The first year of teaching is difficult. New teachers are overwhelmed by all the "firsts" they must face in that year in order to survive it. This book serves as a reference for beginning teachers to help them get through all the "firsts" in teaching--things college professors spend little or no time explaining. For example, how to handle the first day of school or how to plan the first field trip. The volume is arranged in 20 chapters: (1) "Prepare Ye" (teachers begin the school year several days ahead of students); (2) "That All Important First Day"; (3) "Effective Classroom Management"; (4) "Plan, Plan, Plan"; (5) "Grouping Options"; (6) "Supervisory and School Related Personnel"; (7) "Surviving Your First Parent-Teacher Conference"; (8) "The Infamous Class Play"; (9) "Your First Class Trip and Let's Party"; (10) "The Truth about Bulletin Boards"; (11) "Learning Centers"; (12) "Designing Instructional Materials"; (13) "Testing: A Practical Guide"; (14) "First Encounters: Frequent Problems of First-Year Teachers"; (15) "Law Review--Teachers and the Law"; (16) "First Aid"; (17) "What You Should Know about AIDS"; (18) "Child Abuse and Neglect: What You Need To Know"; (19) "Educational Resources"; and (20) "School Calendar." (Contains 59 references.) (LL)