New Teacher Support Shopping Guide

Are you already underway with preparations for your new teaching job? New teacher support begins with a few teacher friendly resources for beginning the school year.

The cheapest and most resourceful place to start your search is by going to the teacher resources or teacher aides section of any nearby bookstore. Most of these books have their main website and you can simply download materials for free.

You don't necessarily need to start off your teaching career with numerous book titles. Just skim and scan through a few. In the beginning, the number of books can be terribly overwheming. The problem with buying books on lesson plans and especially with classroom management ideas is that new teachers think they are the magical solution for motivating students or dealing/solving discipline problems. But they need to be tested and tried from start to finish. Most importantly, they should be regarding as supplementary materials as you find the classroom management style and work out your own formula for classroom rules and procedures.

Another good place to start is by visiting the office of your local board of education. They can point you in the right direction with regarding to supplementary classroom resources for new teachers and additional websites for new teachers.

A highly recommended classroom tested planner is available at Barnes and Nobles but planners vary from market to market and you may just find something much easier and friendlier to use. This particular planner contains easy to find pages on classroom organization including classroom seating plans, and charts.

Another good place for a beginning teacher to start collecting various ideas for lesson plans and classroom management ideas is by visiting various online teacher forums and websites. Teaching A-Z is one of them. there are many fine websites on the web, many of them designed for the new teacher in mind.

If your school has a teacher resource center, it probably a good idea to go through any lesson plan ideas before actually buying anything. You'd be surprised at how old ideas still pass the test of time that can be adapted for some of your classes. If you have been assigned a mentor, you could ask him or her about supplementary resource materials that she knows of in the school including the library or a learning center with teaching materials.

School librarians also may have a online or offline list on file of new teacher resources that you have inquired previously.

For the new ESL teacher, this site has a wealth of reading activities and short reading texts.

Do you have any additional ideas on how to help a new teacher start collecting additional classroom resource materials without spending lots of money? Share your secrets!