To novice teacher Stephanie Hunt, it seemed a simple assignment. Her students believed that reports of violence in their middle school were overstated, so she suggested they express that in letters to a community newspaper.

But Hunt didn’t expect the exercise to raise such a ruckus.

For starters, she was informed, the principal should have given the go-ahead for such an undertaking. What if a parent disapproved?

In the end, no parents complained. But Hunt gained some insight.

She told a small group of new teachers gathered at Hofstra University in Hempstead recently how important it is to cover all bases, to make sure there’s a good reason for everything that’s done. "There’s no handbook for new teachers, and when you mess up, you’re responsible," she said.

A dozen heads circling the conference table nodded in agreement. Gathered one Saturday, most everyone in the college’s "new teachers network" shared a tale of classroom trials and triumphs. The free-of-charge network, for Hofstra graduates who are Long Island and New York City teachers of all grades, aims to ease new teachers’ transition into the classroom and urge neophyte instructors to take and keep jobs in culturally diverse--sometimes struggling--districts.

"We’re encouraging students to become teachers in urban and minority districts because there’s been such a tremendous need. But for all new teachers--in all districts but especially those in difficult settings--there is a need for support," said Alan Singer, one of two Hofstra professors who created the project.

Its roughly 30 participants work in districts including Harborfields, Glen Cove, Malverne, Baldwin, Roosevelt, Freeport and Hempstead and in New York City neighborhoods such as East New York where Hunt, a Baldwin resident, was hired.

Among other forms of support, professors Singer and Maureen Murphy, who teach in Hofstra’s School of Education, observe the collegians while they student teach, a requirement for earning a degree. The professors also introduce new teachers to seasoned professionals who might serve as mentors.

The forum, which meets at least once a month during the school year, allows Murphy and Singer to impart advice and, more importantly, enables new teachers to hear what their peers have to say about what works and what doesn’t.

The peers offer tips on building rapport with colleagues and supervisors, navigating potential minefields separating new teaching strategies from traditions, and examining unwritten protocol or, as Hunt said, covering all bases.

Chris Erickson, a 10th-grade social studies teacher at Westbury High School, says the sessions help steady him. "Some days, it’s going well. Some days it’s not so good. A roller coaster," said Erickson, a Farmingdale High graduate who wanted to work in a more racially mixed school. "When I make that connection with my students, they are energetic, express what they think. When I don't, they just stare, or focus on something else." Erickson said he has learned that good classroom management is essential: "It’s not just about good material, but also good delivery."

And it’s crucial to make students believe they can help direct the subject matter they are being taught. One new teacher arranges for his young charges to debate various segments of such subjects regularly.

"They’re arguing different theories of history," Erickson said. "They learn to speak in a non-hostile, non-competitive way."

Stacey Cotten, a ninth- and 10th-grade global studies teacher in Freeport, said she is blessed with supportive colleagues. And while she can readily ask advice from veteran teachers, she is most comfortable conferring with her peers in the new teachers network. "College does not prepare you for being in the classroom," Cotten said. "If you don’t have a pretty good support system, you get lost."