To all teachers.... need some help.

[princess_n_thep 2]

Well, as many of you know I resigned from being a police officer after 6 years and I am going to be teaching 6th grade. I have already made business cards for parents regarding my contact info as well as important school information for them to have handy.

I would like to draft an introduction letter for "open house" night. But I really don't know what to say in it.

Does anyone have a rockin' intro letter for parents and will share with me???? Hugs!

And btw, if you ARE a 6th grade teacher and have lesson plans that you are itching to share.... send them my way!!

[kutia 0]

Hi, I'm a first year teacher myself. I don't have my intro letter finished yet, but I do have a recommendation for you. Check out the website http://www.proteacher.net

They have a fabulous message board and tons of ideas stored in the archives. You'll find everything you need.

[Kat817 19]

Hi Jenna, I am not a teacher, and don't have a lesson plan (sorry), but I am a Mom, and I ran a home based day care for over 20 years. I had a lot of kids still here in 6th grade. It seemed like especially for the girls this was a monumental year. Where we live we have a middle school as opposed to a Jr. High. There is a big difference in maturity level of 6th graders and 8th graders! The girls are suddenly getting attention in a way they have never received before, from older boys. I had some very serious talks with my kids as well as those I cared for, about where to draw the line. The old "boys will be boys" is only good to a certain point. Kids self esteem is so fragile at that age. I had boys who thought they had to be bigger and tougher and prove it, because the girls they had gone to school with all the years prior, were now uninterested in them, and looking at the older boys... They weren't even sure they liked the girls, but the older boys did so they had to too! And the girls all slouched, so they would not be taller than the boys! And it was the year that both daughters started their periods for the first time! Poor kids!!!! All I am saying, is I do understand a need for a great lesson plan, but first and foremost, always remember how much influence you have on these impressionable minds, in matters not always related to acedemics. I think in some of these matters, your police background will play an amazing role!! You have street knowledge you can share! I think you will do great, wanting to is the biggest step! I wish you the best of luck, I hope you get a curious and well behaved group of kids!!!

Kat

[tztmama 0]

Hey there,

Be sure and let parents know that you will be teaching subjects that adhere to your state standards. For example, "We'll travel back in time to witness the Greek myths in action" (for history). I teach 6-8 grades, special ed but most of my kids are at grade level they just have behavior problems. Touch on a bulleted list of math concepts, reading, and writing as well. I subscribe to edhelper.com for lessons at the touch of the finger stuff. I'll check some of my books for a intro letter.

Best to ya!

Darla

[K@t 38]

Hey Jenna,

I'm teaching English now in Portugal, but I taught 6th grade language arts in the US any my mom taught 6th grade science...what subject are you going to teach? There are TONS of resources online for lesson plans, and most first year teachers just go by the book, don't be ashamed to do that because you will build up your stash of teaching materials over time. Talk to other teachers at your school they are a WEALTH of information and will share all kinds of goodies with you.

As for your letter the other suggestions are good, include what the school has given you as approved curriculum for the year, and what you plan on teaching, and maybe even some projects the students might be doing. However, I'm not so sure about giving your personal information.

You should speak to your principal on their policy about that, lots of schools now days have a protocol they follow for parent complaints and often times it needs to go through the school and not through you personally first. I know that sounds like crap but they have to watch out for lawsuits and they have people trained to deal with things, sometimes teachers can say something innocent and muck it all up to were a parent can bring a lawsuit...

I know because I was involved in a racial incident in my school where a student accused me of being racist twords him. The mother came to talk to me but I refused and it was a good thing too. The lawyers told me almost any thing I would have said to her could have been twisted and used against the school in some way, these days its gotten so out of hand that often times parents are just looking for the slightest incident to sue the school.

Good luck I hope it all goes well!

[lianna 3]

I am a 6th grade teacher! Love it, Love it! This first year will be your biggest challenge, I remember the first year I felt like someone had broken my rose colored glasses, lol. There is an overwhelming amount of paperwork, protocols, and preparation to get used to. I relied heavily on my mentor teacher the first year....they truly have the best understanding of "the way things are done" on your campus and within the district. The one thing I would never do is provide my home telephone number. I make and return all calls during my conference time. If a parent cannot take calls during daytime hours I get their number and call them during the evening. That is my personal MO.....I find that I need my home and family time to be just that, MY time. Good luck with your career switch! Teaching is a very stressful but highly rewarding job!

[DaNieLLaBeLLa 0]

Jenna-

I just survived my first year teaching 7th grade Language Arts in NYC. I would be happy to share anything you want/need for to make your first year a little smoother.

I just found this website www.internet4classrooms.com and it has a ton of grade level appropriate worksheets and ideas for all the major subjects.

I also need to write a welcome letter for my first day of school. I am actually going to start arranging all the materials I collected throughout the year this week so I am organized for September. Feel free to PM or Email me if you want to chat about teaching

Good luck!

[princess_n_thep 2]

Thanks everyone.... I think I have a letter done... wanna read it and tell me what you think?

I took out all my info and stuff for posting here...

Dear Students and Families,

Welcome to your 6th grade class! I’m excited about the opportunity to get to know you, and I’m looking forward to a happy and productive school year. I am thrilled to become a part of the (my school) School team!

A little about me: I was a police officer and involved in law enforcement for the past 12 years. During the past three years, I have done substituting for the (old school) in (city), Arizona while working on my second BA in Education at (my college). I graduated from (my university) with honors in 2002. My husband is a teacher at (his school) teaching Physical Science as well as coaching football and girls softball. I have a (age) son entering (enter grade) grade. I also have a 1 ½ year old German Shepherd named (his name).

Curriculum areas we will focus on will be designed by the Arizona Education Standards and will review material as well as introduce new concepts and tasks associated with grade level.

My homework policy is: If a child is on excused absence they may make up their missing assignments by collecting the work from the Absent Folder in class. They will have one week to turn in missing assignments. After that, no late work will be accepted. Unexcused absences have no late work.

Late Work: Due dates of assignments and projects will not be accepted late if there is no excused absence from class. Written assignments must be legible. If it is not done in a legible fashion, I will return it to the student and they will have a chance to correct the problem once.

My grading policy: Each student begins the year with an A / 100%. It is up to the student to maintain that grade. The grading is done on a standard scale of 100-90 A, 80-89.9 B, 70-79.9 C, 60-69.9 D, 59.9 and below is considered Failing. I expect a lot from the students but I also provide them with the tools, knowledge and independence to achieve their goals. Sixth grade is designed to prepare a student to enter into the junior high with good foundations of skills and a higher independence.

I will help the students to build the classroom based on respect, equality, consistency, fairness, independence and self discipline. I believe in accountability for actions and having a good foundation of ethics and good moral character. Organization will be key to a successful year.

Upcoming school events you should be aware of include:

Please mark those dates on your calendar. Studies show that parental involvement in a child’s education is one of the strongest indicators of student achievement. We hope you will make it a priority this year to attend as many school-sponsored events as possible.

If you have any questions or concerns or if you would like to visit our classroom, schedule a conference, or volunteer to help out, you can contact me at (my work number). The best times to reach me are 6:30am – 8am and 3pm – 5pm, Mon-Fri. If I am unavailable I will return your call within 24 hours. I am also available via E-mail at (my work email)

Once again, WELCOME!! Let’s work together to make this the best year ever!

Sincerely,

Jenna --------

[Mert 0]

I'd let the parents know if the students will be having a quiz on Thursdays or vocabulary due on Wednesays, etc. Are you sharing class room rules and consequences? I don't know that I would let the students or the parents know it was my first year in the classroom until the last day of school. A couple of my favorite websites are enchantedlearning.com and edhelper.com.

[princess_n_thep 2]

It's a small town. They already know all there is to know about me. I am only giving out work info. But they all know where I live. Going to set up an email system for weekly plans and upcoming due dates.

I am creating a student contract. But to be honest, I haven't figured out how I am going to discipline. Can I beat them at this age? (just kidding) My idea of discipline is a tazer. LOL

[Cathleen Anne C 1]

I am a first grade teacher. You can find a ton of lesson plans on http://www.teachers.net/ or www.teachernet.com

Best of luck to you!

Cathy

[Poodles 0]

Discipline is the hardest part. I teach 9-12 grade, last year taught business and art, next year will be full time art.

Keep rules to 5 or under. Mine are: 1. Be in your seat when the bell rings 2. Bring all supplies to class 3. No food or drink in class 4. Respect each other, materials, and art work 5. Follow all school rules.

I tell them day one about the rules, and stress the word RESPECT in rule #4.

I tell them about my self, give them a short resume if you will, so they will know I am not an idiot. I tell them that they are all "perfect little angels" until they prove other wise. I don't care what they do in so-in-so's room, I don't want to know if they have recently been released from prison. I live in my own little world and they are welcome into it.

I have had gang members come into my class and produce awesome work, then they would come back again for another year. I will let anyone that wants to into my groups, and I have had the roughest kids watch my back for me, while at the same time stealing other teachers heart medicine (that really happened).

Pick your battles wisely. Don't send everyone to the office. Give sentences... they hate that. (ex: I will use appropriate language in the hallways.) If they don't do the sentences, give them a detention and make them do the sentences. I have had a student in ISS that owed me 250 sentences for cussing and failure to serve their detention. At the end of the day, I had my sentences. Make sure your principal will back you up on that though. This approach works for me, but may not work for some. You also have to know the kid. I had one kid come into my room every morning to avoid the cafeteria. If he acted up in class, I would not let him come in to my room. This was VERY effective punishment for him.

You can search a variety of different websites for lesson plans, but the best ones will be the ones you make up yourself. Your confidence will show when you have made your own. The best evaluations I have received have been with the lessons I made myself.

I have been in the classroom for 8 years, and the best advice I can give you is to not get too attached, love them like they were yours, and never forget the lessons they teach you.

[DaNieLLaBeLLa 0]

Awesome advice Poodles!!

[K-CEE 0]

I am a 9-12 grade teacher too. The first year you are going to get so much help from the other teachers in your school. If you ask you will get. But this is something you have to figure out on your own.

My favorite website is www.funbrain.com

They have online activities and where you can create a quiz or test and have the students go to the computer lab and take it online. Its cool.

Important tip: I have been in education for over 10 years. Email has been the best invention for teachers. Its is so easy to to email parents and them to email you back. I would suggest setting up all parents in a distribution list at the beginning of the year. And when tests or important info comes up you send one email to all parents. This is great when I have a test or a project due.

Just be yourself and you will do great. :gluck: