Letter to Mentor a New Teacher or Leader

Dear New Teacher:
	I would like to take this time and welcome you to Eastbrook Middle School and the Whitfield County School System.   You are about to begin work in a wonderful environment that is both challenging and very rewarding.  You will be teaching 8th grade math (Algebra) and science (Physical Science) and working on a two person team.  This means you will teach the same students in two separate 80 minute classes.  The good news is that you have more control over your time.  If you have a project that needs to get done in math, you can take some of the time from science and vice-versa.  Here at Eastbrook, we are currently making a transition to a more project based learning model that is very cross-curricular. Fortunately for us, math and physical science fit very well together.  If you are new to the two person team concept as well as project-based learning, fear not, we have subject area meetings on a weekly basis where we work on lesson planning and have discussions on current and upcoming projects. You will feel like part of the team in no time.  We have tons of resources if you have not taught algebra or physical science in a while.  A good place to start would be to review the Georgia Standards for these subjects.  
	Before the school year gets under way, it is important for you to develop a general idea about your students:  their backgrounds, culture, and other characteristics.  This information can let you begin to think about how best to design your instruction.  
You can check out the Eastbrook Report Card by visiting Georgia's Department of Education Website.  Here you can view all of the data from previous years to get a detailed look at our demographics.   
	If you checked out the report card, you would have seen that a majority of our students are economically disadvantaged.  We also have relatively high percentages of ELL and special education students (students with learning disabilities).  Depending on the year, you may be co-teaching with either an ELL or special education teacher, maybe even both.  The cognitive abilities of the students in your classroom could range from very high to very low.  I have taught students who could have been placed in accelerated or gifted classes along with those who test in the lowest one percent.  Dealing with this age group regardless of their academic level, it is a good idea to have many concrete, hands-on examples of ideas and concepts because many are not quite ready for abstract learning.    
	If you happen to teach an ELL class, we have some great resources available for you.  Several teachers from our school have been to SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) training which deals specifically with the instruction of ELLs.  The methods and learning strategies from this model are wonderful for every student, not just ELLs.  
	If you have students that are served for a particular learning disability then you may be co-teaching with one of our special education teachers.  Together, you will be able to plan and modify curriculum to fit the needs of those particular students that you will be instructing.  The special education teachers attend the same subject area meetings which allows for plenty of collaboration.  I would suggest that you sit down with your co-teacher and review student IEPs to make sure you know their particular strengths and weaknesses. For example, if John Doe can use a calculator or Jane Doe is allowed extra time to complete assignments.  These types of modifications should be considered prior to development of lesson plans and activities.   
	Whatever the particulars of your classroom, it is almost a sure thing that the majority of your students will be from a lower socio-economic status.  For some, school might be the most secure and comfortable environment they have.  Each student is different but it is not uncommon for a lot of them to have no parental supervision when they get home.  It is also common for our students to have the responsibility of looking after siblings when they get home.  These types of factors need to be considered when assigning homework.  The importance of practice for reading and math skills is of great importance, but it would not always be feasible for your students to complete 30-40 problems after they get home.  
	Here at Eastbrook, we try to maintain a certain level of student engagement during classroom activities.  If your students are not actively engaged then there will not be a whole lot of learning going on.  Engagement and motivation go hand-in-hand.  Therefore it is a good idea to try to think of ways to keep students from mentally checking out during your lessons.  We spend a lot of time during our weekly meetings discussing ways to promote student engagement, but a good rule of thumb is to try and appeal to as many types of learning styles as possible.  This can be accomplished by providing students with choices in how they demonstrate their knowledge.  Some will like the traditional formats of writing and tests.  Others will prefer the artistic approach which could include any type of drawing or diagram. I mention this to get you thinking about how students might demonstrate they know a standard besides just knowing the correct response on a standardized test.   
	It is inevitable that you will encounter some negative behavior from your students.  Student misconduct and behavior that impedes on the learning process can be dealt with in numerous ways.  Incentives for good behavior are always a great way to help with discipline and classroom management.  For example, several teachers here use gemstones track the progress of class behavior.  When a particular class is well behaved then gemstones are added to their jar.  If the jar gets filled, then that class will have a party. Gemstones are removed for negative behavior.  
	When you have students where nothing seems to work, eventually you will need to resort to discipline procedures.  These are outlined in the teacher handbook, but consist of the typical outcomes:  Parent contacts, ISS, or behavior contracts.  All students are different and react differently to different people.  You should not always assume that a student will give you trouble based on the experiences of other teachers.  For you, the student may act completely different.  
	I personally recommend the following resources for content, strategies, and general guidelines (I own all the books if you would like to borrow them):
•	Georgia Standards Website (www.georgiastandards.org)
•	The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong 
•	Turning Points 2000: Educating Adolescents
•	Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model
•	99 Ideas and Activities for Teaching English Learners with the SIOP Model

	I know you may be feeling a bit nervous, but don't worry, you will have plenty of support and should you need it, help is never more than a few doors away.  I look forward to a great year.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  

Sincerely,

Canon Snow