Secrets for Secondary School Teachers by Ellen Kottler, Jeffrey A. Kottler, Cary J. Kottler
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to request an order. You will also get information on various programs and competitions that you and your students may be interested in, as well as information on professional development opportunities. Check with other teachers and your department head for their opinions on the information you receive.
P LANNING AND C ALENDARS
Just as students are advised to use daily planners in study-skills classes, we suggest that a calendar or electronic planner (personal data assistant—PDA) will be helpful to you as well. Such a planner is useful for keeping track of scheduled meetings, student activities, and deadlines for various projects. You can color code entries to distinguish between professional and personal entries, and you can indicate optional activities, such as attending a debate in which one of your students will be participating. You can also include reminders for forthcoming events.
I N THE B EGINNING
The early weeks of the fall semester will be especially busy with the first department and school committee meetings of the year. There will be several tasks that must be completed right away; for example, an individual and department professional development plan may need to be written. Most schools require these to be submitted to an administrator. Emergency lesson plans may have to be written and filed as well. Once they are completed, they must also be updated from time to time. Also, texts and supplies will need to be inventoried and stored, at least temporarily. And, forms—well, this topic merits a section of its own.
F ORMS
Certain forms are distributed on a regular basis. You can mark your calendar so you know when to expect them and when they are due back to a particular office. For example, athletic and activity eligibility forms are distributed on a regular schedule and are due back by a specific time. Some schools require these every week; others may only want them every third week.
In order to evaluate eligibility for sports and activities, some teachers make a notation in their grade books as to which students play a given sport or participate in a given activity. Then, they scan the list of names and check the grade averages for those students. Other teachers find this information distracting in the grade books, so they circle the names on the lists that are given to each teacher and just check the circled names against the grade averages in their grade books.
Unsatisfactory progress report forms are distributed at some point in the middle of the grading period. Teachers usually have several days to complete them. You can check the due dates, usually with the registrar or the principal’s secretary. Progress reports may also be requested for certain students on a weekly basis. These forms may come from the student, parent, counselor, special education teacher, dean, school social worker, or school psychologist.
Some schools have teachers complete daily attendance rosters. The forms are in the mailboxes in the morning and have to be turned in at the end of the day. Suspension lists and withdrawals are posted daily. The teacher usually has a part in the withdrawal process—checking in textbooks and indicating withdrawal in the grade book, which is a legal document. You may also have to sign a form. A good procedure to follow is to check the lists against your record book at the end of the day before you turn in your attendance.
Excused-absence lists are irregularly distributed, so you have to be on the lookout for these. Students may be excused for competitions, assembly preparation, sports events, fieldtrips, and other programs. In addition, several tests are administered throughout the year for different groups of students. You might consider marking these on your calendar, too, so you will know why students are absent.
O RGANIZE Y OUR W ORK S PACE
Take a moment to analyze your work habits and your work space. Is your desk rather cluttered at the moment with papers, folders, and books? Or,
P LANNING AND C ALENDARS
Just as students are advised to use daily planners in study-skills classes, we suggest that a calendar or electronic planner (personal data assistant—PDA) will be helpful to you as well. Such a planner is useful for keeping track of scheduled meetings, student activities, and deadlines for various projects. You can color code entries to distinguish between professional and personal entries, and you can indicate optional activities, such as attending a debate in which one of your students will be participating. You can also include reminders for forthcoming events.
I N THE B EGINNING
The early weeks of the fall semester will be especially busy with the first department and school committee meetings of the year. There will be several tasks that must be completed right away; for example, an individual and department professional development plan may need to be written. Most schools require these to be submitted to an administrator. Emergency lesson plans may have to be written and filed as well. Once they are completed, they must also be updated from time to time. Also, texts and supplies will need to be inventoried and stored, at least temporarily. And, forms—well, this topic merits a section of its own.
F ORMS
Certain forms are distributed on a regular basis. You can mark your calendar so you know when to expect them and when they are due back to a particular office. For example, athletic and activity eligibility forms are distributed on a regular schedule and are due back by a specific time. Some schools require these every week; others may only want them every third week.
In order to evaluate eligibility for sports and activities, some teachers make a notation in their grade books as to which students play a given sport or participate in a given activity. Then, they scan the list of names and check the grade averages for those students. Other teachers find this information distracting in the grade books, so they circle the names on the lists that are given to each teacher and just check the circled names against the grade averages in their grade books.
Unsatisfactory progress report forms are distributed at some point in the middle of the grading period. Teachers usually have several days to complete them. You can check the due dates, usually with the registrar or the principal’s secretary. Progress reports may also be requested for certain students on a weekly basis. These forms may come from the student, parent, counselor, special education teacher, dean, school social worker, or school psychologist.
Some schools have teachers complete daily attendance rosters. The forms are in the mailboxes in the morning and have to be turned in at the end of the day. Suspension lists and withdrawals are posted daily. The teacher usually has a part in the withdrawal process—checking in textbooks and indicating withdrawal in the grade book, which is a legal document. You may also have to sign a form. A good procedure to follow is to check the lists against your record book at the end of the day before you turn in your attendance.
Excused-absence lists are irregularly distributed, so you have to be on the lookout for these. Students may be excused for competitions, assembly preparation, sports events, fieldtrips, and other programs. In addition, several tests are administered throughout the year for different groups of students. You might consider marking these on your calendar, too, so you will know why students are absent.
O RGANIZE Y OUR W ORK S PACE
Take a moment to analyze your work habits and your work space. Is your desk rather cluttered at the moment with papers, folders, and books? Or,
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