I was fresh out of student teaching and right into the job. I messed up a lot in that first year. I am currently in year nine and still learning. Here are few things that I wish I had known sooner in my career than later. Here a few tips for new teachers!
1. Building Relationships Is Important
I was fresh out of college and everyone talks about “relationships” but there’s not much to it other than make relationships with students. We often come into the profession with very much “content” and “pedagogical” knowledge and feel that we are ready to go. Here’s what we may not know coming into the classroom:
- Students learn better from teachers they like and respect.
- Students who believe the teacher likes, understands, and cares about them as individuals will try harder in class.
- Everything from teaching to discipline becomes easier once a relationship is established.
I first started out as the “cool” teacher. This helps students with relationships, but then they may not respect you as an authoritarian. Finding the balance here helps so much in the classroom. It’s as easy as making jokes or asking them about their lives. It doesn’t have to eat up class time. I usually walk around and talk with them during independent work time. Not too much though, because they should be primarily working!
2. Classroom Design
The classroom is yours. You can (usually) arrange the desks however you’d like. I learned every year tweaks that I needed to make throughout the year or the next year. I have finally compiled a list (that will probably be edited in the future) about classroom design that can be found here. The idea is to think about the efficiency of your class. With only 45-50 minute classes (or 90 minutes every other day), every minute counts for instruction, so we should plan ahead to help students not waste time you have spent much time planning. Here’s a couple of things I wish I thought about:
- How does trash work in your class? Should students just get up and throw away their trash at any time?
- How do you ensure that students have everything they need? They should have it sure, but if they don’t they are not going to be doing any work that day.
- How should students enter the classroom and what should they be doing when they enter?
- How can student use the restroom without too timewasting effort? It takes time to fill out a pass.
I wish I had solid plans for such things when I first started. So much time was wasted just because someone didn’t have a pencil and/or needed to get up and sharpen it while I’m attempting to instruct.
3. Set Healthy Boundaries
Soon into working, I found that it took sooo much time to plan good lessons, prepare those lessons, stay up with communication, and keep up with the other daily tasks and meetings I was called to. My work email was on my phone and I would constantly check my email to ensure I wasn’t missing a thing. I couldn’t say “no” to those extra tasks I was asked to pick up. My balance was a mess. I wish I knew early on how to set boundaries between my work and my home life. It wasn’t until I became near burnt out and challenged by my wife to fix the brokenness of my schedule. I’ve learned to take the work email off my phone, reply to and read emails during the week, and do very little work at home. Learn this lesson early and you will go longer without the eventual burnout that comes with the job.
4. Use Rubrics to Grade (And don’t grade everything)
One of the traps to fall into early is that everything has to be a grade. It doesn’t and shouldn’t be this way. Approach practice assignments as just that, practice. Students should have freedom to attempt something without the pressure of a grade (and it will save you time grading everything). It is because of this trap that teachers fall into the mindset of “If it’s not for a grade, students won’t do it”. Student apathy exists, but grading everything isn’t the answer. When grading, it’s also important to use a rubric whenever you can. This helps communicate to students and parents what the expectations were, how the student can improve, and reflects fairness in grading. I have many thoughts on grading in general, which I’m sure I will write about in the future.
5. Adapt to the Kids in Your Room
There have been many times, mid lesson when I realize this lesson isn’t and won’t work today. I have to switch it up. When you get that feeling, be sure to adapt. We can use the same lesson plans for years and turn from a highly effective teacher to an ineffective teacher. Our strategies matter. I’ve found in recent years (post Covid) engaging children is harder than ever and PowerPoints and notes just won’t do it. I have to find ways around this and introduce new strategies to keep kids’ attention. You don’t have to be an entertainer, your instructional strategies can instead be your engagement source.
Bonus: Find Your Positive Tribe
It is extremely important as a new teacher to find those in the building who are positive about teaching and are safe places to vent. It won’t take long for you to run into the “negative bunch” who wish for you to join in on their misery. In my first year I hung out with the first teacher group that invited me in. I soon found that lunch became a place where we were expected to talk negatively about students, parents, administration, other teachers, and procedures. Finding your positive tribe in the building can significantly help you progress in your career, while failing to do so can lead to quick burnout and development of bad habits.
These are just some of the things I wish I knew when I first started out, but these are the big things that would have helped me develop a lot faster! For more tips, visit my blog here!
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