Starting a new teaching job in midyear can be difficult compared to joining the same teaching job at the beginning of the academic year. When school starts, all teachers are given a proper orientation regarding all the rules and procedures of the school. They are given an idea about the subject curriculum. But it can get a little confusing when a teacher leaves school in the middle of the academic year and you have to take over the teaching job from them.
But you don’t have to get overwhelmed by this. You finally got a job! This is something to be happy about. The challenges can be overcome with some guidance. In this article, we talk about everything you need to take care of when starting a teaching job midyear. Follow the items suggested below and you will be on your way to a smooth school year.
Gather information
When joining midyear, the first thing to do is to get up-to-date with all that has been happening in the school. Next, collect information about all the rules and procedures of the school. This is primary. Ask the principal or fellow senior teachers regarding this. They can brief you about all the essential rules and regulations of the school. Note all of these down so you don’t forget them.
Here’s a checklist of some of the things you need to know rules and procedures about:
i) How is the attendance taken?
ii) What are the policies on washroom breaks?
iii) What are the emergency protocols regarding a fire or an earthquake?
iv) When are the exams conducted?
v) What practices does the school use to discipline the children?
vi) What is the school curriculum? And when does the school expect you to finish teaching it?
vii) Can you conduct school trips? If so, what are the rules and procedures regarding it?
Ask these and any other questions you have in mind. So you are up-to-date with everything.
Be ready for surprises
Despite being as comprehensive as you can when gathering information about how the school and the classroom work, you will still be in for surprises. This is because people will forget and leave out certain things. All this briefing was systematically done for everyone at the orientation beginning of the school year. You can’t expect anyone to be that thorough to not leave anything out.
So be ready for surprises and learn as you go. You might be asked to conduct surprise tests. But you were not informed about it. Don’t get panicked, and do the best you can considering the situation. And remember that the school is glad to finally have you as the teacher. They had been tired of subbing for subjects they don’t teach. So they will have no problems with you if you do the bare minimum. Don’t expect too much from yourself.
Create your teaching plan
The teacher might had an established lesson plan. If you think it works for you, you can continue what your predecessor did. You can make some little changes here and there if you want. But if you think it is unsuitable for you, you can create your new teaching plan and start implementing it from day one.
You might get feedback from the students like – the previous teacher used to do it this way. But make it clear to them that things will be done differently with you as a teacher. Don’t be afraid to put your teaching ideas into action.
Teaching online
If it is an online teaching job, ask the school or the coaching institute regarding the online courses available on their app or website. Enquire if they expect you to create an online course for your teaching subject. Online learning has become the new prevalent way of learning. If you are new to it, ask the existing teachers to guide you.
Don’t be shy or afraid to interact with the school staff. Any of them can be your mentor during the initial phase of your job. To build proper relationships with them. This will help you not just in the job but also have an excellent social life.
Keep the tips mentioned above in mind, and you’ll have one smooth school year ahead of you. Classplus can help you build the online digital infrastructure necessary to run such a coaching class. It provides a platform where you can upload online courses, conduct live classes, upload study materials, take attendance, and conduct exams. Get in touch with us and get your own app and to know more about what we can offer you. Our goal here is to make your job as a teacher easier for you.
