in a public academy school in Brooklyn. In this Teacher Magazine essay she reflects on the supports, experiences and strategies that give her the ability to continue teaching in the inner city. Novice teachers will appreciate Sacks' description of her classroom organization and management structure. "Not only is this structure practical," she writes, "it also teaches students to be part of a group, to make decisions for themselves and reflect on them, and to begin to take responsibility for the well-being of the class." (Free registration)

TEACHING SECRETS: ESTABLISHING YOUR PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
High school teacher David Cohen’s advice for new teachers – and teachers new to a school – seems to us equally applicable to folks in the middle grades. Cohen urges newcomers to “establish your professional identity” in the school – first thing. Students and the classroom are your top priorities, he says, but it’s never too soon “to think carefully about how early experiences in your career can help you…collaborate with others and engage in the profession.” It all begins, Cohen believes, by finding your allies. “True allies will start motivating you and validating your efforts, even beyond what you might think you deserve. Consider what a vote of confidence does for your students, and give yourself permission to actively seek out the same for yourself.” (Free registration)

TEACHING SECRETS: USE LEFTOVER CLASS TIME WISELY
This recent Teacher Magazine article by teaching resource guru Larry Ferlazzo got 10,000 hits the first 48 hours after posting. It's filled with good ideas about making the most of those leftover minutes between the end of the planned lesson and the bell. (Requires free registration, which will give you access to all the Teaching Secrets articles at the TM site.)

NINE TIPS FOR NEW TEACHERS
Canadian Elona Hartjes has been teaching students with behavior problems and learning disabilities for over 20 years. In a recent posting at her blog Teachers at Risk, she shares "Nine things my students have taught me about classroom management and teaching." For some advice from principals, see this Education World article.

THE EDUCATION OF MS. GROVES
The Education of Ms. Groves, a four-part documentary, follows a new sixth-grade teacher as she struggles to gain respect from her new students in Atlanta's public school system. The film series expands an NBC Dateline documentary that aired in the fall of 2006. New teachers should listen to this interview with Monica Groves on NPR's "Tell Me More" show. Here are several clips from the documentary.

BEST PRACTICES: THE MIRACLE OF CHOICES
Stubborn two-year olds respond to choices, why not adolescents? That was the thesis Mary Tedrow began with, some years ago, when she devised an engagement strategy that allows her high school English students latitude in selecting assignments. Which are, of course, carefully designed to produce the same learning effects – whatever they choose! As you’ll see in the Comments section for this Teacher Magazine essay, middle schoolers like to be choosy, too.

GETTING READY FOR THE NEW YEAR
Coleen Armstrong, author of "The Truth About Teaching: What I Wish the Veterans Had Told Me," is responding to reader questions in the Teacher Magazine feature "Ask a Mentor." This link leads to the Ask the Mentor index page.

WHAT TO EXPECT YOUR FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING
Written in 1999, this newbie-friendly guide prepared by the U.S. Department of Education under U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley will still be a comfort and help to new teachers. This easy-to-read-and-print PDF version is filled with advice and encouragement from veteran teachers.

NEW TEACHER'S GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL YEAR
"Guide" may be too strong a word for this two-pager put together by the Kappa Delta Pi education honor society last fall, but it offers good basic advice, and if you have a color printer, it will dress up that new-teacher idea binder you're keeping. (You are keeping one, right?) It begins with a veteran teacher quote: "The hardest part about being a teacher is not teaching. It is managing everything and everyone around you." (PDF file)

ADVICE FROM "SOPHOMORE" TEACHERS
Who better to hear from than teachers who just survived their first year? In this feature, Education World asked sophomores who faced—and survived—he dreaded first year to reflect on their successes and failures. Valuable insights.

PRAISE DOES NOT GUARANTEE CONFIDENCE
Have we really taught our children to expect too much praise? And what should we be praising? It's a topic of vital interest to middle grades teachers, who work with students often looking for encouragement and validation. Psychologist and researcher Carol Dweck says the wrong kind of praise can create self-defeating behavior, but the right kind may be the trigger that motivates students to learn more. In this article from Educational Leadership (10/07), Dweck describes the complex ways in which students view praise from adults -- and the resulting challenges teachers face in determining what kind of praise is appropriate, how much and when.

LISTEN TO THE DREAM TEACHER
We're big fans of "The Dream Teacher," a blog written by NC middle grades educator Cindi Rigsbee, who brings a warm voice and a sharp, self-critical eye to her musings about the public school teaching life. Rigsbee, named North Carolina's 2008-09 Teacher of the Year, has a fine writing style that's great fun to read. If you need a break from the challenges of first-year teaching and some "heart and soul," spend an hour with the Dream Teacher.

FIRST-YEAR TEACHING & MENTORING
In this archived conversation, middle grades educators on the MiddleWeb listserv offered support and advice to a first-year teacher — including ideas about analyzing videotapes of her own teaching. In a related conversation string, the listserv members talked about induction and mentoring programs.

A WINDOW ON MIDDLE SCHOOL LIFE
Washington Post education writer Linda Perlstein wanted to "embed" herself in a middle school to get to know the kids, their families, and their issues. For a year, she followed five youngsters at Wilde Lake Middle School in Columbia, Maryland, gaining rare insight into a mysterious age group.

A WONDERFUL TOOL TO CONNECT WITH PARENTS
"This is the most valuable thing I've ever done with my students," one middle school teacher wrote about the "Million Words" assignment. "I've built an instant bond with parents," said another. Here's how it works: The teacher sends a note home with students asking parents to "tell us about your child in a million words or less." Just about every teacher on the MiddleWeb Listserv who tried this idea was amazed by the breadth and depth of the response and the valuable insights they gained into their students' lives. Read this archived conversation, which includes a link to one teacher's actual letter to parents. ALSO see this Education World story.

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FIVE DAYS WITH RICK WORMELI AND FRIENDS
Rick Wormeli's 2003 book Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers provided the talking points for this five-day chat among Rick, veteran teachers in the MiddleWeb discussion group, and a passle of brand new teachers.

YOUNG TEACHERS READY TO COLLABORATE
"Generation Y" (born 1977-86) has now reached adulthood and is dramatically changing the composition of today's teaching staffs, say Harry and Rosemary Wong in a smart article published in the ASCD Express newsletter. Loneliness and lack of support exacerbate the frustrations of beginning teachers and lead to early exits from the profession. The Wongs advocate for induction programs that foster collaborative work and are structured around learning communities that can mentor young teachers more inclined to collaborate than previous generations. (PDF file)

ADVICE FOR BRAND-NEW MIDDLE GRADES TEACHERS
Get some tips from accomplished veterans in this archived MiddleWeb discussion. In all began when the moderator asked: "What are the best two or three pieces of advice you have for new teachers to help them get off to a successful start—and hang in there?"

WHAT CAN NEW TEACHERS DO FOR THEMSELVES?
"When I read articles about new teachers," writes Lisa Renard, "I am confronted with such issues as, 'How can we better support new teachers?' That's nice. But why don't I ever read about 'The top 10 ways new teachers can help themselves,' or 'How to make your first years the best years'? The focus of our efforts to help new teachers seems to weigh too heavily on the schools, forgetting to encourage new teachers with practical steps to help themselves." (from Classroom Leadership, ASCD, May 1999.)

See more of MiddleWeb's resources for new teachers and for all teachers during the First Days of School