I asked teachers to give one tip they wish they knew when they first started teaching. This is a list of what they wrote. Share this with a new teacher you know.
1.
Don’t
try and do it all your first year! Set small goals to work toward! You have a
whole career to meet all your expectations!
2.
If
you get an email from an irate parent, have a veteran teacher read your
response before you send it. Sometimes
you over react in the heat of the moment. Save all correspondence with parents
in an email file. You may have to go back and remind parents what was said.
3.
Along
with this, teaching is really a customer service job. Keeping parents informed
and having open communication can go a LONG way to preventing issues in the
first place. Respecting parents as partners instead of seeing them as obstacles
is very important.
4.
Put
your name on your stuff.
5.
Take
care of yourself! Figure out what that looks like to you and make it happen.
Leave the work at work at least once a week. Unless there's an absolute
deadline (report cards) it will all be there tomorrow and it'll be easier to
manage if your head is clear.
6.
It’s
ok to ask another teacher for help on something you’re unsure of.
7.
Don’t
be afraid to do it your own way!
8.
Run
before you’re trapped. Lol
9.
Pick
your battles
10.
Be
organized!
11.
Invest
in good shoes and a wheeled bag. Your feet, legs, neck, shoulders, and back
will thank you in the future.
12.
You
are teaching students, not the curriculum. Make connections with them 1st, then
you will have them in the palm of your hand with less behavioral problems.
13.
Don't
be afraid of veteran teachers. Find one you like and can trust and listen to
their advice.
14.
I
teach kindergarten and I always say that I should have written down every funny
or special thing that the kids say each day. It would just go to show how they
have enriched our lives.
15.
Think
about if it was your kid how would you want things handled, communicated,
spoken to. Becoming a parent changed my perspective as a teacher...
16.
Do
your best, but don't forget about yourself!!
17.
If
a parent is upset, it is ok to get the information you need and get back to
them. Don't take their upset personally, they are only concerned for their kid.
But, if you say you will get back to them, then get back to them, even if you
don't have the answer... yet.
18.
Teaching
is like housework, it’s never done! Don’t feel bad about leaving some for the
next day.
19.
When
planning to assess, try to get more than one mark out of each assignment (a
math activity could give you math strand (s), writing and learning skills - for
example
20.
Also
limit how much paper you keep. Have a USB on your key ring to save files.
You'll try to keep paper, but just end up a hoarder who never checks their paper
files anyway...
21.
You
cannot evaluate everything your students do. Pick a few key pieces in each
concept....and remember, children need time to apply descriptive feedback in
order to improve.
22.
Keep
as much out of their desks as possible with different table storage options.
The less they have in their desks the less they will have to play with during
instruction
23.
Take
everything admin says with a grain of salt
24.
Have
a laugh as often as you can. You are going to need that sense of humor!
25.
Pick
your battles and do not argue with a student.
26.
Be
flexible!
27.
Write
down everything students say that make you laugh or you're never going to hear
again.... you'll have quite a book and those are fun to look back on!
28.
Please
learn exactly what differentiation is and be sure it is used daily in your
instruction. Every child will succeed.
29.
Be
empathetic, take into account your students' needs all the time.
30.
It’s
not your fault if you don’t know - especially because you don’t know what to
ask. Take what ppl say (and how they say it) with a grain of salt.
31.
Start
tough, it’s easier to become softer but harder to gain control once you have
lost them. You’re their teacher not they’re bestie!
32.
If
you teach more than one subject learn how to Integrate the subjects. If it's
languages, integrate Reading, writing, speaking and listening then you can
cross assess.
33. Work as a TEAM in grade
levels. Be open to your TEAM. Stand tall and firm.
34. The work NEVER done. Be ok with
that.
35. Say what you mean, mean what you
say.
36. Start saving for retirement your
first year. Ask for help if you need it. Find an outlet for your frustration
37. Be
teachable! Listen to people who are seasoned
38. Save up your coins! You will
want to retire by the age of 50. I was told this by veteran teachers. I wish I had listened.
39.
All behavior serves a function. Figure out the function.
40. Don't
sweat the small stuff! And pick and choose your battles.
41. Follow
your instincts
42. Listen to all the advices and tips.
Use the ones you think will suit your audiences well
43. Don’t let the kids sit the entire
lesson. Have them move around, work collaboratively, and be engaged with them.
44. Don't take it personal
45. Don't take someone's burden
be confident to say no
46. Don’t be arrogant, over confident
and listen to advice.
47. Close the classroom door and teach
from the heart.
48. Positive praise for behavior
management.
49. Work on developing positive
relationships with every member of the school community.
50. Listen to the children and
observe behavior patterns - some have things going on outside of school that
they are dealing with on a daily basis. Nurture them and they will thrive.
51. Never expect to do
everything on your ‘to do’ list. It’s impossible. Be kind to yourself and prioritize.
52. Take the words from the
mouths of your students. Trust them they will only tell you truth. Every
student has a key. Get to know them more it helps. Love is the magical key to a
wonderful class. This is based on my experience with students who were labeled
by other teachers as bad (sadly). These students were awarded best students by
the end of the year.
53. Listen to your children
54. People will be quick to
throw you under the bus make sure you document not only students and parents
but also certain interactions with administration/ staff
55. They are all YOUR
children. Build understanding and relationships, a positive, encouraging
class culture and foster thinkers and risk-takers. Then relax (despite the hard
work), enjoy and foster a love of learning - yours and your students’!
56. Start out strong or tight.
You can always loosen up but never tighten up.
57. I'm
still new, but all I want to know are tips and tricks for being in this work
environment, building community with my peers... stuff like that. They teach
you SO much about the classroom in college, but hardly anything about the
SCHOOL.
58. Be willing to share. Try to be a
team player with teaching partner even if a bit out of your comfort zone. My teaching
partner and I duplicate a lot of things
for each other and we keep a file of stuff we can pull from for emergencies. We
both fill it and be sure there are class sets for both of us if one of us is
ever away.
59. Some boards offer a
mentoring program that pairs you with a more experienced teacher as your
mentor. Check your board or see if someone on staff would be willing to sit
down with you a couple of times a year to plan, answer questions and help you.
It's nice to have a go-to person on staff that you can ask for help...
60. Never promise something (positive
or negative) that you can't, or don't intend to, follow through on. Your
credibility will be ruined, and they will walk all over you.
61. Try to get all your plans done for
the next week before you leave on Friday. You need a weekend too!
62. Be emphatic with both
teachers and student. Everyone's trying to be their best. Help where you feel
you can and think and save for retirement as soon you start.
63. Be careful who you choose to
trust. It can get very political so say nothing to anyone that you don't want
to come back to bite you.
64. Document everything! And
travel lightly, don't hoard materials
65. Start with files right away.
Keep 2 copies of items. With 1 it may get lost
66. Stop what you are doing and
look the student in the eyes as they speak to you. Hear what they are trying to
communicate to you. Then say, I heard you say...what would you like me to do?
Sometimes they just want to be heard or they want you to know.
67. Don’t be hard on yourself
-mistakes will happen
68. Trust your gut feeling
69. Never use your cell phone or home phone to
return calls. Return calls from work!
70. Don't get too friendly with
parents or care takers.
71. YES! And don't friend parents or
any students on Facebook.
72. Never get in the middle of parents
going through a divorce.
73. Keep where you live a
secret.
74.
Do not tutor after school. It's just a free babysitting service.
75. Don't trust everyone in the
PTO!
76. Work your contracted hours
only.
77. Always go home early one day a
week. Decide which day at the beginning of the year and then stick to it!
78. Foster friendship with families,
while remaining in charge of your classroom. Teamwork makes the
dream work!
79. Ask for help don’t try to be a hot
shot.
80. Have a procedure for
EVERYTHING. If the kids don't follow the procedure, have them do it over and
over again until it's to your liking. If they are doing the wrong thing, it's
because they don't know how you want them to do it. Take plenty of time to go
over your procedures at the beginning of the year. You'll think yourself mid-year
and end of year.
81. Exactly...teach procedures
first and then curriculum.
82. Incorporate "brain
matching" into your lessons. Really gets kids engaged.
83. Whole brain thinking
84. I have been teaching for 30 +
years and just got into trying more student engagement techniques. It really
pays off!
85. Take the time to organize
your classroom library!
86. Plan for the unexpected!
