New Teacher Support


Feature Writer: Dorit Sasson
Dorit Sasson, Dorit Sasson

A new teacher can be a young person fresh from college, a beginning teacher interested in some fresh ideas, an older individual in the midst of a career change, an experienced teacher who is a mentor, or anyone interested in helping a yet-to-be experienced teacher get adjusted.

New teachers often face great hurdles when they try to survive the first great year of teaching. This topic is designed to help the new teacher ease into the first year of teaching. Here, one will find guidance on classroom management, different learning styles and methods, improving and planning lessons and the not so easy task of assigning homework and calling parents.

New Teacher Support: Visit my articles, blogs, discussions, or email me.

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feature articles
Dorit Sasson

Teachers Network and Share

In: New Teacher Support (general)

Has working with other teachers become too stressful? Here's how to collaborate. more...

National Teacher Exam Preparation

In: National Teaching Exam

The results of the National Teacher Examination Series are used for certification. Here is an overview of testing requirements for Praxis testing series. more...

Pennsylvania Teacher Certification

In: Preservice Teacher Training

Unsure of the teacher certification process and how it works in Pennsylvania? Here's a brief runaround on meeting teacher certification requirements. more...

Teacher Certification

In: Preservice Teacher Training

If you are a college student or graduate, here is an overview of the few types of preservice certification programs available for prospective teachers. more...

Survive Teacher Observations

In: New Teacher Support (general)

Classroom observations are stressful for all teachers, but with some helpful tips you too can survive them. You just need a little common sense. more...

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Dorit Sasson

May 8, 2008

Teachers Network and Share

My first year was most significant for collaborating with other teachers. But there was one very important thing I missed.


I wished somebody told me how important networking and collaborating was during my first year as a Junior High school teacher. Teaching at the elementary school level in Israel, I was all on my own and I rarely was presented with opportunities for sharing except during in-service teacher courses. The minute I made the decision to transfer to teach middle school, I was all alone, this time in the cold.

I had one particularly good teacher friend who acted informally as my mentor as we discussed my difficult groups of lower performing students and together, we came up with possible tactics for overcoming the challenge.

Unfortunately, teachers' meetings were another story.

During that year, I was constantly taken over with the need to survive and carefully observed the management and work styles of other teachers so much that I didn't find my own voice as a teacher. At the meetings, I was silent as a fish. It was only towards the end of my third year, where I began to feel more comfortable and share a bit more.

What I am trying to say is this: teaching involves also a lot of social learning. There will be times when you need to be silent and just observe and that is okay as well. But never underestimate your own light as a teacher. You've experienced things slightly different than others and that is just as important.

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