It’s back-to-school season! Schools across the country are welcoming new and returning students, educators are making lesson plans and setting up their classrooms, and students are navigating new buildings, classrooms and peer groups.
For first-year teachers, this back-to-school season marks an important career milestone. Earlier in the summer, Teaching Tolerance posed this question on Facebook: “What positive advice would you offer first-year teachers?” We received wonderful responses on topics ranging from how to manage a classroom to simple practices for surviving the workday. Your advice was heartfelt and reflected several important themes:
Focus on your students
You could very well be the most important influence in a child's life. This is an awesome responsibility. Love them. Learn from them. Enjoy them.
From an old to a new.....focus on the students and NOT the administrative chaos that is is constant. The reason is, you cannot effect the chaos but you can definitely effect the students and that is why you teach.
Treat your homeroom like a community. Let the kids know that you care.
See your students for who they are
Just remember that each child is an individual, and they will all have their own needs for you to discover and support, strengths for you to identify and foster, and learning styles for you to use to help them embrace learning.
Remember that all kids make mistakes and try (try even harder with some kids) to separate the mistake from the personality/ability of the kid. For many kids, you may be the only one encouraging them to be their best selves!
[T]each each child. They aren't interchangeable, and neither are their minds.
Find support
Find the positive teachers because they can help you through tough days.
Be open to the wise words from seasoned teachers (not necessarily the ones your admin points you too). Listen with your ears, eyes and heart.
Find a good mentor! But don't necessarily pick the first person who seems to want to be a mentor. Keep your eyes big and your mouth small for a while as you determine which teachers are truly good at what they do and teach for the right reasons. Pick someone that cares about helping you become the best teacher you can be.
Be kind—to others and to yourself
Cut yourself some slack—it takes time to find your groove; you'll learn a lot about what works for you and your students over time.
Golden rule, treat ALL (teachers and students) the way you would love to be treated regardless of gender, race, religion, wealth or lack of each and every day! Tall order, but it is worth it to be successful.
[Don’t] expect to get it all the first year—or second for that matter—and [that’s] ok
Relax and carve out downtime
You will be overwhelmed and you will work harder than you ever thought possible but don't forget to take time for yourself (exercise, meditate, occasional happy hour, whatever makes you happy and relieves some stress).
Take time for yourself. Do something you love (at least once a week) during your "off" times that has nothing to do with your job.
Take time to reflect and keep a journal.
Remember the simple things
1. Don't pass up an opportunity to use the rest room. 2. Wear comfy shoes.
Laugh. Always remember to laugh every day.
If you return home exhausted and drained, [y]ou are probably doing a good job.
Teaching Tolerance wishes all educators—and especially new teachers stepping into their very first classrooms—a productive and enriching school year. Remember, the TT community is here for you—and our resources area always FREE. Consider registering for our free anti-bias curriculum, Perspectives for a Diverse America; signing up for our free weekly newsletters; following us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest; and subscribing to Teaching Tolerance magazine. These resources connect you with social justice educators across the country and to support, ideas and resources that can inspire, inform and guide you through the challenges ahead. For more ideas on how you can become involved in our community, check out these suggestions.
0 COMMENTS