Kansas State University

Lori Goodson, Editor
Mary Hammel, Technical Editor

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Welcome to your new school year! This is an amazing time, and we are excited to continue with you on this journey!

You’ve worked a long time to get For many of you, 2019-20 is your first school year as a teacher, and that makes this August just a little more significant than all those others that have come before it. For others, you’re beginning your second or third or fourth year with your own classroom—wanting to build upon what you accomplished last year…and maybe avoid a few of those bumps you experienced. How do I know about the bumps? Well, we’re a little hesitant to admit to it, but we’ve all been there. Every teacher experiences those through the year.

Kansas State University’s College of Education is here to help. This newsletter is designed to give you specific and practical tips to help you successfully navigate through your early years of teaching. Look for topics that address the various issues as the school year moves along—from setting up your classroom to preparing for conferences with parents to wrapping up the room for the summer. Likewise, we’re hoping to remind you early-career teachers of a few things and provide some new ideas, as well, to help you continue to be successful. (OK, so my first year of teaching, I dismissed a class at the 5-minute warning bell and had to round them all back up! It happens!)

We’ll also include some information about new programs we’re putting into place—just for new teachers. Dean Debbie Mercer has made it a priority to help you out as much as possible, so look for several opportunities where we can lend our support. And if you’re not seeing what you need, just email me…lagoodson@k-state.edu…and we’ll do our very best to address your specific concerns and questions. Even if you don’t have questions or concerns, I’d love to hear from you!

We hope you’ll enjoy our ideas and suggestions and keep in touch with us as you move through lesson plans, lunch counts, and assessments. It’s our way of reminding you that you’re not alone…and that the COE is here to support you in any way possible.

Whether it’s your first year or beyond, you’ve begun an amazing journey. The great thing about teaching is that every August your journey begins again, only you’ll have more practical wisdom to make it even more successful! Thanks for letting us be a part of it! Stay purple!

Name:  Ryley Menhusen

School district: USD 383

City/State: Manhattan, KS

Class/content area taught: Physical education

What you are most excited about with your new career: I am most excited about the opportunity to build connections with students and have a positive impact on their lives through teaching and hopefully coaching as well.

What you enjoy most about teaching: Feeling like I get to go to work and not like I have to go to work each day. I don’t feel like I’m working at all, just doing what I love each day!

Ways your school/district has supported you: Everyone in my building has been very helpful to me from the administration, to the secretaries, to the other teachers. I have never been turned away when I asked for some supplies, or advice, or how to do something. Not only has the staff been willing to help me, but they have seemed very eager to help, and I really appreciate that.

Ways KSU especially helped prepare you for your new career: I think the sense of family that all students at K-State seem to have has given me a great attitude about other people in the community. I came to Manhattan as a freshman in college and have fallen in love with the university and the town of Manhattan. I was lucky enough to get a job here in town, and I’m very happy about being able to stay. I was also very fortunate in having great professors. Dr. Ellner and Dr. Stoney were very supportive of me. Without them, I would have likely ended up doing something else.

Specifics about your background that make teaching the perfect fit for you: My mom and two of my aunts are currently teachers, my grandpa was a former teacher and coach, and my dad coached countless sports when I was growing up. That’s probably why I enjoy it so much.

Suggestions/encouragement for new teachers: Stay positive, use your resources, and never be afraid to ask other teachers for help!

We asked some of your favorite faculty members what their favorite things about starting a new school year are. Here are a few of their responses:

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies)—“Just an excitement as to what the new year will bring.”

Mrs. Cyndi Kuhn (Technology)—“Meeting my students, getting a new outfit to wear the first day and reconnecting with colleagues.”

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“I love sharing books that I’ve read over the summer. I love the organization of a room ready to welcome a new group of students to the family. It’s a new beginning, a fresh start, for all of us!”

Mrs. Kaylee Myers (Elementary Education)—“Organizing! Love to get supplies out, get new supplies and organize it all!”

Dr. Todd Goodson (Secondary English, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“There is something special about setting up a classroom to start the year. It’s a little bit like getting ready to leave for a road trip to California. I know I’m going to have lots of adventures. I hope it will be good trip, but I have no way of knowing about the all the specific things that will happen along the way—about running out of gas half way up a mountain somewhere in Nevada or about the taste of warm sourdough bread at a sidewalk café in San Francisco. As we look back on long trips and school years, some were certainly better than others, but every one has changed us. That’s what I think is special about beginning a new school year—the anticipation of the journey to come.”

Dr. Lori Levin (Literacy)—“All the new faces and the stories they bring through the door.”

What’s up?

Why don’t you send us a photo of you at work in your classroom! Or, do you have a question about classroom procedures? A suggestion for a topic we should address in Before the Bell? Want to add your name to our mailing list? Or provide a different email for our list? At the very least, just email and say hi!

And thanks to all of those who have emailed! We love the updates!

Early-career teachers, feel free to jump in and offer suggestions to those who are following your career choice!

We’d love to hear from you, so please email us at lagoodson@k-state.edu.

Go, COE Cats!

Don’t miss a thing this fall! Be a part of EdCATS!

We want to help beginning and early career teachers like you thrive in your career! Check out #WeAreEdCats for teaching tips and to stay in touch with the COE! Check out the website at coe.k-state.edu/forever-edcats.

Your time as a new teacher means you are busy! So we’ve saed you some time by finding some information that is definitely worth your time. Check out the items below:

• Navigating the Waters of First Year Teaching
• Advice from Those Who Have Been There
• Teachers Share their Advice

1. Know that you, your lessons, and your students won’t be perfect; enjoy that we’re all works in progress.
2. Keep in mind that your administrators and your colleagues want you to be successful—almost as much as YOU want to succeed.
3. Students come in all shapes and sizes, mentally and physically; enjoy their unique characteristics. The diversity will make your classroom an interesting and lively community.
4. Remind yourself that every child in your classroom is someone’s loved one…someone’s baby; respect that.
5. At some point, you WILL figure out the bell system at the school.
6. Despite its name, your plan period won’t involve too much planning; however, it’s a good opportunity to take care of other necessary tasks–such as lining up lab time or a visit to the library for your classes.
7. At some point, a student—even a senior in high school—may slip and call you “mom” or “dad”; that’s a term of endearment and worth a smile.
8. Keep a metal basket on your desk for materials to be graded; try to empty the basket by the end of the school day.
9. Try to get a graded assignment in the grading book during the first week of classes; it signals to parents and the students that you’re doing important things in your classroom and that learning has already started.
10. Take time to really listen to your students; many have no other place for their voices to be heard and honored.

Your school year may have already started, but there are still some things to solidify a strong beginning. It’s never too late to implement these ideas!

• Have a filing system that categorizes your information by classes.
• Greet your students at the door so they know you’re excited, you’re prepared, and you’re in charge.
• Frustrated that your students are wasting time finding a place to sit? Have a seating arrangement in place before your students ever enter the room. It creates less disruption, especially if the seating chart is posted on the overhead screen as they walk in. If you don’t want assigned seats, make sure your students can get seated as effortlessly as possible.
• If you can, send a quick note home to your students as soon as possible—especially if you have a particular home base group or small group that you’ll be responsible for through the year. Send a postcard or an email with a brief note saying you’re excited that they’re in your class and that it’s going to be a great year. That gives you an early connection with the students and their families. It also opens the lines of communication in case something later in the year warrants a phone call home—or they need to contact you.
• Continue to reinforce your classroom rules. But keep the list small and manageable. For example, “Respect” is a one-word rule that covers nearly everything.
• Avoid referring to students’ mothers and fathers; today, family can be defined in a variety of ways.
• Smile…even though it’s not Thanksgiving yet. We’ve all heard the idea that teachers shouldn’t smile until Thanksgiving; don’t take it literally. There’s no need to scowl. Instead, the real intent of that saying is for you to be ready to manage your class as needed. As for smiling, give it a try. It will help you and your students feel a little more comfortable in the first days of the semester as you all get to know each other.

What an exciting time! Next month, we’ll offer you some more tips for being successful. Plus we’ll feature more of your COE colleagues out in the classroom. Be sure to read next month’s newsletter for:

• Ideas on the importance of procedures and routines
• Planning for a substitute
• Getting ready for your first parent/student/teacher conferences
• A few words of advice from some of your favorite professors!