The International Experiences Of First Year Teachers

Every year, a number of preservice teachers graduate from Canadian universities, are hired into international positions, and spend their first year of teaching adapting to a new career and a new country. In addition to adjusting to the expectations of a new culture, they must also deal with the stress and joy of the first year of teaching in their own classrooms. Individually, each of these experiences is life changing; together they represent a unique experience. Many of these students remain in touch with professors and colleagues and tell stories rich with reflection and description of this first year in an unfamiliar country. Correspondence and conversations ring with professional and personal insights and choruses of "I wish I had known...." Editors Carole and Warnie Richardson's belief in the importance of hearing first-year teachers tell their stories of international teaching and learning is rooted in their own practice. As preservice professors who taught in the public school system on a small Caribbean island, they have experienced firsthand the challenges and rewards of living in an unfamiliar cultural environment and teaching in an educational system much different from their own. When they moved from Canada to the Cayman Islands to teach in the public system, their world changed as they adapted to a very different way of life, both personally and professionally. As seasoned educators, the editors were able to use their previous teaching experiences and ongoing reflective practice to identify and understand the dissonances, both internal and external, that resulted from working to fit into their new surroundings without losing themselves or compromising their philosophical beliefs about education. They were able to recognize that certain conflicts within their classrooms related as much to their students' and colleagues' anxiety about their expectations as to their own anxiety about what was expected of them. Conversations with each other and with expatriate teachers helped the editors to understand that their latent desire to implement their well-developed teaching practice in a new environment signaled an unconscious unwillingness to adapt to change; rather, they assumed that their new environment would adapt to them. As the editors began to acknowledge that change within their practice was vital to success in their new environment, they developed new expectations, new relationships, and new understandings that contributed to their becoming part of the culture and community. They also grew as educators as they began to appreciate that to effectively communicate with their students, they needed to validate the students' individual realities, even as they expected them to embrace theirs. The editors realized that there was no right way to adapt to change; the willingness to expand their ability to see through the eyes of others was the key to successful teaching and learning-regardless of the culture. The narratives in this book honor the voices of the individuals as they tell the personal and professional stories that live behind surveys and numbers. They speak frankly of the difficulties faced and triumphs experienced while beginning a career in a new country. Each of the stories chronicles a very different journey, and we hear these young teachers begin to reflect on their personal growth and come to a greater understanding of what it is to be a teacher-regardless of the country and the educational system. All of the stories reflect the personal backgrounds and styles of their authors, and it is in these differences that this book finds its strengths. Ultimately, these stories provide glimpses into the lives of first-year teachers who venture beyond the defined borders of their country-and their comfort. This book is critical for all those in education.

Finding Mrs. Warnecke tells the inspiring story of Cindi Rigsbee, a three-time Teacher of the Year, and Barbara Warnecke, the first-grade teacher who had a profound and lasting impact on Cindi's life. Cindi, an insecure child who craved positive attention, started her first-grade year with a teacher who was emotionally abusive and played favorites in the classroom. Two months into the school year, her principal came into the classroom and announced that half the students were being moved to another classroom--a dank, windowless basement room, with a young and inexperienced teacher. This change turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Cindi. Her new teacher, Mrs. Warnecke, made learning come alive for her students. She went overboard caring for each child, made her classroom "magical," and encouraged students to pursue their dreams. Although Cindi was reluctant to explore her creativity as a student, Mrs. Warnecke encouraged her to read and write poetry, which became a lifelong passion. The two kept in touch for several years but lost track of each other when Mrs. Warnecke moved out of state. Cindi spent many years trying to reconnect so she could thank Mrs. Warnecke for making such a difference in her life, but to no avail. Eventually Cindi became a teacher herself, and thirty years later she has taught more than 2,000 children and been named Teacher of the Year for her home state. She later came to realize that all those years she wasn't really trying to track down Barbara Warnecke, but rather, she was trying to "find Mrs. Warnecke" within herself. In Fall 2008 Cindi and Barbara were reunited on Good Morning America; the show's producers had tracked Barbara down and brought both women on-set for a tearful reunion. Barbara was floored at this attention--she had no idea she could have made such an impact on a former student's life. As Cindi travels around talking with new and veteran educators, she is always approached by audience members who are moved to tears and want to share the story of the "Mrs. Warnecke" in their own lives. Finding Mrs. Warnecke not only tells the story of this teacher who made a lifelong impact on her students, it illustrates the importance of the teacher/student relationship in the classroom, and offers principles for other teachers to follow to make a positive impact in their own classrooms.

This publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the most important issues facing teachers during the early stages of their careers.

Stories of Beginning Teachers offers insight into the challenges and triumphs of beginning teachers, presenting both research findings and case studies on the challenges faced by new teachers. More than twenty categories and five hundred specific examples of potential problems and issues are cited in Part 1 of this book. Armed with such useful information about the most frequent, serious, and persistent challenges, Roehrig, Pressley, and Talotta assert, a young educator will be better prepared to teach and more likely to succeed. Part 2 contains stories of the teaching experience of participants in the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education. Included are nine vivid stories of the struggles and successes of new teachers reflecting on their first year, as well as sixteen shorter summaries of the daily lives of beginning teachers. Reading this book, a novice teacher will better understand student motivation, student learning, human development, classroom organization, classroom management, assessment techniques, and the administration of schools.

In this insightfully honest and moving memoir about the realities of teaching in an inner-city school, Ed Boland "smashes the dangerous myth of the hero-teacher [and] shows us how high the stakes are for our most vulnerable students" (Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black). In a fit of idealism, Ed Boland left a twenty-year career as a non-profit executive to teach in a tough New York City public high school. But his hopes quickly collided headlong with the appalling reality of his students' lives and a hobbled education system unable to help them. Freddy runs a drug ring for his incarcerated brother; Nee-cole is homeschooled on the subway by her brilliant homeless mother; Byron's Ivy League dream is dashed because he is undocumented. In the end, Boland isn't hoisted on his students' shoulders and no one passes AP anything. This is no urban fairy tale of at-risk kids saved by a Hollywood hero, but a searing indictment of schools that claim to be progressive but still fail their students. Told with compassion, humor, and a keen eye, Boland's story is sure to ignite debate about the future of American education and attempts to reform it.

Discusses the challenges and influences novice language teachers face when teaching in their first years. The volume outlines several detailed case studies of the experiences second/foreign language teachers during their first year of teaching in such contexts as the USA, Canada, Singapore, Cambodia, the UK, Italy, Europe, Hong Kong & Japan.

Intro -- Acknowledgments -- Table of Contents -- About the Author -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Chapter 5 -- Chapter 6 -- Epilogue -- Appendix A -- Appendix B -- References and Resources -- Index

Teaching is a lifelong challenge, but the first few years in the classroom are typically a teacher's hardest. This expanded collection of writings and reflections offers practical guidance on how to navigate the school system, form rewarding relationships with colleagues, and connect in meaningful ways with students and families from all cultures and backgrounds.

Discover strategies and tools for new teacher success. In this user-friendly guide, the authors draw from best practice and their extensive experience to identify the necessary skills and characteristics to thrive as a new educator. Explore the six critical areas related to teaching that most impact new teachers and their students, from implementing effective assessments to working confidently and effectively with colleagues.

Lessons Learned from Novice Teachers presents novice teachers’ stories from five countries. They share similar challenges, yet national structures affect the perception of the challenges. A major lesson learned is the need for systemic support during induction.