Kansas State University

Lori Goodson, Editor
Mary Hammel, Technical Editor

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In just a few short weeks, you will have completed your first year of teaching! That is cause for celebration! We not-so-rookie teachers know the first year is a challenging one–new duties, new students, new environment, new rules and traditions. And all of us at the College of Education salute you for your accomplishments!

You’ve become a master at figuring out that, among other things, you really DIDN’T lose every assignment the student says she turned in. You DID figure out which parents and guardians go with which child during your first-ever parent-teacher conferences. You DID (finally, with numerous reminders from the office staff) remember to take lunch count at the beginning of every day.

As some of our students have stated, after teaching their first lesson in field experiences, “This isn’t as easy as it looks.” We definitely know it isn’t easy, and we hope we’ve served as a resource for you – or at least brightened your day now and then by hearing from some of your former professors.

In this, our final issue of our inaugural year of “Before the Bell,” we wish you many years of success – many bells, many lunch counts, and many learning experiences for you and your future students. And we hope you’ll always turn to us for resources and inspiration. Keep in touch!

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

Go, COE Cats!

We found some of your former Curriculum and Instruction professors and asked them, “As a classroom teacher, what’s your favorite memory from your first year of teaching?” And here are some of their responses.

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies) — “Being told I was being brought back for year 2!”

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math) — “I remember doing a lot of great projects, including skits and songs. It was a ton of work, but so much fun!”

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Core Teaching Skills) — “Watching students turn in their final exam on the last day of the semester. The final exam was one essay question, yet most of the students used the entire 90 minutes to write out their answer. I was proud of what we accomplished and how much they had learned – not just about history, but about hard work, study skills, organization of ideas, historical thinking, and a host of other things.”

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism) — “During Parent/Teacher Conferences in October, a parent told me that her daughter loved my class. She said that she and her husband were always excited when their children were placed in a first-year teacher’s classroom because what new teachers may lack in experience, they make up for with fresh ideas and enthusiasm. Her words encouraged and gave me confidence.”

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) — “I would say the resilience of my band as we returned home from Indianapolis after 1/3 of the band got food poisoning. This tested a lot of what I had learned in school. Seeing the connection between parents, community, and administration was invaluable and really allowed me to see the profession from beyond the walls of my classroom.”

Nikki Miller
Second Grade Teacher, Frank V. Bergman Elementary
My first year has been extremely exciting with constantly trying new things! One thing I have found valuable my first year is using the resources and people around me. Everyone is open to help and share their ideas for lessons, knowing these lesson have previously been used brings some ease to a first year teacher!

You are about to say goodbye to your first class. You can’t decide if you want to cry…or smile. That’s OK – it’s probably going to be a little of both.

It’s different at the various grade levels. Some teachers may see their first class leaving the building for another school; some may see their first class graduating from the school district and moving on to other stages of their lives.

Whatever the situation, you’ll probably find that you think back to your first year for many school years to come. They will be the group that, for better and for worse, helped you complete your first year in an extremely important career.

Take a few minutes, before everyone dashes out your classroom door, to thank them. While you’ve been the teacher, they have taught you many things, as well.

Despite what some say, teachers have plenty of things to do through the summer–whether it’s teaching summer school to help students catch up on skills or student-free activities such as attending workshops or classes. Here are just a few suggestions to help you make the most of those not-so-lazy, hazy days of summer!

• Be looking for ways to improve your lessons. If you’re teaching the same course next fall, spend some time flipping through your lesson plans. Hopefully, you’ve made some notes and done some reflecting on what worked and didn’t work. Where can you add a new element – a brief video or music clip? How can you enliven your lessons to get your students excited? What activities did they seem to like the most AND learn the most? Revise, revise, revise!
• Look for new resources. The Internet provides an endless amount of options for you, including many that are teacher-tried and trusted. But don’t overwhelm yourself; be selective by focusing on pumping up one particular unit for next year’s class.
• Team up with a colleague (as near as a friend who teaches down the hall to as far away as across the nation, thanks to the Internet). It’ll make planning and revising much more enjoyable!
• Find a workshop or course to take that addresses an area in which you’d like to become a stronger teacher…classroom management, special education needs, technology, etc.