That Wasn’t on the Syllabus: Survival Guide for New Teachers and Their Mentors

Amber Chandler is a National Board Certified middle school ELA teacher in Hamburg, New York with a Master’s Degree in Literature, as well as a School Building Leader certification. She is the 2018 Association for Middle Level Educators’ “Educator of the Year.” 

Amber has enjoyed a wide variety of teaching opportunities--from 6th grade remediation, to college courses, to education workshops on Differentiation, Danielson’s Domains, and Project Based Learning. No matter which level Amber is teaching, the goal is always the same: engage students to take charge of their own learning.

Amber’s blogs and articles have appeared in Middleweb, ShareMyLesson, Getting Smart, ASCD’s “Ideas From the Field,” Mom’s Rising, The EdVocate, AMLE magazine, as well as New York Teacher. She has served as a co-moderator for #WhatIsSchool education chat, as well as initiating the first #NYEdVoice Twitter chat as a New York Educator’s Voice Fellow. Amber has appeared as a guest on BAM! Radio Network to discuss the benefits of Project Based Learning, as well as webcasts for AMLE on the importance of teaching speaking and listening skills, and how to use artifacts to improve teacher evaluation in APPRs.

Amber was chosen from a nationwide search as one of a handful of panelist for Fordham’s “Evaluating the Content and Quality of Next Generation Assessments” to evaluate how state assessments compare in their ability to assess Common Core Standards. She’s also served as a School Review Team member, offering her observations and expertise, particularly in the area of Project Based Learning.

Amber is an active AFT member as a ShareMyLesson Ambassador and participant in the Resource and Materials Development at the Summer Educators Academy. Amber also is a featured contributor for the AFT blog, “Classroom Voices.” She serves as the President for her local, Frontier Central Teachers Association.

To learn more about her work, check out Amber Chandler's website here.