ABSTRACT
This book is intended as an introduction to teaching for new entrants to the profession. In it we try to provide the kind of information, advice and ideas you could find useful if you are taking up a teaching post for the first time. In the past teachers were simply expected to manage, to muddle through, to find their feet in their own way – or not, as the case may be. Teaching was always a hard profession to enter; now it has become an even harder one, because the demands on teachers in recent years have escalated with the vast number of new initiatives schools have had to undertake, along with an increased emphasis on quality teaching and accountability. Your new school should have a member of staff who is responsible for the induction of all new members of staff, but the quality, let alone the availability of his/her advice and support, will vary according to the ability and interest of the individual concerned, and to a large extent you will find yourself on your own to sink or swim. A survival guide for new teachers could therefore provide you with some of the support and guidance you need in the first few terms on the job. The question this book attempts to answer is: ‘How do I become an effective teacher?
It analyses the teaching skills you need.
It explores possible methods of handling situations you may have to face.
It provides suggestions about how to manage the various relationships with pupils, parents, colleagues etc. which teaching entails.
It analyses and discusses the duties and responsibilities you have as a teacher and provides advice about how to manage them.
