Strategies to Help a First-Year Teacher Survive

Strategies to Help a First-Year Teacher Survive Being a first-year teacher comes with a plethora of emotions, both good and bad. First-year teachers are typically excited, overwhelmed, nervous, anxious, overzealous, and even a little scared. Being a teacher is a rewarding career, but there are times when  it can be extremely stressful and challenging. Most teachers would agree that the first year is their most difficult, simply because they are not adequately prepared for all that will be thrown at them.    It may sound clichà ©d, but experience really is the best teacher. No matter how much training a first-year teacher receives, nothing can truly prepare them for the real thing. Teaching is composed of many different uncontrollable variables, making each day its own unique challenge. It is important for first-year teachers to remember that they are running a marathon and not a race. No single day, good or bad, can dictate success or failure. Instead, it is the culmination of every moment added together, There are several strategies that can help make each day for a first-year teacher go smoother. The following survival guide will help teachers as they begin their journey into this incredible and rewarding career path. Arrive Early and Stay Late Contrary to popular belief, teaching is not an 8:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. job, and this is especially true for first-year teachers. By default, it takes first-year teachers more time to prepare than it will a veteran teacher. Always afford extra time. Arriving early and staying late allows you to properly prepare in the mornings and tie up loose ends at night. Stay Organized   Being organized is another key component that takes time and is essential to being a successful teacher. There are so many variables to account for that, if you are not organized, it can be very difficult to keep up with your responsibilities. Always keep in mind that organization and preparation are linked. Build Relationships Early and Often Building healthy relationships  often takes a lot of hard work and effort. However, it is a vital component if you want to be successful. Relationships must be forged with administrators, faculty and staff members, parents, and students. You will have a different relationship with each of these groups, but each is equally beneficial for you to be an effective teacher. Administrators – The key to building a healthy relationship with an administrator is to gain their trust by being a professional in all aspects. Hard work, reliability, dedication, and effective teaching results will help maintain a healthy relationship with your administrators.Faculty and Staff Members – All first-year teachers should rely upon one or several veteran teachers to assist and guide them through the first year. Having a support system of other teachers is invaluable. It is also essential to forge healthy relationships with all personnel in the school. Each staff member has a particular area of expertise that you will likely be beneficial to you.Parents – Parents can be your best friend or  worst enemy. Building a healthy relationship with parents relies on two key factors. The first is that you make it clear that your number one goal is to prepare their child academically. The second factor is that you communicate with each parent oftenusing vario us methodskeeping them up to date and providing them with both positive and negative feedback about their child. How your students feel about you will impact your overall effectiveness. There is a definite middle ground that lies between being too easy or too difficult. Most students love and respect teachers who are consistent, fair, humorous, compassionate, and knowledgeable. Dont set yourself up for failure by worrying too much about being liked or attempting to be their friends. Doing so will likely cause students to take advantage of you. Instead, start exceptionally strict and then ease off as the year progresses. Things will go much smoother if you use this  classroom management  approach. Experience is the Best Education No formal training can replace true, on the job, experience. Students will often be the true educators every day for your first-year teacher. This experience is invaluable, and the lessons learned can drive you to make solid teaching decisions over the course of your career. Have a Backup Plan Every first-year teacher comes in with their own unique philosophy, plan, and approach to how they are going to teach. Sometimes it can only take a few hours or days for them to realize that they are going to have to make adjustments. Every teacher needs a backup plan when trying something new, and for a first-year teacher, that means having a backup plan every single day. Nothing is worse than having a significant activity planned and realizing a few minutes in  that its not going as expected. Even the most well planned, and organized activity has the possibility of failing. Being prepared to move on to another activity is always an excellent idea. Immerse Yourself in the Curriculum Most first-year teachers do not have the luxury of being picky with their first job. They have to take what is available and run with it, no matter how comfortable they are with the curriculum. Each grade level will be different, and it is essential that you quickly become an expert in the curriculum that you will be teaching. Great teachers know their required objectives and curriculum inside and out. They also continuously look for methods that will improve how they teach and present that material. Teachers will quickly be discredited by their students if they are unable to explain, model, and demonstrate the material that they are teaching. Keep a Journal for Reflection A journal can be a valuable tool for a first-year teacher. Its impossible to  remember every important thought or event that happens throughout the year and writing them down makes it simple to access or review at any point. It is also gratifying to look back and reflect on how far you have come throughout your career. Keep Lesson Plans, Activities, Materials Prior to your first year, you might never have had to make  lesson plans. As you begin creating them, it is important to save a copy and build a portfolio. This should include your lesson plans, notes, activities, worksheets, quizzes, exams, etc. Though it may take a lot of time and effort, you have a terrific teaching tool that will make your job much easier from that point on. Prepare to be Overwhelmed It is natural to become frustrated and hit a wall as our first year will likely be the most demanding. Remind yourself that it will improve. In sports, they talk about the game being so fast for young players that they fail more often than not. However, as time passes, they become comfortable with everything. Everything eventually slows down, and they begin to be consistently successful. The same is true for teachers; that overwhelming feeling will disappear and you will begin to be more effective. Year Two Lessons Learned Your first year  will be many sprinkled with both failures and successes. Look at it as a learning experience. Take what works and run with it. Throw away what didn’t and replace it with something new that you believe will. Don’t expect everything to work out exactly as you plan, teaching isn’t easy. It will take hard work, dedication, and experience to be a master teacher. Moving forward, the lessons you learned in year one can help propel you to success throughout your career.

Biography of Juan Perón, Argentinas Populist President

Biography of Juan Perà ³n, Argentina's Populist President Juan Domingo Perà ³n (October 8, 1895–July 1, 1974) was an Argentine general who was elected president of Argentina three times: 1946, 1951, and 1973. An extraordinarily skilled politician, he had millions of supporters even during his years of exile, from 1955 to 1973. His policies were mostly populist and tended to favor the working classes, who embraced him and made him the most influential Argentine politician of the 20th century. Eva Evita Duarte de Perà ³n, his second wife, was an important factor in his success and influence. Fast Facts: Juan Perà ³n Known For: Argentine general and presidentBorn: Oct. 8, 1895 in Lobos, Buenos Aires ProvinceParents: Juana Sosa Toledo, Mario Toms Perà ³nDied: July 1, 1974 in Buenos AiresEducation: Graduated from Argentinas National Military CollegeSpouse(s): Aurelia Tizà ³n, Eva (Evita) Duarte, Isabel Martà ­nez Early Life Although he was born near Buenos Aires, he spent much of his youth in the harsh region of Patagonia with his family as his father tried his hand at various occupations, including ranching. At 16, he entered the National Military College and joined the army afterward, deciding to be a career soldier. He served in the infantry as opposed to the cavalry, which was for children of wealthy families. He married his first wife Aurelia Tizà ³n in 1929, but she died in 1937 of uterine cancer. Tour of Europe By the late 1930s, Lt. Col. Perà ³n was an influential officer in the Argentine army. Argentina didnt go to war during Perà ³ns lifetime; all of his promotions came during peacetime, and he owed his rise to his political skills as much as his military abilities. In 1938 he went to Europe as a military observer, visiting Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and other nations. While in Italy, he became a fan of the style and rhetoric of Italys Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, whom he greatly admired. He left Europe just before World War II began and returned to a nation in chaos. Rise to Power: 1941–1946 Political chaos in the 1940s afforded the ambitious and charismatic Perà ³n the opportunity to advance. As a colonel in 1943, he was among the plotters who supported Gen. Edelmiro Farrell’s coup against President Ramà ³n Castillo and was awarded the posts of secretary of war and then secretary of labor. As labor secretary, he made liberal reforms that endeared him to the Argentine working class. From 1944 to 1945 he was vice president of Argentina under Farrell. In October 1945, conservative foes tried to muscle him out, but mass protests led by his new wife Evita Duarte forced the military to restore him to office. Evita Perà ³n had met Eva Duarte, a singer and actress known as Evita, while they were doing relief work for a 1944 earthquake. They married in October  1945. Evita became an invaluable asset during her husbands first two terms in office. Her empathy for and connection with Argentina’s poor and downtrodden were unprecedented. She started important social programs for the poorest Argentines, promoted womens suffrage, and personally handed out cash in the streets to the needy. After her death in 1952, the pope received thousands of letters demanding her elevation to sainthood. First Term as President: 1946–1951 Perà ³n was elected president in February 1946 and was an able administrator during his first term. His goals were increased employment and economic growth, international sovereignty, and social justice. He nationalized banks and railways, centralized the grain industry, and raised worker wages. He put a time limit on daily hours worked and instituted a mandatory Sundays-off policy for most jobs. He paid off foreign debts and built many public buildings, including schools and hospitals. Internationally, he declared a â€Å"third way† between the Cold War powers and managed to have good diplomatic relations with both the United States and the Soviet Union. Second Term: 1951–1955 Perà ³n’s problems began in his second term. Evita passed away in 1952. The economy stagnated and the working class began to lose faith in him. His opposition, mostly conservatives who disapproved of his economic and social policies, became bolder. After attempting to legalize prostitution and divorce, he was excommunicated. When he held a rally to protest the movement against him, opponents in the military launched a coup that included the Argentine Air Force and Navy bombing the Plaza de Mayo, the central square in Buenos Aires, killing almost 400. On Sept. 16, 1955, military leaders seized power in Cordoba and drove Perà ³n out on Sept. 19. Exile: 1955–1973 Perà ³n spent the next 18 years in exile, mainly in Venezuela and Spain. Although the new government made any support of Perà ³n illegal (including even saying his name in public), he maintained great influence over Argentine politics, and candidates he supported frequently won elections. Many politicians came to see him, and he welcomed them all. He managed to convince both liberals and conservatives that he was their best choice, and by 1973,  millions were clamoring for him to return. Return to Power and Death: 1973–1974 In 1973, Hà ©ctor Cmpora, a stand-in for Perà ³n, was elected president. When Perà ³n flew in from Spain on June 20, more than 3 million people thronged the airport to welcome him back. It turned to tragedy, however, when right-wing Peronists opened fire on left-wing Peronists known as Montoneros, killing at least 13. Perà ³n was easily elected when Cmpora stepped down, but right- and left-wing Peronist organizations fought openly for power. Ever the slick politician, he managed to keep a lid on the violence for a time, but he died of a heart attack on July 1, 1974, after only a year back in power. Legacy Its impossible to overstate Perà ³ns legacy in Argentina. In terms of impact, he ranks with leaders such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. His brand of politics even has its own name: Peronism. Peronism survives today in Argentina as a legitimate political philosophy, incorporating nationalism, international political independence, and a strong government. Cristina Kirchner, who served as president from 2007 to 2015, was a member of the Justicialist Party, an offshoot of Peronism. Like every other political leader, Perà ³n had his ups and downs and left a mixed legacy. On the plus side, some of his accomplishments were impressive: He increased basic rights for workers, vastly improved the infrastructure (particularly in terms of electrical power), and modernized the economy. He was a skillful politician on good terms with both the East and the West during the Cold War. One example of Perà ³ns political skills were his relations with the Jews in Argentina. Perà ³n closed the doors to Jewish immigration during and after World War II. Every now and then, however, he would make a magnanimous public gesture, such as allowing a boatload of Holocaust survivors to enter Argentina. He got good press for these gestures but never changed his policies. He also allowed hundreds of Nazi war criminals to find safe haven in Argentina after World War II, making him one of the only people in the world who managed to stay on good terms with Jews and Nazis at the same time. He had his critics, however. The economy eventually stagnated under his rule, particularly in terms of agriculture. He doubled the size of the state bureaucracy, placing a further strain on the national economy. He had autocratic tendencies and cracked down on opposition from the left or the right if it suited him. During his time in exile, his promises to liberals and conservatives created hopes for his return that he couldnt deliver. He married for the third time in 1961 and made his wife, Isabel Martà ­nez de Perà ³n, his vice president to start his final term, which had disastrous consequences after she assumed the presidency upon his death. Her incompetence encouraged Argentine generals to seize power and kick off the bloodshed and repression of the so-called Dirty War. Sources Alvarez, Garcia, Marcos. Là ­deres polà ­ticos del siglo XX en Amà ©rica Latina Rock, David. Argentina 1516-1987: From Spanish Colonization to Alfonsà ­nJuan Perà ³n Biography. Encyclopedia Brittanica.