If you’re looking to become a teacher, you should probably know about the InTASC standards. The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) has identified 10 standards of the knowledge, dispositions, and skills expected of effective teachers.
You’ve taken the classes, decided which subjects and grade levels you want to specialize in, have an idea as to which school settings you might want to teach in, and have actually worked with young people enough to know that this is your calling.
Any teacher will tell you that teaching is a challenging job. It tests not only the physical endurance of those who decide to teach but also the emotional and psychological fortitude of the individual.
As a new teacher, be aware that there are evaluations by school Principals or other administrators that you must endure. Such evaluations may bring about some anxiety for some new teachers. No need to worry, though. I have some valuable information to share with you—including some tips that you should before your first teacher evaluation. Know exactly what evaluators do and when they are going to come around. The evaluators are responsible for assessing new teachers’ performance and the frequency of assessment differs not only by the district regulations, but also by individual differences in evaluators. The number of visits for …
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If you’re looking to become a teacher, you should probably know about the InTASC standards. The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) has identified 10 standards of the knowledge, dispositions, and skills expected of effective teachers.
Take a second and think about it: Why do you want to be a teacher? The answer, whatever it may be, outlines the reason you are called to teach. A calling implies a deep-seated belief that teaching is the only profession that makes sense for you to pursue, but it is much broader than that.
Question: I am a third-grade teacher who works in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, PA. Based on several signs and a gut feeling, I suspect that one of my outgoing students is experiencing child abuse. I plan to report my suspicions through the proper channels, but my question is: can I be sued by the child’s parents if I am wrong? Helen S. Answer: Helen, don’t be so hard on yourself. Parents who abuse their children go to great lengths to cover up their crime and convince everyone else that all is well. Child abuse and child neglect are issues …
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By Matthew Lynch Personal histories and records exist for every student who attends, and every teacher who teaches, at a school. This history, in the form of school records, test scores and the opinion of teachers and mentors, can have a huge impact on a student’s future. In some cases, it is on the basis of these assessments about an individual’s potential and overall disposition that life-changing decisions are made about them. These histories could determine what colleges they attend, the privileges that they are allowed, or even the jobs that may eventually be able to attain. It’s important, then, …
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By Matthew Lynch Despite legislative changes that have made schools accessible to everyone, the mindsets of individuals who attend or work in schools have been slower to adapt and change. Racism, often thought to be eradicated from K-12 classrooms, is still alive and well, even in the most progressive districts. What can teachers do to erase racism once and for all? For young students One effective way to address racism when talking to elementary students is to follow the curriculum of the Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children that was developed by the National Association for the Education of …
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Girls are outperforming boys academically in many countries according to a report from Dr. Gijsbert Stoet of the University of Glasgow in Scotland and David C. Geary of the University of Missouri. They found that in 2009, high school girls performed considerably better on an international standardized test in 52 out of 74 participating countries. This includes countries where women face political, economic or social inequalities. Here in the U.S., we are seeing girls outperforming boys. Thirty years after the passage of equal opportunity laws, girls are graduating from high school and college and going into professions in record numbers. …
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