Hi there. I’m Michael, and I’m glad you made it here. The TEAM Schools blog is an adventure we’re embarking on.

I’m helping curate and edit this blog, but also will write a lot of the content. Consider this a welcome to the blog and a preview of what you can expect.

Who I am

Like I said before, my name’s Michael. I’m the content manager and writer for the TEAM Schools Blog. I’ve worked with TEAM Schools for three years on the recruitment team. This year, I’m working on the marketing team, managing our social media and blog.

Previously, I taught sixth grade English language arts for two years here in Newark as a Teach For America corps member. As a teacher, I was always searching up and down for resources to help me teach better.

I want to provide a resource to teachers who are in that same place.

Like me, they are trying to get better at their craft, searching for tips, examples, lesson plans, long-term plans and unit plans.

I also understand what it’s like to search for career advice, especially in education where advancing to leadership roles is quite different than a traditional office, and where teachers are faced with the choice of leaving the classroom or staying in it to reach their goals. Teachers and education professionals should have a place to turn to for advice. We want to be that place.

What This Blog is About

We decided to create the TEAM Schools blog as a resource and sharing tool.

We’ll use it to share best practices for teachers, share career advice from our recruitment team, and news about TEAM.

We want teachers to find high-quality tips they can use in their classroom.

We also want to be a resource for teachers and prospective teachers trying to figure out where their career is going.

Finally, we want to provide a place for parents, friends and teachers to find out what is going on at TEAM, see pictures of kids doing funny things, keep up-to-date and learn more about the staff we have and how they got here.

What You Can Expect

Every week, we’ll offer new tips and resources for teachers, new updates on network happenings, new career advice and stories about our staff. We produce one full-length interview a month from a staff member whose story or approach we find particularly interesting.

Occasionally, we’ll offer large-scale resources, like resume writing packets, long-term plans, lesson plans and the like. Watch out for them in the future.

Our Goals

We’ll have a variety of resources and stories on the blog, but here’s what they are all working towards.

• We will provide a collection of how-to resources for teachers just starting out, in their beginning years, and in their prime.
• We’ll provide career insights for prospective teachers and teachers working on moving to what’s next, whether that’s in or outside of your classroom.
• We’ll also share inspiring stories and news about the network to keep everyone on the same page.

What are TEAM Schools?

TEAM Schools is a network of public schools in Newark and Camden, New Jersey. We have six schools open this year in Newark, spanning grades K to 12. Next year, we’re opening two more elementary schools—one in Newark and one in Camden. Ultimately, we’ll reach 15 schools across Newark and Camden serving about 12 percent of Newark’s population and 20 percent of Camden’s. Our Newark schools are public charter schools. Our Camden schools will all be Renaissance schools, based on the Urban Hope Act in New Jersey.

Give Us Feedback

Finally, I understand that this blog will only be a resource if it meets the needs of teachers, prospective teachers and families trying to find information.

If you have feedback for us, you can add it to the comments section of this post.

What would you like to see?

What do you need help with in your classroom?

Michael Alderman is a staff writer and content manager for TEAM Schools. You can find him on Google+ and Twitter and interact with him there.