Mentoring New Teachers

Features

Nurturing New Teachers
Mary Tolan
Many states and school districts are providing more structured support for beginning teachers. Such efforts, Mary Tolan writes, are key to filling job vacancies with excellent educators and improving the quality of instruction in all schools.

The First Years of Teaching
Ellen Berg
Newly tenured teacher Ellen Berg reflects on the lessons she learned in the course of becoming an accomplished middle level educator.

Keeping Bad Behavior at Bay
Holly Holland
Most new teachers need help with classroom management. Holly Holland relates tips from a seasoned middle level educator and some resources that can help teachers get through the tough times.

Staff Development Standards
Priscilla Pardini
The National Staff Development Council shares its new framework for quality school training. This easy-to-use guide covers context (where teachers apply the learning), process (how learning occurs), and content (what teachers learn).

International Connections
Carol Stoel
The Schools Around the World program, writes Carol Stoel, gives teachers a more authentic view of their math and science assignments and assessments. The on-site and online seminars offer new perspectives on what it means to meet international standards of excellence.

Departments

The Electronic Thread
Caroline McCullen
Technology presents many new opportunities for students to plagiarize, a particularly difficult challenge for writing teachers. But as Caroline McCullen explains, technology also gives teachers new ways to keep kids honest.

One Teacher to Another
Rick Wormeli
It's easy to build writing into every subject, Rick Wormeli says. Ask students to compare three-dimensional shapes in math or to write an autobiography of a portrait in art. The possibilities are endless.

The Mark of Leadership
Robert Ruder
Pennsylvania Principal Bob Ruder urges middle school leaders to "think outside the box" when trying to solve today's complex education problems.

Spotlight on Writing
Traci Johnson Mathena
From performing well on state assessments to persuading people to right wrongs, today's middle school students are using writing as a creative communications tool.

Writing Wrongs
Ron Adams