New Teacher Tips
I have been researching tips for new teachers, in particular to start out the school year. This year, our team is blessed to add five teachers to our team, and all five of them have been teaching for less than five years. For three of them, this is their first year to set up a classroom. It is a good exercise for me to reflect on what we need to do in those first days leading up to the beginning of school, and the first days of school, as I have been teaching for 20 years.
My first job was not a traditional job at all, so it was really my second year that I had a “real” first year experience. I was lucky enough to have an amazing mentor teacher. I was hired two days before school began and had NO idea where to begin. As I was teaching 2nd grade, atmosphere was important. My mentor teacher came in on evening after I had gone home and completed all of my bulletin boards. It is a little thing, but it had me in tears. Today, I feel like I can finally pay her back by helping another teacher.
Beyond my personal story, I wanted to summarize some of the advice that I have gathered, from research and personal experience.
1. Know your curriculum. Read it over, look at your school calendar, and read over your curriculum again. Then, figure out your middle point, and decide what goes in which semester. Plot on a calendar what needs to have more time dedicated to it, and rough out the dates for your chapters/units/projects. Now, sit down with your team, and collaborate. Find the curriculum expert, team leader, or mentor and brainstorm together. Our school is filled with people who want to help so trying to do it on your own is just silly. Every good teacher changes things from day to day, month to month, and year to year. Reality says that if you don’t plan, you will fail.
2. Find two, three or four “go-to” web sites in your content area. There are lots of general education sites, but I get my best ideas from those sites that are for my content area. They might say they are for grade lower, or for our school, go with things a grade higher. Most of the times these sites give you ideas, and then you can adjust. If you need discussion ideas, look at worksheet essay questions. Go for active activities, not a passive lesson. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel in your first year, but always work on adding your personal “Bling” to it.
3. This idea completely was stolen… look at last year’s yearbook. This will give you an idea of what is valued, and what events might be coming up. It also helps you put name and faces together. It will give you something to ask kids during the first couple of weeks during an advisee meeting when you are tired and need a topic. Everyone likes talking about themselves.
4. Walk in your classroom as a visitor, and then as a student. What does it say? Does it tell everyone that YOU are the king of your space, or does it let everyone know that you are all here to work together? Rows, circles, tables? How you run your class helps decide how students sit, but also, think about if students will be using laptop computers. Do you walk and teach? Do you have a path to do so? Now look at the walls. Kids wants to learn about you, and your classroom conveys your attitude. If you are not great at bulletin boards, check out web sites for ideas. I use a piece of fabric of my background paper and it stays up all year. Ask the art teacher if she has any extra art, or see if any more experienced teachers have unused posters.
5. Decide some basic procedures. Bathroom trips, posting homework, where students sit, can kids go to lockers for missing assignments or books? What will you do when your lesson is over with five or ten minutes left in class? Do you want kids to call you on your cell phone or just use email? There are a million little things to think about. Some of these answers will depend on school policy. If something comes up unexpectedly, breathe. You can handle this!
6. Plan out your first day. Mostly, plan an activity to get to know and to listen to kids. Smile, be yourself, and remember that YOU are a professional. Most students at our school will respect you, especially if you don’t try to FORCE respect. At the same time, don’t look the other way. Kids will test you. Bullying, smart alec comments, and rudeness go against the atmosphere of caring. Call kids on their misbehavior, but do it one-on-one and respectfully.
7. Every person that works at our school has made a choice to be here. Every teacher has been the new teacher. We remember and would love to help, but most of us will wait for you to ask. We don’t want to crowd you, but tell us what you need and we will do anything for you. We are all in this together… that includes the secretary, cleaning staff, and lunch ladies. Smile at them. Thank them. Get to know them. Value them!
8. Relax. This is the best job ever! You will work, you will be exhausted, there will be times that you don’t know how to get it all done. You will. Join me this year in my goal… When I feel like I can’t go on, I am going to send a positive note home for a student. Or compliment another teacher on something they do well. Make OUR school a place of joy. I promise, it will help make your job a place to share your passion, not a place to work!