The one aspect of a teacher’s job description that rarely makes it into most discussions in college teacher preparation programs is that of being an administrator. Many new teachers arrive in their first classrooms ready to get on with the job of "teaching," and instead discover that they are poorly prepared the manage the day-to-day operation that a bustling classroom community requires. It is unrealistic to see modern teachers solely in the role of instructors, and in fact, their necessary administrative duties require them to wear many of the hats that most leaders in the professional world must also don. Non-instructional activities make up a large segment of a teacher’s typical day, and those daily responsibilities could easily infringe on the time allocated for actual instruction. Administrative duties must therefore be carefully managed.
Administrative duties fall into many broad categories, including the following:
Any of the basic productivity tools that are available on most computers can be used to assist teachers in their administrative duties. Other specifically designed software is also available. We've included three computer application lessons to help you learn how to manage the classroom better by using technology to lighten your work load. ClarisWorks is an integrated software tool that includes a word processor, a database and a spreadsheet The skills involved in using ClarisWorks can be easily transferred to using other programs that your future school may have.
| Word Processing | Database | Spreadsheet |