Beginning Teachers

7 Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Communication

7 Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Communication

When I surveyed trainee teachers on topics they would like advice on, the resounding and clear winner was tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Communication. From memory, this topic wasn’t something covered when I was going through teacher training. However, there are so many benefits for parents being active in their child’s education, and clear communication will…

Planning The First Week of School

Planning The First Week of School

I don’t know about you, but in planning the first week of school I always preferred to be overplanned and overprepared – you never know what can happen! The beginning of the year is so exciting – setting up your classroom, preparing resources, and looking forward to getting to know your new students. One step…

Relief Teacher Tips and Tricks

Relief Teacher Tips and Tricks

I am conscious of the fact that while many graduates are successful in gaining employment right away, others will spend time relieving at the beginning of their career. Others may choose to relieve at different points in their career for a myriad of reasons, so I wanted to provide some relief teacher tips and tricks!…

The Ultimate Teacher Survival Kit

The Ultimate Teacher Survival Kit

We have all heard the importance of teacher self-care, and what screams self-care more than an Ultimate Teacher Survival Kit!? I asked my email subscribers what they would put in the Ultimate Teacher Survival Kit and they did not disappoint! Perhaps you could make a teacher survival kit for a teacher who needs a pick me…

Resources to Support Learner Agency

Resources to Support Learner Agency

Learner Agency (also known as student agency) is key to providing opportunities for the development of key competencies and the application of learning.  In this guest blog post, Kate Friedwald explores resources to support learner agency. Ensuring learners have a choice in their learning not only raises engagement but also supports the learning of vital…

Beginning Teachers: Working With a Mentor Teacher

Beginning Teachers: Working With a Mentor Teacher

I previously published a guest blog post by Sarah Tohill that examined the mentoring relationship of mentors and beginning teachers. Now, my fantastic group of beginning teachers will share their experiences of working with a mentor teacher. Some PCT (beginning teacher)/Mentor relationships are really positive, some could be called “interesting”, and unfortunately, some just don’t…

Beginning Teachers: The expectations versus the reality of primary teaching

Beginning Teachers: The expectations versus the reality of primary teaching

Welcome to a new series of blog posts looking at the experiences of a group of first and second-year teachers. In this blog post, these fantastic teachers explore the expectations versus the reality of beginning teaching. I hope you are able to gain some useful insights into the reality of a teacher’s life from this…

How to Write a Teacher CV

How to Write a Teacher CV

With a large number of NEW teachers completing their studies, I thought a great new addition to our Beginning Teachers Series would be a blog post on how to write a teacher CV. In this guest blog post, Gill from ep.education sets out the dos and don’ts of teacher CV writing. I know you will…

Beginning Teacher Tips: The Mentoring Relationship

Beginning Teacher Tips: The Mentoring Relationship

In this guest blogpost, Sarah Tohill explores the mentoring relationship that all beginning teachers will experience during their first two years in the classroom. There are great tips and advice for both beginning teachers and their mentors. Read on! When you qualify as a teacher in New Zealand and you’ve finished all those assignments, readings,…

Beginning Teacher Tips: The Positive Note Home

Beginning Teacher Tips: The Positive Note Home

Utilising The Positive Note Home is a simple and effective way to encourage positive communication between school and home. Why The Positive Note Home? Communication is key! One way to promote positive communication between school and home is by sending home simple and brief positive notes. Consider this: some parents have only had negative experiences…

Tips for Beginning Teachers

Tips for Beginning Teachers

Welcome to the first in our series of blog posts to support beginning teachers. The following tips for beginning teachers have been sourced from teachers in New Zealand, Australia and around the world. I surveyed teachers and asked them a simple question: What do you wish you knew when you were starting teaching? They had a…