new teacher articles
Staying informed
Aug 7, 2008 11:49 AM
Where can you go to find information and news that affects you and your teaching career? A good place to start is the union’s Web site, www.uft.org, and its biweekly newspaper, the New York Teacher.
Visit www.uft.org
Visit the UFT online by going to www.uft.org. On the home page you can find the latest news that affects city teachers, an online events calendar, plus a link on the left to the latest issue of the New York Teacher. The newspaper is a good place to get important and timely information and you can access it online until you start receiving it in the mail.
The UFT home page also has links to information about union services, health benefits, safety, courses and forms. For example, you’ll find links to the latest salary chart, the 2008-09 school calendar, the UFT’s “Know Your Rights” manual, the union’s New Teacher Handbook, the UFT contract, the Affordable Housing Program, plus grants, awards, discounts and various other resources.
Click “New Teachers” and you’ll enter a special section created just for new teachers. You’ll find a new teacher events calendar here, links to borough-specific new teacher activities and services, as well as lots of valuable links for lesson plan help and other information that new teachers need to know.
It’s a good idea to take a few moments to sign up on the UFT Web site. That will enable you to register online for UFT courses and workshops, as well as to enroll online in the union and the UFT Welfare Fund. You’ll also receive occasional important political action and contract alerts.
Read the New York Teacher
This summer issue of the City Edition of the New York Teacher gives you a taste of what to expect in the months ahead.
The New York Teacher regularly consists of two sections: the City Edition on the outside and, starting in September, the State Edition on the inside. Just before the back page of the City Edition in each issue, you’ll find a special section with information especially for teachers with five years or less in the system.
It’s chock full of the kinds of information new teachers want: clear explanations about requirements, benefits and any changes that are coming; timely reminders about upcoming exams and filing deadlines; announcements of workshops and programs for new teachers — all organized into an easy-to-follow checklist. You’ll also find information about certification, licensing, classroom management, and union professional programs that support new teachers and help them develop their skills.
There you can also read new teacher diaries (reprinted from the UFT’s blog edwize.org) and interesting feature stories about newer teachers like yourself, with ideas for helping you cope in the classroom during these tough first years.
Once you are on the union’s mailing list, you’ll receive the newspaper at your home every two weeks during the school year (with a break over the winter vacation). However, it takes the DOE so long to provide the union with the names and addresses of new employees that those just beginning their teaching careers may not receive their mailed copy of the newspaper until November. If this happens to you, ask your chapter leader for a copy — the UFT sends extra copies to every chapter leader — or check www.uft.org for major news and the online version of the New York Teacher.
