Preparing for Your First Year of Teaching
Recent graduate and Collegiate member Meredith Higgins just got her first-year dream job—an elementary position at the International School of Trieste in Italy. To prepare for her first year of teaching, she’s made the following checklist.
- Go through the school Web site and get to know the school rules, demographics, levels of involvement, and other teachers if possible.
- Try to contact the past teacher to find out what worked, what didn't work, and tricks of the trade that will ease your transition as the new teacher.
- Write a curriculum and goals for the program.
- Talk to professors and experienced teachers for advice and support.
Currently, Higgins is working on setting goals for literacy, parent involvement, fundraising, materials to purchase, repertoire, community participation, and performance opportunities. “An idea that benefits the student should always be expanded into a possibility, even if it takes more time than you would think,” she says.
Questions about preparing for your first teaching job? Ask the experts!
Part 1: Getting Started on Your Search
Part 2: Networking and Creating a Portfolio
Part 3: Resumes, Cover Letters, and Applications—Oh, My!
Part 4: Preparing for Your Interview
Part 5: Interview Dos and Don’ts
Meredith Higgins is a recent music education graduate from Indiana University-Bloomington.
--Anne Wagener, August 5, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education