Welcome to a wonderful career and a great profession. Welcome to teaching.
The West Virginia Education Association (WVEA) welcomes you to the teaching profession! We hope this handbook will help you get your career off to a great start.
This New Teacher Handbook is intended to provide resources to help connect with every student. It includes teaching tips, techniques, best practices and resources by teachers, for teachers. Let it serve as a reminder that you are never alone in the classroom. WVEA’s dedicated staff, known as Organizational Development Specialists along with our Help Center staff meet or talk daily with teachers across the state to provide resources, opportunities and direction on professional issues. Your WVEA staff and colleagues are here to answer your questions, and to help you succeed in your chosen profession.
Together we stand up for ourselves, our students, our profession and West Virginia’s future. Your WVEA membership includes many benefits all aimed at helping you survive your first years as a teacher and thrive as an educator. Our goal is to strengthen the teaching profession by providing opportunities for quality professional development, networking and resources. We work to create better working conditions because our teaching conditions are student learning conditions.
Importantly, WVEA represents you in the legislative arena, which affects everything you do, everything you learn and everything you earn in the classroom. We work tirelessly for public schools and for those who provide our students with the best education possible. You will find there are so many great benefits from belonging to your professional organization. Have a great year!
Your West Virginia Education Association
Table of Contents
We’re working together to provide a quality public school to every student, regardless of ZIP code. Every student has a basic right to a great public school that’s why our Association is about more than
salary and benefits. It’s about creating schools and supporting educators who are growing tomorrow’s
inventors, thinkers, artists and leaders.
We are stronger together. Our collective voice affords us the strength to do more together than we can by ourselves. Our collective actions advance our profession and improve public education. Together we stand up for ourselves, our students, our profession and West Virginia’s future. Become a member today! Go to wvea.org/joinnow.
The Value of Membership
WVEA Help Center – 1.866.568.WVEA
You are never alone in your classroom and your one-stop shop is the WVEA Help Center. A Member Advocacy Specialist will answer your questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each school day and will call you back if you leave a message. Just call 1.866.568.WVEA.
Can’t get to a phone? Then e-mail your requests directly to the Help Center. You’ll get a speedy response. Help is just a phone call away – 1.866.568.WVEA.
Maintaining your own up-to-date personal and professional records is every bit as important as keeping your lesson plans and grade book organized. Having the appropriate documentation on hand can be critical to placement on the salary schedule, clearing up misunderstandings, making sure your evaluation is fair and accurate, etc. Proper written documentation can help keep a problem from becoming serious or being a problem at all.
Professional educators should have the following documents on hand:
If you are a newly licensed teacher in West Virginia, you have already cleared your first professional hurdle and you hold your first teaching license. After your initial licensure period, you will need to qualify to renew your license.
You are responsible for keeping your license up to date. Failure to do so could result in the loss of your job. No one may teach without an up-to-date West Virginia teaching certificate. Again, you are responsible for renewing your own license. School systems have no choice but to terminate your employment should you let your license lapse!
A few tips to guide you through the renewal process:
*The WVDE maintains a certification section on their website. Many of your questions can be answered there. If you still have certification-related questions, you may also contact the WVDE’s Certification Toll-Free Line at 1-800-982-2378.
Here are some more things to know and have on hand. Be sure to check with your WVEA colleagues or staff if you have questions.
Know:
Have (In Your Professional File):
Each teacher, upon entering the profession, assumes a number of obligations, one of which is to adhere to a set of principles that defines professional conduct. These principles are reflected in the West Virginia Employee Code of Conduct (Policy 5902). Violation of the code of conduct may result in disciplinary action against a teacher’s license.
The West Virginia Board of Education recognizes that the capabilities and conduct of all school employees greatly affect the quality of education provided to students in the public schools. The state Board of Education further believes that all school employees should be intrinsically motivated by the importance of the job that they do. The purpose of the Employee Code of Conduct is to establish appropriate standards of conduct for all West Virginia school personnel.
The code applies to all school personnel employed by a county board of education whether employed on a regular full-time basis or otherwise. It provides that all West Virginia school employees shall:
The Code of Conduct also requires that West Virginia public school employees respond immediately and consistently to incidents of bullying, harassment, intimidation, substance abuse, and/or violence or any other code of conduct violation that impacts negatively on students in a manner that effectively addresses incidents, deters future incidents and affirms respect for individuals.
No one anticipates becoming the target of a major news story when deciding to become a teacher. Yet, year after year, the national and local media aggressively pursue any story concerning allegations that a teacher has engaged in some type of inappropriate relationship with a student.
In some cases, the allegations are true. In many cases, they are not. Often, by the time the truth is known, it is far too late to save the reputation of those falsely accused. Young teachers, particularly secondary teachers, are extremely vulnerable to false allegations for several reasons. First, they simply lack significant experience in maintaining appropriate relationships with students. In addition, secondary teachers in many instances deal with students who are close to the same age. These older students may want to become “friends” with their new teachers, both inside and outside the classroom. Obviously, such “friendships” are fraught with danger.
It is imperative that teachers take the necessary steps to protect their good names, their reputations and ultimately their careers. Teachers should implement the following strategies to avoid problems.
One of the most important things a new teacher must learn is how to manage the classroom. This is both an attitude and a skill. An effective teacher is a leader, not a boss—someone who can motivate students and show them why it’s in their best interest to learn. The day-to-day reality, however, is that you’re also coping constantly with minor annoyances, squabbles and other disturbances. How do you create and maintain a positive learning environment?
Experts agree that prevention is the key. Try these tips from your colleagues:
Encourage parents to:
Prevent and Manage Conflict
Conflicts between teachers and parents are hard on everyone. It pays to establish positive relationships early and maintain good communication throughout the year.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may be confronted by angry parents. Remember, it’s usually not about you, or not only about you—you are part of a team at school. Don’t hesitate to seek advice and support from your principal or experienced colleagues.
Much of the information you will deal with is private educational data on students and is protected by both state and federal privacy laws. Sharing information when there is no valid educational reason for doing so may subject you to discipline by the county and to civil liability.
When discussing students with colleagues, ask yourself whether the discussion is really necessary to provide educational services to the student. Try to do so without revealing identifying information. Do not discuss individual students outside the school setting. Be sure volunteers in your classroom know they must keep information about students private.
Using District Technology
School districts provide a wide array of technology to employees, including computers, laptops, Internet access, and tablets. Whenever you are using district technology, bear in mind that your activity is being tracked and can be seen by the district. Every email that you send via district email and every website you visit via district technology is recorded, this includes anytime you use district laptops or tablets at home. If your district provides wireless access or a place to connect to the district’s Internet, even if you use your own personal technology, the district can see what you do. Also, be very careful about connecting personal electronic devices to district computers or laptops. Some cell phones and tablets automatically copy their contents onto computers to which they are attached, including any photos stored on the device.
As you create documents as part of your teaching career or any further education you pursue, remember that anything saved solely on district technology can be lost forever. If an employee is placed on administrative leave (a very common occurrence during district investigations), access to technology and email is cut off. Therefore, you should create personal backups of any and all important documents. These backups can be made on external USB drives or by emailing the documents to a personal email address.
Social Media
From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram, social media reaches into almost all areas of our lives. The greater connectedness fostered by social media brings dangers for school employees. First and foremost, social media profiles can make private information available to the public (including to your students and their parents). Therefore, you should set your privacy settings so that only those individuals you specifically allow can see your information. Anything that is available to “friends” on social media should be professional enough that you would feel comfortable handing it to your principal.
Second, with the vast majority of students using social media and texting, it can be tempting to reach out to students in the format they are comfortable with. This is dangerous. Most districts have policies limiting or preventing outright communication with students via social media or texting.
All education employees in West Virginia should become familiar with WV State Board Policy 2460 – Educational Purpose and Acceptable Use of Electronic Resources, Technologies and the Internet.
Pay attention to section 5.7.b.1 – Adults will maintain professional, ethical relationships with all students, both inside and outside the classroom and while using any form of social media and other electronic communication. Unethical conduct includes but is not limited to committing any act of harassment as defined by WVBE and/or district policy; committing or soliciting any sexual act from any minor or any student regardless of age; soliciting, encouraging, or consummating a romantic or inappropriate relationship with a student, regardless of the age of the student; using inappropriate language including, but not limited to, swearing and improper sexual comments; taking inappropriate pictures (digital, photographic or video) of students or exchanging any inappropriate pictures with students; or engaging in any other behavior that constitutes a violation of district or county policy or that is detrimental to the health and welfare of students; and 5.7.b.3 – All information stored within work computers or servers is the property of the state, district or school, and the personnel using such computers/servers/networks have no expectation of privacy with respect to its contents.
Carefully read your county’s policy, as well as WVBE Policy 2460, on social media use and contact the WVEA Help Center if you have specific questions.
Despite your best efforts to prevent them, discipline problems can occur. You will have to gauge the appropriate response for your class, depending on the situation and problem and your students’ ages and abilities. Below are some tips for dealing with problems:
If a conflict is serious, potentially violent or ongoing, remember these steps:
What to Do if You are Accused of Misconduct
Even if you follow the advice in this publication, there’s no guarantee that you won’t be the victim of false allegations. And if that happens, here are some suggestions about what to do and what not to do:
Procedures for teacher evaluation vary by district, yet one rule should be constant for every teacher: know your county school district’s evaluation policy. Early in their employment, every teacher should secure a copy of the state evaluation policy, as well as the forms used for evaluation. Review them, and structure your teaching strategies appropriately. At the first sign of difficulty with your performance, or if you are in disagreement with your evaluation, call your WVEA Organizational Development Specialist or the WVEA Help Center at 1-866-568-9832.
These guidelines are designed to take you step-by-step through the process. It is imperative to focus on the improvement of instruction, which is the primary purpose of evaluation.
Preparing for the Observation
Preparing for the observation is as important as planning lessons. You must show the evaluator the learning atmosphere that prevails in your classroom. Prepare by:
At the pre-observation conference, share the purpose and format of the lesson. Explain any special student needs and give the evaluator a copy of your plan.
The Observation – must last at least 30 minutes
The observation is, at best, awkward. Students know it is a change in routine, are sensitive to your reactions and are quick to note differences in your approach. Sometimes this affects their ability to cooperate. If possible, plan a lesson that uses techniques familiar to students. Try to lead the class as you usually do. Have the lesson so well prepared that you don’t have to stop to read notes; doing so creates awkward pauses that students may fill with restlessness. Try to put them at ease and to make them forget an observer is present.
Post Observation Conference – within 10 Days of Observation
This conference should occur shortly after the observation when you and the evaluator have clear memories of the event. Remember to:
Final Evaluation Conference – before the teacher’s final day in the classroom or before June 15
The final conference should summarize your year’s performance, recognize your growth, direct you in the pursuit of educational excellence, and complete final evaluation forms. Normally, only you and your evaluator are present. If other administrators are present and the situation is threatening, you may request the presence of an Association Representative.
You are not planning on it but someday you will miss a day of school. Prepare now for that day and for that substitute. Many times, the same questions you have now as a new teacher are the same questions a substitute teacher will have. Subs do your work when you’re not there, and they’ll do it best if you make sure all the tools and materials are handy. Label a file folder or notebook “Substitute” and keep it in a place anyone would logically look. If you travel from class to class, jot a note in your sub folder as to the location of the file.
What to include in your substitute folder:
Remember to say Thank You
Substitutes are professionals, just like you, and have the same goals for students. Let your principal know when your substitute does a good job.
