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A middle school's open house or Back-to-School night gives parents and teachers an opportunity to meet, typically during the first three weeks of the school year. Since middle school students have about six different classes, parents usually rotate through their child's schedule. Teachers relay information about their procedures and policies. Exhibiting a warm, professional demeanor and providing useful information, you can make a good first impression on your students’ parents. Plan ahead and your school year will start on a positive note.
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that a person cannot be subject to unreasonable searches and seizures. The Supreme Court did not rule that high school students could be covered under the umbrella of the Fourth Amendment until 1985. More than 25 years after "New Jersey vs. T.L.O.," the Supreme Court has usually decided that students, while they can expect some privacy in school, have a lower expectation of privacy in school than outside of school.
Lecturing, also referred to as expository teaching, is the practice in which an instructor orally delivers information and is in charge of the overall flow of a lesson. Lecturing may be essential in some courses, especially when students are being introduced to challenging topics. For first-year high school teachers, the prospect of delivering an effective lecture might seem daunting. Teachers can deliver effective lectures by making use of essential questions, using guided notes, pausing often for questions and incorporating media during their classes.
Coed schools might seem like distracting environments in which children -- particularly teens and preteens -- focus more on pleasing the opposite sex than on learning. Consequently, single-gender education has increased in popularity since the 1990s, according to psychologist David Sadker in his book "Still Failing at Fairness." Coeducational classrooms, though, offer many advantages, and coeducational schools with excellent teachers might be the best choice for many children.
Good teachers know that it is their job to prepare students for college. Unfortunately, not all educators are skilled in getting kids college ready -- a term defined by the ACT organization as "the level of preparation a student needs to be ready to enroll and succeed -- without remediation -- in a credit-bearing course at a two-year or four-year institution, trade school, or technical school." Nonetheless, nearly 44 percent of high-school graduates entering college are required to take remedial courses in reading, math or English because of low scores on entry-level examinations. These astounding statistics demonstrate that it is…
While many high school students may enter a poetry unit uninterested and even intimidated, today's generation is perfectly wired to gain an appreciation for the genre. In an age of sound bites, text messages and social networking updates, brief expressions of emotion through language are already a significant part of their lives. Teaching poetry to high school students can help them gain critical reading skills, understand the elements and functions of a poem and develop new creative means of expression.
Elementary education majors must consider what areas of specialization or age-level endorsements may be beneficial to their chosen career path when selecting a minor. A minor can help an elementary teacher become qualified to teach a larger range of age and ability levels. Many schools are more likely to hire an elementary teacher who is specially trained in a high-need area, such as special education. Individual state teacher requirements vary and availability of elementary education minors vary by college or university.
Over the past 75 years, consolidating small high schools into larger regional ones has led to a decline in the number of public school options for families. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of public schools in the United States dropped from around 248,000 in 1930 to only about 98,000 in 2010. While this might be cost effective for communities, the trend of larger high schools also has disadvantages.
Teachers in a high-risk school face unique and difficult challenges. Crime and instability in the community and school are common. Difficult teaching conditions cause many teachers to quit or change districts and administrators often do not have time to mentor and train new teachers. Overcrowding and larger-than-average class sizes create an environment that is not conducive to learning.
Ensuring that teachers are "highly qualified" is a key part of the No Child Left Behind legislation of 2001. The definition of a highly qualified teacher varies depending on the grade level --elementary, middle or high school -- the number of years experience a teacher has, and the state. High school teachers are not generalists, so they need advanced content knowledge. It is important that they are highly qualified to prepare students for college or career.
Going into a high school English classroom, a new teacher is likely to worry far more about behavioral problems than how to effectively teach William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Between 40 percent and 50 percent of new teachers leave the field within five years, according to an April 2013 article in "Education Week," and one reason is poor student discipline. Hone your disciplinary skills -- and implement a plan -- to avoid spending your teaching time coping with unruly students.
Kindergarten is a critical first step toward lifelong learning. Children who get the skills they need in kindergarten are more likely to excel in elementary school and to enjoy learning. If your child's kindergarten teacher isn't providing her with a nurturing educational environment, you might need to request a change in teachers or switch schools, but first you'll have to know how to judge your child's teacher.
Being a high school teacher can be fun, mentally stimulating and personally rewarding, especially if you have the opportunity to work with committed students. However, this career also involves a variety of challenges related to the availability of resources, student motivation and assessment standards.
Every single school day, 7,000 students drop out of high school -- roughly 1.2 million students each year -- according to a 2011 report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. In the past 40 years, the U.S. has dropped from No. 1 in the world in high school graduation to 21st, and although that rate has climbed to its highest level in 40 years, the dropout problem persists. For students who don't complete high school, there are wide-reaching effects, from lower lifetime income to higher incarceration rates. And although the U.S. has made progress, with 78 percent of students graduating,…
High school teachers play an essential role in a student’s preparation for life after graduation. The job of a high school teacher can be varied and complex. Not only are they responsible for instructing students and grading mountains of papers, but they’re also required to spend time planning lessons, communicating with parents about their students' progress, collaborating with colleagues and supervising students outside of the classroom.
To become a high school teacher, you need a bachelor's degree and state certification to teach one or more specific high school subjects. To inspire and educate students, though, you normally need some key personal skills that contribute to teaching effectiveness. Classroom leadership, the ability to communicate effectively, passion for teaching and strong interpersonal skills are among the most useful qualities for high school teachers.
How you should dress for an interview depends largely on what type of interview it actually is. Dress for an interview for teachers with help from a corporate and personal image consultant, author and motivational speaker in this free video clip.
You can turn the scrapping of your pumpkin into a wide variety of different crafts projects depending on your preferences. Find out what you can do with the scrapping of your pumpkin with help from a high school art teacher in this free video clip.
One of the many things you will work with during your mathematics career is the optical extinction ratio. Learn about the optical extinction ratio with help from a mathematics educator in this free video clip.
Bullies thrive on repeated acts of intimidation to destroy the lives of their victims. Bystanders often wrestle with the moral dilemma of whether or not to get involved; however, bullying also undermines the self-respect of those individuals who passively witness the violence without reporting it. "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men and women do nothing," observed political philosopher, Edmond Burke.
Creating an interactive high school environment encompasses not only the students, but faculty and administration as well. To have a cohesive, integrated environment that incorporates the Internet and other interactive research, open communication between students and staff should occur regularly. Assigning tasks and discussing the outcomes of interactive projects can promote excitement and camaraderie in the classroom and beyond.
School counselors help students find their paths, learn about themselves and make good choices. To do their job well, school counselors need to be able to communicate and listen effectively, and they also need a unique combination of coaching skills and compassion. Every day is different for school counselors, and they have to be flexible and prepared for just about anything. It's a demanding job, but helping young people with their lives makes it one of the most rewarding.
Many jobs today require that the applicant have a high school degree, college degree or other certification. Job applicants often are qualified for these jobs through experience, but are not qualified in the area of education. It’s natural not to bother applying for a job if you don’t meet the educational requirements, but it’s not the wisest course of action. You can focus on other skills that qualify you for the job.
A kindergarten class may well be the very first time a child experiences school. What you accomplish with your kindergarten students may influence their vision of education for the entirety of their school years. Because kindergartners, who are about five years old, have not developed certain skill sets, you must show them how to accomplish the most basic of academic tasks. By providing a transition period between home and school life, kindergarten teachers stimulate learning while providing a supportive, nurturing environment that establishes a positive view of school.
In high school, teaching reading is often left to the English teachers. Students are expected to have basic reading skills down by the time they reach high school, leaving teachers to focus on their individual content areas. The reality is that some students do not have strong reading skills when they enter high school. Teachers in all content areas need to reinforce basic reading skills within their classrooms to ensure students become stronger readers and are prepared to read in the workforce or in college.
Stepping into someone else’s shoes even for a day is not an easy task. This is true especially for middle school substitute teachers where students already share a rapport with their regular teacher. Unfamiliar students, new routines and pre-existing classroom management techniques can cause a lot of apprehension. Noncooperative faculty members and the lack of a work plan to follow make it even worse. With some planning and preparation, however, a substitute teacher can make an effective replacement.
A teacher's aide, or assistant, is responsible for supporting students in class and providing the teacher with administrative or instructional assistance. Texas has three types of teacher's aide, each with varying degrees of responsibility and competencies. Teacher's Aide I works constantly under teacher supervision, Teacher's Aide II conducts exercises under the guidance of a teacher, and a Teacher's Aide III often works independently and is involved in planning and preparation. To quality as a teacher's aide in Texas, you must receive a certificate from the State Board for Educator Certification, or SBEC.
Having a crush on someone can be exciting and painful. The butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms and a racing heart are all symptoms of how exhilarating it feels to see your crush. You may even spend most of your time thinking about your crush and hoping the other person feels the same way. It can be challenging to cope with crushes in high school, but they inadvertently help you recognize what you are looking for in a relationship. Having a crush helps you understand what qualities you want and don't want in another person.
As of 2011, many school districts offer incentives that essentially persuade many of the most veteran, experienced teachers to retire early. Motivating teachers to retire early is a strategy to save on teaching budgets. However, early retirement incentives might exacerbate some of the most serious problems faced by schools throughout the country, such as teacher shortages.
In a classroom of 20 students, an average of 13 of them are visual learners. This means that some tried-and-true teaching methods may not be effective in working with a large number of students. This can lead to otherwise capable students being mislabled with learning disabilities or as uncooperative. Fortunately, there is a variety of techniques that teachers can use to effectively teach visual learners.
Although most post-secondary institutions require their professors to hold doctorates in their respective fields, it is possible to become a college professor with a Master's. Depending on your field, work experience or academic achievements can make up for what you lack in formal academic training. If you are planning to teach at the college level, be sure your chosen field allows faculty members with Master's degrees. Some fields, such as science, medicine, engineering, mathematics and physics, will not accept applicants without a Ph.D.
Teachers at International Baccalaureate schools work in a collaborative setting using a curriculum that integrates the exploration of interdisciplinary themes to enhance student learning of academic subjects. To participate in the IB primary program, you must have an IB Teacher Award from the International Baccalaureate World Schools. Completing an IB teacher certification course at an approved university is mandatory for acquiring a Teacher Award as an IB primary program teacher. Only one of the four approved schools in the United States offers its coursework completely online. The others provide a combination of online and on-campus coursework that allow you to…
Learned helplessness is a psychological condition that school counselors may encounter through their work with students. The term refers to a coping mechanism young people may employ as a means of dealing with perceived negativity in their lives. People engaged in learned helplessness will act as if a problem is insurmountable or completely out of their control, even when a solution may be found. Supporting these students can involve both cognitive and study strategies.
Preparing preservice teachers is essential, since this stage is critical to student’s success as well as the teaching quality. Preservice teachers are those students majoring in education but who haven't completed the training as teachers. Preservice training makes several differences in the teacher’s effectiveness of teaching. This preparation program should include some perspectives that will help the teacher in coping well in the classroom.
An education in physics involves the study and analysis of energy and matter. Physics majors learn the principles of matter structure and behavior, energy generation and transfer, and the combined effects of energy and matter. While having an educational background in physics makes a person well-suited to work in scientific fields, it also enhances other career choices, including technological development, education, medicine, law and business.
One of a foreign language instructor’s responsibilities is to develop programs that maintain student interest and have obtainable short-term goals in order to effectively motivate learners. While this task may seem challenging, using words of encouragement, interesting and relevant text, hands-on material, and verbal and written learning approaches are a few methods to inspire, motivate and challenge students in learning a second language.
Whether you find yourself at the end of a long harvest season, wrapping up a semester of sports competition, or finalizing an extended community outreach program, perhaps the time has come to reunite your workers and volunteers to demonstrate how much you appreciate them. Your staff have given their time, energy and resources, and an appreciation dinner is an opportunity to give back in a small way. The event can be as casual or as formal as your group is, and honorees will certainly enjoy that last time of sharing together.
High school students who learn how to summarize properly will find it useful for future college work. Summarizing effectively means understanding the text thoroughly. Careful reading is vital. Underlining the main, salient points is the first step. Learning how to disregard the unimportant details is another part of the process. Younger high school students might find it easier to start with summarizing orally before moving onto written texts.
The qualifications needed to become a high school music teacher do not differ significantly from those needed to become a high school teacher of any other subject. The would-be teacher must receive the appropriate post-secondary education, pass the certification examinations, and complete the rest of the processes needed to be certified and hired by a school.
High school newscasts keep high school students informed of school, local, national and world news, while giving them broadcast experience. High school newscasts vary in length and timing, depending on the daily school schedule. Some high schools have newscasts daily, while others do newscasts once a week. High school news organizations also help keep the community informed of school events, concerts and sports by providing content to local cable stations. Teach high school students the basics of public speaking prior to putting them on the air in a newscast.
High school choir teachers often work longer hours than teachers of academic subjects, as choir is an extra-curricular activity. In addition to teaching choral classes during the school day, these directors also organize and lead concerts and competitions after school and on the weekends. They are also responsible for maintaining the choir budget, purchasing supplies, such as sound equipment and uniforms, and taking on fundraising activities.
High school psychology teachers typically work in ninth through 12th grade classrooms, explaining the principles, history and features of psychology, a social science that deals with the functioning of the human brain. The requirements for working as a high school psychology teacher vary from state to state as well as among employers.
A teacher aide, or teacher assistant, is a paraprofessional, which literally means "around professional" because they offer support and assistance to the primary professional worker, who in this case is the teacher. Job requirements for kindergarten teacher aides depend on the school system; though -- just as with any job opportunity -- the more skills you have to offer, the better your chances are of being hired.
Many adults don't consider education when they want to take their career to the next level. However, education has a big influence on your career, according to a 2010 College Board report.
Called different names in different areas, teacher aides, teacher assistants and teaching paraprofessionals all serve the same purpose -- to assist licensed full-time teachers. Teacher aides work alongside teachers in the classroom, allowing the students to receive more one-on-one attention and teachers to perform all the necessary administrative duties that also go along with teaching. While not every state requires teacher aides to be licensed, each state does require teacher aides to fulfill certain other requirements to obtain a teacher aide position.
Applying for a job as a teacher involves completing applications with various school districts, then finally interviewing with school administrators or principals. However, it can take weeks or months for school districts to call you for an interview. Use this time wisely and learn ways to present yourself professionally on your teacher interview.
Illinois teacher's aides are considered paraprofessionals. As a paraprofessional, the aide is trained and paid to assist a certified classroom teacher, but is not licensed to work as a teacher. Teacher aides are often supervised by the certified teacher. The exact type of assistance the aide is allowed to give varies, depending upon her qualification level. The aides are divided into two categories, Title I and Title II.
Working as a substitute teacher can prove a fulfilling occupation -- once you complete the process. The process begins and ends with the school district. The specific requirements will vary from district to district since, in Florida, each district sets its own standards for training, education and experience. While it sounds like an administrative hodgepodge, some research about the school districts, their training requirements and paperwork will simplify your progress.
The start of a new school year can be a tough time, not only for students, but also for teachers. Students that are transitioning from middle school to junior high and teachers that are just starting their careers must both make adjustments. Thankfully, there are several ways that you, as a teacher, can kick off the year at your junior high school and ease the tensions of everyone involved.
A teacher's job encompasses far more than simply disseminating content to passive listeners. In fact, an essential task for all good instructors is motivating pupils to value their education and pursue knowledge on their own. By stimulating curiosity and transferring useful problem-solving skills, a successful teacher can turn a reluctant pupil into a life-long learner. To help students in your class and beyond, create a positive, interactive environment in which students feel interested and valued.
