Many states and school districts have developed mentor programs to ease beginning teachers' transitions into the profession. Research shows mentoring programs improve teaching, raise teachers' self-confidence, and increase teacher retention. However, their high cost has made them targets for state and local budget cuts. (SM)

A science education professor reflects on the help of his mentor throughout his career. The mentor provided support and confidence during his first semester, helped him establish a publishing and grant program, and offered guidance. The article recommends mentorship programs for new professors. (SM)

Shares personal experiences as a writing teacher, including advice he received and advice he now gives to beginning teachers. (MG)

Presents a letter offering help for an overwhelmed first-year middle school teacher hating teaching. Offers a response from her former college professor commiserating with her, advocating survival as a perfectly good goal, offering four suggestions, and remembering his own desire to quit early in his teaching career. Includes the beginning…

The author reflects on the process of assembling an evaluation dossier after a year as an assistant professor that examined questions of quality related to the traditional evaluation categories of teaching, research and service by performing a critically reflexive self-assessment exercise that applied action-research methodology of appreciative…

Presents a personal account of one individual's transition from graduate school at a research university to teaching at a small college. Describes her ideas about the hiring process. Discusses how she adjusted to her new career. Considers problems encountered and how she works through those problems. (SC)

Given most AmeriCorps members' passion and dedication, a recent college graduate assigned to an overcrowded Oakland middle school felt guilty about her half-hearted commitment to Teach for America. She gradually realized her situation was all too realistic and typical of teachers serving in underresourced schools across the nation. (MLH)

Points out differences faced by foreign language teachers in reconciling generic state teacher standards with specific foreign language teaching needs. Uses four examples from Rhode Island's beginning teacher standards to highlight some key foreign language teaching issues. (SR)

In this article, the author relates how he initiated a systemic improvement to Half Hollow Hills school district when he became its superintendent. He relates that although he came to Half Hollow Hills with a deep understanding of the models of systemic change, he did not bring with him a specific prescriptive plan for improvement. His plan for…

This document describes the context in which colleges and universities prepare teachers to work with children with disabilities, presenting a vision for a system of teacher preparation conducted through partnerships between higher education and P-12 schools. It offers perspectives, ideas, and examples that may help those who are engaged in and…

The Panel on the Preparation of Beginning Teachers was convened by the New Jersey Department of Education to help define two critical elements of teacher preparation: (1) What is essential for beginning teachers to know professionally? and (2) What teaching skills and abilities are most effective? This document is the report of that panel.…

The American Federal of Teachers' president, Albert Ahanker, advocates forming a board of leading educators to develop a national qualifying examination of those newly entering the teaching profesion. The test would cover subject matter knowledge and instructional potential. Public pressure would ensure that states and districts adopted the…

This collection of essays addresses the anxieties and problems of beginning writing teachers and provides a reality check for those who expect success from "day one." Following an Introduction: "Silences in Our Teaching Stories; What Do We Leave Out and Why?" (Thomas Newkirk), essays in the collection are: (1) "Forty-Eight…

Research indicates that new teachers need support that is ongoing, that provides them with additional strategies and ways to adjust to the curriculum that they are teaching. The things to think about as the issue of "balance" in the classroom is addressed are: How do new teachers effectively create this classroom? Who is responsible for…

Encourages beginning teachers to take a reflective approach to their early teaching experiences, to acknowledge that they will encounter difficulties, and to accept some initial defeats as preparation for successful, effective teaching. Lists some applicable resources. (JT)