{"id":205024,"date":"2014-01-28T09:19:08","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T14:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=205024"},"modified":"2023-09-25T09:20:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T13:20:59","slug":"first-year-teachers-share-dos-and-donts-with-teachers-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2014\/01\/first-year-teachers-share-dos-and-donts-with-teachers-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"First-Year Teachers Share Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts with Teachers-To-Be"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTake good notes in class during your last year at Neag. They will not only be helpful for you, but for your team members and colleagues when you start teaching,\u201d advised Arianna Aquilino, a fifth-grade teacher at West Woods Upper Elementary School in Farmington. She was speaking to 60 students who will graduate from the Neag School of Education\u2019s Integrated Bachelor\u2019s\/Master\u2019s Teacher Education Program in May 2014.<\/p>\n

Aquilino was one of seven recent Neag alumni who returned to Dr. Richard Schwab\u2019s Teacher Leadership and Organization course to take the podium and share their first-year teaching experiences.<\/p>\n

The event marked the third year Schwab, UConn\u2019s Raymond Neag Endowed Professor of Educational Leadership, has invited former students back to campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my students graduate, I remind them I\u2019ll be asking them back to talk with the next cohort of new teachers,\u201d said Schwab, also Dean Emeritus. \u201cEvery time I do this, I enjoy watching alumni and current students laugh and learn together. The advice alumni give is always helpful, and they learn a great deal from reflecting on their first-year experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kelly<\/a>
Kelly Soule (pictured in the middle) provided insight for the current students. Also pictured are Arianna Aquilinoa and Jeffrey Russell.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Job hunting and job interviewing tips were the two areas current Neag students were most interested in learning about. Each alumnus shared advice, which included the importance of attending career fairs, rehearsing for interviews, building a portfolio, and utilizing Neag connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you prepare answers for the interview, don\u2019t forget to also prepare questions about the school. It shows how prepared and serious you are about the opportunity,\u201d said James Dinnan, now teaching social studies at Farmington High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd be prepared for anything,\u201d he added, noting that the part-time position he was hired for turned into a full-time one on his first day of work.<\/p>\n

Marissa Boucher, currently teaching seventh-grade mathematics at Ellington Middle School, shared what she did after getting a job offer: \u201cIf you have an opportunity, try to observe other teachers or substitute at the school before you officially start working there.\u00a0 It helped me to be better prepared with the school\u2019s routines and get to know staff before the new school year started.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ranked as one of the top teacher preparation programs in the United States, the Neag School\u2019s five-year Integrated Bachelor\u2019s\/Master\u2019s (IB\/M) program provides students with both extensive classroom learning and intensive field experience. Students are admitted to the program as juniors after a competitive admissions process.<\/p>\n

The IB\/M program is a rigorous, well-planned program designed to provide students an optimum combination of experiences in which they can build content area knowledge, knowledge of teaching and learning, and the practical knowledge required to be a successful and effective teacher for all students.<\/p>\n

Once admitted to the IB\/M program, students generally complete two years of subject area major studies and professional education in teacher education leading to a Bachelor\u2019s degree in education. The undergraduate years are followed by one year of graduate level professional education leading to a Master\u2019s degree in education. Completion of all program requirements results in the recommendation for certification as a teacher in the State of Connecticut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so nervous to start my first year of teaching, but the program prepared me in more ways than I thought,\u201d Aquilino recalled. \u201cJust having all the background knowledge of classroom management and lesson planning was so helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meloney Bailey, a fifth- and sixth-grade social studies teacher at Jumoke Academy at the Hartford Conservatory, also assured the soon-to-be teachers: \u201cThe program has equipped you with all the tools you need to be successful. Just make sure you utilize those tools. They may be time consuming at times, but will definitely alleviate a lot of stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The visiting grads also agreed that the Neag School had prepared them well for the significant changes to education that came with the start of this new school year, including the implementation of the new Common Core State Standards. \u201cThe knowledge we gained at the Neag School made me less apprehensive about issues than some veterans,\u201d Boucher said.<\/p>\n

All alumni agreed, however, that being a first-year teacher is a challenge. \u201cThe field experience I received in college was essential, because classes can only prepare you so much,\u201d said Shannon Bostiga, a fifth-grade teacher at Windermere Intermediate School in Ellington. \u201cThere are so many things I encountered that I would never had been prepared for without the Neag School.\u201d<\/p>\n

Managing time effectively, staying organized and prioritizing tasks were among the greatest challenges discussed by alumni. \u201cThe most challenging thing about the first year of teaching is finding time to do everything.\u00a0Sometimes I wish there was an extra hour in the day to get everything done,\u201d Bailey added.<\/p>\n

Dr. Michelle Femc-Bagwell, who co-teaches with Schwab, had some advice for both the upcoming graduates and alumni: \u201cTry to shadow other teachers and observe their work routines. There is never a best routine out there, but you can apply what\u2019s best for you and your kids by taking a little from everyone.\u201d A former public school educator and middle school principal, Femc-Bagwell also encouraged them to always seek help. \u201cYou will be surprised how people are more than willing to help,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/a>
Dr. Richard Schwab emphasized important tips for the graduating Neag students.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reflecting on the almost three-hour experience, Schwab said: \u201cI hope all my students can model support, not only for each other in class, but also carry that into their teaching careers in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seven recent Neag alumni returned to Dr. Richard Schwab\u2019s Teacher Leadership and Organization course to take the podium and share their first-year teaching experiences. The event marked the third year Schwab has invited former students back to campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":190,"featured_media":205025,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1855],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2455],"class_list":["post-205024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-neag"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-01 05:26:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/190"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205024"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205026,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205024\/revisions\/205026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/205025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205024"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=205024"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=205024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}