Use this updated resource to prepare for your journey into teaching

Teaching is an ongoing learning process. Where do you begin? This newly revised and updated 2nd edition of The First Years Matter sheds light on what your first years are all about. Key actions steps and a flexible twelve-month curriculum - including July for reflection and planning - keeps you proactively prepared for the classroom. Use this book to collaborate more effectively with your mentor who may be using the companion text Mentoring in Action.

The First Years Matter includes a planning section, affirmations, and activities to help you master classroom management, instruction, assessment, goal setting, and more. Whether you're a first year teacher or entering your second or third year, you'll learn to mindfully

• Align mentoring to your state or district evaluation standards
• Integrate student voice to build a community of learners
• Prepare for teacher observations and standardized testing
• Apply mentoring lessons to differentiate instruction
• Develop leadership opportunities
• Gather evidence to document your progress

This updated version includes convenient QR codes and a robust companion website featuring videos, downloadable forms, and a journal for reflection. Start your teaching journey off right. Use this empowering book to become a competent and confident teacher!

"I love the idea of having mentors and mentees work alongside each other with Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter, sharing their thoughts about challenges and successes each month and opening up a reflective dialogue."
Karen Mayotte, Grade 2 Classroom Teacher/ Co-coordinator Mentor Program
Nashoba Regional School District

About the Author
Carol Pelletier Radford is the founder of Mentoring in Action, an organization dedicated to the success of novice teachers and their mentors. Before she established her own organization to support mentors and new teachers, she was a veteran elementary school teacher and a teacher preparation leader. Carol is the author of Corwin's bestselling books Mentoring in Action: Guiding, Sharing, and Reflecting With Novice Teachers and The First Years Matter: Becoming an Effective Teacher. Carol received her Education Doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, where she focused her studies on mentoring and teacher leadership. She is also a certified yoga teacher who practices meditation and shares mindfulness strategies with educators through her online courses and website. Her podcast Teaching With Light features the stories of teachers and inspirational leaders. Her next passion project is the creation of a Teacher Legacy Network, where retired teachers can share their wisdom with the next generation of teachers. You can learn more about Carol, find free resources, videos, meditations, courses, and all of her books at mentoringinaction.com/. Twitter: @MentorinAction Facebook: @MentoringinAction4Teachers Instagram: @cpradford

Reviews
"What amazes me about the Mentoring in Action and First Years Matter books is that every aspect of the teaching field is addressed." -- Kerri Schoonover, History Teacher
"I love the idea of having mentors and mentees work alongside each other with Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter, sharing their thoughts about challenges and successes each month and opening up a reflective dialogue." -- Karen Mayotte, Grade 2 Classroom Teacher/ Co-coordinator Mentor Program
"The two texts, Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter, are companion texts that give both participants a guide for discussions, suggestions for activities, and a place to track reflections. They also allow for targeted differentiation." -- Maureen Perkins, Reading Specialist
"Integrating teacher evaluation standards fits naturally into the reflection prompts and activities in The First Years Matter and Mentoring in Action texts." -- Caitlin Corrieri, Mentor Coordinator
"I will most definitely use the Mentoring in Action text paired with The First Years Matter text as a month-by-month curriculum to focus mentoring conversations." -- Kristen Daly, First Grade Teacher
"With the Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter books, training of mentors is consistent and comprehensive. The First Years Matter is structured enough to provide a clear path toward helping a new hire to achieve independence."


-- John Radosta, Mentoring Coordinator
"Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter are so important to guide discussions between mentor and mentee and are also helpful when differentiating for a new teacher's needs." -- Elyse Hager, Kindergarten Teacher
"Our district will use the Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter texts to directly align with teacher evaluation standards and create a common language among our mentors and novice teachers." -- Bethany Botelho, Mentor Teacher Facilitator
"The Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter books are critical resources that each mentor will need to provide support for becoming a qualified mentor." -- Angela Downing, 1st Grade Teacher
"The Mentoring in Action and The First Years Matter books have given me so much knowledge and understanding of the mentoring process that I feel more than confident in my ability to direct a mentoring program." -- Adam Crawford Crombie, Co-Director of Mentoring
"Carol Radford is the consummate professional educator. From the outset of my association with her, she has been a conscientious and dedicated administrator, a mentor, and a generous and supportive colleague. Readily able to foster constructive connections between course material and her own exemplary classroom experience, she has consistently provided innovative direction and support to classroom teachers by way of the books she has authored. Generations of educators have and will continue to use them.

Dr. Radford's commitment to teaching in urban populations has distinguished her contribution to the education profession. I continue to be impressed by her command of relevant research and effective instructional techniques. Her skill is facilitating communication. She effectively addresses the interface between practice and education with the primary objective of identifying the relevant issues in support of human well-being. Dr. Radford is truly a reflective practitioner, and I always appreciate opportunities to learn from her as she continues to clarify the relevant issues in educational practice by way of her latest publications."
-- Cameron Marzelli, Adjunct Faculty at the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences



Book Information
ISBN 9781506345062
Author Carol Pelletier Radford
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint Corwin Press Inc
Publisher SAGE Publications Inc
Weight(grams) 830g