Best Resources for New Teachers

The start of the school year is an anxious time for new teachers. And in these first few weeks of classes, those of you new to teaching probably have plenty of questions. Luckily there's a wealth of information online that will help these first few weeks run as smoothly as possible.

Where to start? The first and third Wednesday of each month at 5 p.m. PST, Edutopia contributor and community facilitator Lisa Dabbs and a team of co-moderators host New Teacher Chat on Twitter -- hashtag #ntchat. The twice-monthly chats offer new teachers the chance to connect with experienced and other new-to-the-profession educators around the country, pose questions, and ask for advice.

Edutopia's resource toolkit for rookie teachers features a ton of insightful blogs on subjects like classroom management, lesson planning, and building relationships with parents, mentors, and administrators. Edutopia's New Teachers topic page is another great source. To help you on your way, here are a few other useful sources from around the web.

• New (Middle School) Teacher 911 From MiddleWeb: If you're a new teacher in a middle school classroom, this is a great primer. MiddleWeb, a website for middle school educators, has collected a host of great resources for new teachers, from advice to classroom-management tips. Also, check out 21 of MiddleWeb's Best New Teacher Resources, which highlights more great MiddleWeb content for new teachers.
   
• National Education Association's New Teacher Resources: This rich collection from the NEA offers articles and tips on a range of subjects -- from avoidable mistakes to salary schedules. These resources will answer many common questions of new teachers.
   
• Scholastic's New Teacher Survival Guides: With a different survival guide for every month of your first year, this Scholastic roundup is a valuable resource for first-year teachers, providing tips, ideas, and resources for every step in the journey. Also be sure to check out Scholastic's New Teachers resource page, as well as The New Teacher's Guide to Creating Lesson Plans.
   
• Teaching Channel's New Teacher Survival Guide: This is Teaching Channel's hub for all things -- blog posts, videos, and discussion groups -- related to first-year teaching. Topics covered include classroom management, planning, classroom culture, and first-year teaching advice. Be sure to check out 8 Essential Skills for New Teachers, a video playlist providing useful first-year tips and ideas.
   
• New Teacher Resources From TeacherVision: This roundup from TeacherVision covers all the bases -- there's an answer here for just about every new teacher question.
   
• The Best Advice for New Teachers From Larry Ferlazzo: On his personal site, author Ferlazzo has a fabulous roundup of links to great teacher advice from around the web. Some pieces are thought-provoking, some lighthearted; in all, it's a great list of experienced educators sharing their thoughts with teachers who are new to the profession.

A Few Quick Reads: Advice for New Teachers

If you're looking for quick tips, easy-to-implement ideas, and practical advice, here are articles for new teachers covering a range of topics. Not only are these articles useful, but new teachers would benefit from bookmarking them to revisit later.

• 5 Beginning Teachers, 10 Great Tips, Association for Middle Level Education
• How to Prepare for the First Day of School, TeacherPop
• 7 Things All New Teachers Need to Know, USC Rossier School of Education
• 101 Things You Can Do in the First Three Weeks of Class, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
• It's Actually OK to Smile Before Christmas, and Other Tips for New Teachers, Education Week
• Advice for First-Year Teachers, Teaching Tolerance
• First-Year Teacher Tips, Falling Into First
• My View: Advice to a New Teacher, CNN Schools of Thought
• Experienced Teachers Reflect on Their First Year, Edutopia