Schools often have induction programs designed to help new staff integrate. But with the hurly-burly of starting in a new school at the beginning of the school year or semester some items or procedures are overlooked by the administration or misunderstood by the new arrival.
Below is a list of data and equipment that a newly appointed young teacher needs to know to help ease his/her introduction to the new school. This check list is designed for new teachers to enable them to establish a plan to gain all the data they need to ease and speed up their introduction into school life.
Often, with school induction programs, new teachers complain of information overload. With this check list they can prioritise what they need to know or have to enable a smooth transition. (It is possible much of what they need to know might well be in a staff manual. Well run schools have up to date versions available to all staff each year.)
This check list has developed out of my experience of 15 years as head of mathematics in my last school before I retired where I inducted many teachers. Subsequently, as a teacher with 7 years' experience of doing contracts in some 8 schools, state and private, I found there were few schools that had an adequate induction program. Thus I had to create my own. As a result of this, I went armed at every interview and first school day with a list of questions or items I felt I needed to ask or seek. I found other new staff, particularly young staff, had no real idea of what to ask or seek. An unexpected bonus of these questions was that I gave the interview panel or my future up line manager a very positive view of my professionalism. One told me as soon as she saw my questions that I had she knew I was the man for the job.
Thus this check list is the result of that experience. It is not necessarily complete as some schools will have their own special character and there may be other issues to look at.
But the list is a big start.
CHECKLIST FOR NEW TEACHERS
New, permanent or long-term contract teachers
Teacher specific items
1. Staff code
2. Staff login
3. Staff email address
4. Name tag
5. Keys
6. Dress code
7. School calendar
8. Student diary (in high schools)
9. Staff handbook
10. School room map
11. Playground duty roster, map, responsibilities
12. Procedure when sick
13. School Behaviour Management policy
14. Policy on email usage
15. Use of school phones
16. Responsibilities of admin. team
17. House arrangements
18. Sport
19. Extracurricular activities
20. Assemblies, school, year, house
21. Timetable
22. Class rolls
23. Mark books
24. Stationery
25. Staff meetings
26. Curriculum or year level meeting
27. Staff association or club
28. Union meetings/representative.
29. Home or form room
30. School parking arrangements
31. School times
32. Tour of school
33. Pigeon holes
34. Photocopying procedures
35. Injured or sick child policy
36. Sick room locale
37. Lunch or tea club
38. Staff common room
39. Computer room access and bookings
40. Specialist facilities.
41. Pay
42. Contracts to sign
43. Superannuation
44. Official forms to complete.
Student specific items
45. Student ID photos if available
46. Special needs students
47. Student medical problems
48. Student record cards
49. Behaviour problems
50. School homework expectations
51. Reporting responsibilities
52. Access to parents
Subject specific items
53. Names of curriculum heads.
54. Office of curriculum heads.
55. Subject work programs/outlines.
56. Assessment schedule/procedures
57. Test/assessment setters.
58. Staff room with staff names.
59. List of teachers teaching same subject/year.
60. Textbooks/equipment
61. Teaching aids available, where, what, how.
62. Marking responsibilities
63. Reporting procedure and comments.
64. Computer reporting process
65. School internet/email policy for students
Rick Boyce, before retirement, was the Head of Mathematics in a large Australian school. There he gained a reputation as an innovator in the teaching of Mathematics and as a presenter of professional development for teachers. The article above is but a small taste of what the young teacher can expect to find in an eBook titled "the First Year teachers' Book" especially written for young teacher starting a career in the classroom.