As a new school year approached and many excited but nervous new teachers
joined the Listserv looking for support, MiddleWeb editor John Norton asked
the Listserv's veteran teachers to share some of their hard-earned wisdom.
The responses- even the disagreements - benefited new and experienced teachers
alike!
We have a lot of new teachers on our List. They've signed on looking
for some help and ideas from the battle-hardened veterans among us. So let's
help them!
What are the best two or three pieces of advice you have for new teachers
to help them get off to a successful start - and hang in there?
- John
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Rick Selby had several suggestions.
Three pieces of advice:
1. Start the year off strict! The "don't smile until Thanksgiving"
motto is a little extreme, but definitely make sure you do not allow things
to get out of hand early. Make the environment the way you want. You do
not have to be their friend for them to like/respect you; in fact, the opposite
usually happens. You will lighten up as the year goes by.
2. You do not have to be on every committee! You need to learn how to say
"No!" early in your career.
3. You will work hard this year, and every year for that matter, so make
sure you play hard! Don't spend your vacations making the perfect unit!
Instead, make sure you read books you like, relax, and get revitalized!
- Rick
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Charlie offered some practical advice.
I agree with Rick. In addition:
1. Always know what you're going to do, and what you need to do it! Be sure
that stuff is there before you leave the day before (good luck!!!). Don't
go in with a vague idea. In almost all cases those shoot-from-the-hip "lessons"
fail. You end up cheating your students. It also usually makes for a very
long day.
2. A student should learn something from your test. Be sure that your tests
also teach as opposed to simply measuring knowledge gained. I learned this
valuable lesson from a curriculum course back in 1970, and it made a huge
impact on me. This is difficult to explain, but well worth the effort.
3. Be organized! Have a place for everything, and control how materials
are distributed and, more importantly, collected. Never allow the students
to "put the test on your desk." You take it from them! Never take
an assignment from a student in a corridor, cafeteria, etc. That will come
back to haunt you!
- Charlie
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Joanne shared ideas gleaned from her recent experience as a first-year
teacher.
1. Ditto with Rick.......Start the year off strict. Last year was my
first year teaching. I had 8th grade language arts. I thought I was old
enough/mature enough (48 yrs old) to handle classroom management in an easy-going,
fun manner. This worked with 90% of the students.....but that other 10%
will take advantage of you, chew you up and spit you out, and all in the
most easy-going, fun manner! The students want to like you... and they can...
but they also want/need very clear behavior limits. That means being CONSISTENT,
CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT, and no-nonsense firm.
2. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Know what you are going to do each and every day, have
it written down, even write an agenda on the board so when the students
come in, they see what is going to be covered that day. This includes having
a bell-ringer activity....... get them accustomed immediately to coming
into the classroom and having a short "assignment".... perhaps
DOL (daily oral language) or a math problem to solve.... to complete while
you are taking roll, etc.
Good Luck!
- Joanne
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First-year teacher Laura had a specific request:
It's me, Mrs. Nervous, First Year, 8th grade, Self-Contained, Special
Ed Teacher!
Did I mention that I'm nervous?
Certainly, going into this career is exciting, and I can't wait to get started.
The fear is there too, though :)
I was reading the MiddleWeb site, gleaning lots of helpful
ideas. I've been thinking about what we'll do during that first day
and week. I know that I want to practice routines and procedures, and talk
about rules right away, but I want to make sure to do some things to help
us learn each others' names, and make sure to let the students feel valued,
and help develop a community in my classroom (affective stuff).
I'm just having trouble coming up with specific activities to fit the bill.
Can someone please point me in the direction of a bunch of specific activities
for ice breakers and introductions? I need to have the "how to"
for each activity pretty well spelled out, since I'm so new at this. Web
sites would be easiest for me to access, but books to check into would be
great, too.
Thanks for being here, MiddleWeb!
- Laura
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Lyn offered an idea that merged writing and mathematics.
Laura - How about a "Step into Eighth Grade" bulletin
board? I have the students trace their foot and draw or write things about
themselves to share with their class mates. You should have your foot done
ahead of time to use for an example. You could then go on to research how
we use a foot for measurement, maybe even borrow a shoe sizer from a store
and have the students measure each other.
Then you can have them write about their experience being a shoe using different
types of writing. (this meets an FCAT standard. Yes, I'm in Florida!)
* Narrative writing - story of shoe that was found on the road
* Expository writing - explain why you want a new pair of shoes
* Descriptive writing - bring in shoes and have the children describe them
and the kids have to find the shoes from the writing
* Persuasive writing - why students should buy a certain type of shoe
Maybe get students to trace other teachers' shoes and make a bulletin board
comparing or even guess who belongs to the foot! I have used these activities
with many grade levels when I was the writing teacher. You can adapt it
to several subjects.
- Lyn
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Marsha pointed teachers towards a resource containing activities that
help establish a viable classroom community.
I think you might like the Tribes
website. There's a terrific book that goes with it and I would encourage
you to invest in the book
as well. These are activities to help everyone get to know everyone else,
value their uniqueness and to set up the atmosphere of mutual respect. While
the directions were very clear and easy to follow, I found these materials
adapted to my own style easily and quickly.
They are not routine-based, which I also think is important to do in the
first few days of class. For that kind of thing I used the Kagan
Cooperative learning group which has tons of stuff that is quite useful.
(Also check out the discussion
bulletin board at their website for teacher-tested ideas.)
Once the kids get down the routine of pairs-share or round robin, then I
could use it over and over and over. Kagan's materials refer to these as
"structures"
and they are fantastic. They set kids up for success.
An unbelievable teacher, Laura Candler, has her own website that has tons
of customized examples that she readily offers to you to use in your own
classroom that is based on Kagan. There
much to harvest from her website -- including lots of lesson ideas in
her File Cabinet. For
a good icebreaker, see her description of the Buddy Venn Diagram on this
reference page.
The combo of Tribes and the Kagan stuff was gold in helping me transform
myself into a much better classroom manager.
I have used this over and over with older MS students and they respond so
well. The biggest problem I had was committing myself to not rushing this
initial setup phase with my class. When I would allow myself the "time"
to invest in building community, it paid back dividends at 1000%.
Beware pushing yourself to "get going" with the curriculum too
fast. I always felt pressured to start on curriculum and move along, but
it was a mistake and I finally learned to lay the respect and routine groundwork
first.
Good luck. Keep posting and I know someone will always have a couple of
ideas to share that might work out.
- Marsha
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Jennifer added this about Kagan.
On the Kagan lines, I have two books of theirs: Class Building
and Teambuilding. These have some great activities, not only for
the beginning of the school year, but throughout. They also teach you how
to run all of Kagan's grouping structures.
Good luck!
- Jennifer
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Karen, another first year teacher, encouraged Laura.
Laura, Welcome to Special Ed!
This is my first year teaching, too! I spent 5 years as a classroom aide
in HS SLD Resource Room -- now I'm The Teacher. I'm nervous too. Thanks
for asking a great question. I'm trying to find the same sort of ideas and
activities. Knowing just how to start seems a bit overwhelming.
- Karen
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Ellen pointed readers to an excellent resource.
Congrats on your new job, Laura! One site that usually has a special
icebreakers feature each August (and which has archived each new article)
is Education World.
Go to
this page to see the icebreakers archive and more back-to-school ideas.
Gary Hopkins uses ideas from actual teachers (including teachers on this
List!), so they are incredibly creative and practical ideas.
Welcome to our list! There are lots of incredibly talented folks here who
are just itching to help others help our kids learn.
- Ellen
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Chad recommended making time for yourself.
Although I am not a veteran by any means, I am entering my third year
of teaching, and feel that I am gradually exiting the "green"
stage.
1) Listen more than you speak in terms of other staff members.
2) Become involved in a regular social function outside of teaching: bowling
league, book club, fitness class etc. - make yourself commit to yourself.
This will mandate a life outside of school - if you dwell on school, it
will become bigger than it needs to be, and often lead to exhaustion. There
is no perfect classroom, teacher, lesson, or student.
3) Become involved in activities that will directly help students: sponsor
a club or chaperone dances. It's a refresher to see kids relate to each
other outside of the classroom. This extra time will inform your instruction
and will not be dreaded in April the same way a monthly committee meeting
will be.
4) Have fun.
- Chad
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MiddleWeb diarist, Ellen Berg, reiterated some important lessons she
has learned as a beginning teacher.
After receiving my permanent contract last year, I wrote my diary for
MiddleWeb about the most important things I had learned since I began teaching.
Here's an excerpt:
The lessons I have learned
What does my past tell me? What are the lessons I have learned since I taught
that first lesson? There are many, but these are the most important or at
least the most useful to me at this point in my career.
1. Be clear and consistent with your expectations -- whether it is
for behavior, a student's performance, your instruction, or the directions
on an assignment. I used to get very upset with students because they would
ask me what to do on a task even though the directions were right in front
of them. Multiple requests for clarification are a signal to me that I need
to rewrite or restate the directions for the class, while isolated incidents
are simple requests for help from a student who is having a hard time comprehending.
I believe Harry Wong says
that most students want to do well and they want to know what to do and
how to act, so most requests or behaviors are a result of unclear communication
of the teacher's expectations. I have found that the more explicit I am,
the fewer problems I encounter.
2. Lasting change takes time. The problems we have as a school and
staff, especially when it all seems so simple to solve sometimes upset me.
I remember a day in my second year when I ended up in tears with my instructional
coordinator because I knew I would get the same satisfactory evaluation
as everyone else, regardless of the extra effort I put into my job. I was
looking for my principal to make several of the other teachers on the staff
do more than pass out ditto sheets, and I was frustrated that he would not
do that.
I have since discovered that no one can make anyone else do anything they
do not decide to do. Since human beings have their own fears, shortcomings,
and their own belief systems, real change is filled with adversity, and
working through adversity takes time. I can see now, five years later, just
how far we have come as a school. We will continue to improve.
3. Problems can be solved and are opportunities to grow. Fortunately
I learned this early in my career, and it has carried me through some very
trying times. Trying to have my principal solve my discipline problems was
not effective, so I learned how to solve them myself. I was not only successful,
but I also gained confidence in myself as a problem-solver.
Since then I have always identified weak areas in my teaching as well as
areas of interest, and I have educated myself in those areas through professional
associations, various publications, and discussions with colleagues. I openly
share my failures with my students as well as how I am trying to overcome
them, and I hope modeling this habit of mind will transfer to them as well.
Failures are just opportunities to learn.
4. If something is not working, scrap it. Do not hold on to behaviors,
strategies, lessons, or units just because that is what you have planned.
I used to be afraid to scrap a lesson for fear my supervisors or my students
would think less of me. However, how ridiculous is it to continue doing
something you know does not work? Throw it out, be honest with the kids
or your supervisors about the reason for the deletion, think about why it
did not work, and start over.
5. Be human. I used to cringe at the old adage, "Don't smile
until Christmas," as a preservice teacher. It is not in my nature to
be a dour old sourpuss, and I went into teaching partly because I did like
the kids. I know teachers who still follow this advice, and they think any
questions about their personal lives are impertinent. While this approach
may work for them, it does not work for me. I do not care if my students
know my first name or my age, and I think it is important for them to know
how I love to travel, eat at good restaurants, and read.
I jump around in class, make up little poems and songs about them to encourage
them to get on the bus or into their classrooms, and generally act like
a big goofball. They sometimes look at me askance, but they appreciate my
human-ness. At this time in their lives, especially when they are questioning
who they are and how they should be, I think it is important for them to
see an adult who has embraced all the quirks and idiosyncrasies of their
personality while working to become a better human being in the process.
As I said before, my list of lessons is not at all comprehensive. They are,
however, important to who I was, who I am now, and who I will become as
a teacher. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.
- Ellen
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Bev made a number of useful suggestions.
Three pieces of advice:
1] Stay out of the teacher's lounge so you won't hear nay-sayers and negative
remarks about kids
2] Find a veteran who can provide some scaffolding if needed and who is
a positive, up-beat person
3] Get to know your students before you "implement the curriculum"
4] Don't wait until after Thanksgiving to smile!!!
5] Make friends with the school librarian (unless s/he is one of the negative
influences in the school) and the counselor for your kids
6] Subscribe to the MIDDLEWEB
newsletters and exercise regularly
Okay, so it's really seven--but six seemed more reasonable when I meant
to write only three when I began!
- Bev
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Jeff added to Bev's comments.
I would like to add to the Beverly's list.
7. Make friends with the office manager. They know where everything in the
school is and have the ear of the principal.
8. Same goes for the plant manager. They are a very important part of the
school, and being nice to them will make life much easier.
- Jeff
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Lori shared some insights.
1. Take what you hear in the faculty lounge with a grain of salt. It
is not necessarily true or scientifically founded.
2. Find someone who you can turn to for help with even menial tasks like
how to find the new code for the copy machine and how to use the fax machine
and laminator and especially with the hard ones like what to do with the
kid who fights you at every turn and where to find the new grading program
with all the phone numbers in it on your computer.
3. Be firm and fair and most of all consistent with all from day one and
you will be able then to smile long before Thanksgiving. . .maybe even before
Halloween and possibly even right after September!
4. Learn the student's names and use them often, if you screw up ask the
kid for the name and then use it!
5. Don't be afraid to let them in on your secrets, like what you like and
when you are having a bad day. They know anyway and appreciate the honesty
but remember number three and don't take the bad day out on them.
Be firm, fair and consistent even on a bad day. (I am not new and I still
have to remember this one.) And as my mentor told me, no one can teach your
first year for you, you have to learn it all for yourself -- this is one
time when you have to make your own mistakes and learn from them for it
to get better.
The learning curve is very steep but it is well worth the work because the
next year you might even find yourself smiling right after Labor Day, I
was (the second year, I am not certain I smiled the whole first year and
that was 1997-98).
- Lori
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Cossondra offered four pieces of advice.
#1 Buy, borrow, steal a copy of Harry Wong's First
Days of School. Read it, reread it, then read it again. (Try a search
for "Harry Wong" at the Google
search engine. You'll turn up lots of useful information.)
#2 Get to know the kids - which clique are they part of, what do they do
outside school - go to their ballgames, wrestling matches, and concerts
- chaperone dances, etc.... be a part of their lives more than just at school.
Sometimes you are the only adult who really cares about them. They will
get to know you better also - this helps enormously with classroom discipline.
#3 Stay out of the teacher's lounge! That has been said by many but it bears
repeating!
#4 Make friends with the secretary and janitor. They are the two most important
people (other than the kids) - if those two people feel you value them and
the job they do, you will never want for anything.
- Cossondra
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Ann asked new teachers to share ideas about what they need most.
Hi there, new teachers. Welcome to the best profession in the world.
I taught for over twenty or more years before I became an administrator.
This year I will be running the new teachers seminar for my school. We have
a pretty elaborate mentor program but this is site-based.... So consequently
my following question is a bit pragmatic.
So new teachers, as you plan, dream and even have nightmares about your
first days, this inquiring mind wants to know.... How can a school, its
administration and staff help you? What are the one or two or three or fifteen
things we can do in our schools to help?
With Parker Palmer sitting on my shoulder and whispering in my ear, how
can his words and advice be useful to new teachers and those of us who want
to support them?
- Ann
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Cossandra added to her previous comments.
Again - Harry Wong's First Days of School is a MUST HAVE book. See his
recent column, "How
to Start School Successfully."
To Laura -- As a previous special ed teacher for 6 years, congratulations
and good luck. Sometimes you have to forget what the books say, and go with
your gut instincts when it comes to kids - trust that your heart will guide
you to do what works best for each student.
Get parents on your side early - make contact - either in person or by phone
- and keep in touch - especially with something positive - that makes the
"bad" phone calls much easier.
Play fun, easy games likes charades or Pictionary to help the kids bond.
Use curriculum vocabulary to make these "educational".
Don't worry too much about testing to begin with - getting to know kids
will tell you as much about their abilities - strengths & weaknesses
- as most test scores.
Don't get behind on paperwork - do a bit each day/week - writing goals &
objectives and progress reports can be time consuming p; keep everything
ongoing on the computer so it is easy to add or edit.
- Cossondra
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Another Laura on our List reminded teachers of a resource found on their
own staff.
Don't forget your media specialist. I've found my relationship with
her valuable.
Laura also suggested a useful book.
"Tools for Teaching" by Fred
Jones is a wonderful book for new teachers. He gives you the how in
proximity and dealing with your body language. Oh there's so much more.
My principal gave me a copy of his book on positive discipline my first
year and I firmly believe it's why I'm still teaching.
- Laura
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Linda emphasized the importance of establishing a collaborative culture
within your school.
An elaborate, site-based mentor program is a wonderful, crucial piece...
If that is then part of a collaborative culture among ALL teachers, then
I think the basics are covered.
I came to teaching thinking of myself as a "lone wolf", artist
in residence.
What has kept me here, and created a boundless passion for the work is being
able to work in an atmosphere where we are all active advocates for each
other's success, and hence the success of our kids.
When these structures are in place over time, I think they are the difference
between burn out and thriving in the non-stop adventure that is the middle
school setting.
- Linda
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Cossandra agreed.
You are right... I wish we had a collaborative culture :-)
But yes, all those "other" folks are very valuable to teachers
and their ultimate success/failure
I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.
- Cossandra
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Rebecca challenged readers with another point of view about the teachers'
lounge.
Can I disagree with those people advising teachers to stay out of the
staff lounge? I agree that negativity can run rampant there, and that certain
attitudes can color a new teacher's experience. However, teaching is often
isolating, and without making connections outside of the classroom, there
is nothing to change that.
I would say the advice to "listen more than talk" is more important
than staying away. Seek out the colleagues who are not part of the negative
group; make them your allies and your sounding board. Please, don't spend
all breaks and lunch hours in your classroom!
- Rebecca
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Deborah offered some words of wisdom.
Do note equate old teachers with "ready to retire and thus not
up to date and interested in doing the best for kids," and remember
to compliment the kids when they do well and tell them to "give yourselves
a pat on the back," and you join in and do that too.
- Deborah
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Brenda encouraged first year teachers to seek out positive teachers who
practice continuous improvement in their teaching practices.
Welcome New Teachers!
As much as your first year will be really challenging, it will be so special
that you will remember many of those kid's faces for the rest of your teaching
career.
-- Expect to make mistakes and be kind to yourself when you do. Learn from
them and think, well, I don't have to make that mistake again!
-- Align your self with positive, "on the grow" colleagues. Your
will learn from them and they will take delight in learning from you.
-- Stay away from the "Gloomy Gusses" -- they will only disillusion
you.
-- Take the posture of a learner. No one will think you are incompetent
if you ask lots of questions; in fact, you will endear yourself to veteran
teachers and gain a support system that is invaluable.
-- Stop and gab with the kids in the hall. Ask them about their weekend.
Tell them about yours. Surprise them with a treat now and then. My math
kids were always kind of stunned when I handed the licorice out (for no
reason at all) or mints during tests. I never knew kids liked mints so much
(I'd buy bags of Scotch Mints at WalMart).
-- Think about your classroom procedures before school starts. Don't have
too many but stick to the ones you make. Sometimes the simplest procedure
can make the biggest difference. For example, in my classroom there is a
front door and a back door. The first year I was in that room I let the
kids go out whatever door they wanted to. Bad plan! When the classes switched
it was bedlam as the two different classes collided at the front door. It
was hard to implement a change part-way through the year so the first day
of school (the next year), I told all my students: In the front door, out
the back. The difference was amazing. No chaos, less noise, no wounds or
fights. I had to remind them for a few weeks (I was a real stickler on this
rule) but then it was non-issue. Simple lesson, but profound implications!
-- If you end up in a school without a support system, make sure you hook
up with a listserv like MiddleWeb. I have found this community of professionals
surpasses anything I have available in the schools I've taught at. Participate
on the list, don't just read it. Tell us about your successes, your failures,
ask your questions, and share your opinions.
-- Writing will help you work out your thinking, view it as a fun form of
reflection. It's fun because someone will respond which will make you think
further. As you write, you gradually work out your philosophy of teaching
and understand what you need to do next in your classroom. That's what all
of us at MiddleWeb are doing. Jump on!
-- Buy Rick Wormeli's book Meet
Me in the Middle. It will inspire you and give you lots of ideas and
food for thought. Watch for Rick's postings on the MiddleWeb listserv --
they are worth their weight in gold! (Watch for Rick's new book for first-year
teachers at the Stenhouse website.)
-- Use Education World as a
resource. It's like a light in the dark. Check it once a week for practical
ideas.
-- Put a limit on your work day. It's like housework, it's never done. Decide
when is enough is enough, stick to it (and ask someone to make you accountable
for sticking to it. So you don't move the line partway through the year!).
Don't listen to veteran teachers that tell you they spent their first year
working day and night. Maybe they did, but that doesn't mean you should.
Begin your career by establishing a balance between work and your play.
In the end, your kids will benefit because they will have a healthy, happy,
teachers.
Best of luck!
- Brenda
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Linda responded to Brenda's advice list.
This is great advice for ALL of us. Thanks, Brenda! I am going to print
it out and frame it as a reminder to myself!
- Linda
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Melba commented on positive ways of responding to students.
Respect the students and they will respect you. Be fair, consistent,
and stern. Don't let them rule the class. Make it very clear that you are
in charge. Smile, be nice, but firm.
Make the parents your friends. Call them before the kids give their version
of events. Keep them abreast of their children's progress -- both academically
and behavior wise. Work cooperatively with your peers. DON'T EVER use sarcasm
with your students. Good luck!
- Melba
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Cossandra added to her previous posting.
Rebecca - Sorry if my advice to avoid teachers' lounges seemed harsh.
In my school, few or none of the positive teachers are ever in there, and
the others sit in there and complain about the nitpickiest (is that a word??)
stuff you can imagine -
You are very right, new teachers need to connect with other staff. We tend
to meet in small groups in a classroom for a quick lunch talking more positive
things/plan/share ideas, etc... But new teachers will need to seek out these
positive folks.
- Cossandra
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Mendy offered lots of positive, practical advice.
Greetings and welcome to the best job in the world, even on the really
rotten days.
1. BE CLEAR - on what you expect from students, on your curriculum, on your
lesson plans, on what kind of services are available at your school, discipline
policies, etc, and on how much you want school to become your life (if you
let it, IT WILL TAKE OVER). Plan to succeed. It's been my experience that
my worst days as a teacher were my fault through poor planning -- not the
kids. The good news is you get REALLY good at planning. ;)
2. BE FAIR AND CONSISTENT. This has been said, but it bears repeating: middle
schoolers have an overdeveloped sense of fairness. Students like reasonable
rules and boundaries. I recommend Benjamin Mahle's little book Power
Teaching: Practical Tips for Teaching Adolescents. He uses one rule,
and I adopted it. "Be Appropriate." After 5+ years in school,
they KNOW how to behave in general, and they seem to appreciate having that
recognized. I teach a lot of procedure, as my ways of doing things might
be different than their last teacher, but I do very little "rule speak."
We discuss as a group any "appropriate" behaviors I might have
missed and I congratulate them on their grasp of what is and what is not
appropriate. It works well for me, which leads to...
3. BE YOURSELF - no matter how much advice you receive or how many books
you read, you are an INDIVIDUAL and so are your kids. This is one of the
reasons that teaching is such a great profession! Recognize what makes you
crazy in a classroom and design your approach around that (you've student
taught so you've got at least an idea of what you don't want). If you're
a warm, personable person then throw that "don't smile" nonsense
out the window. You can be firm, fair, and consistent and smile. If you're
naturally a "no-nonsense" person, avoid some of the more "warm
and fuzzy" approaches. Kids KNOW WHEN YOU ARE FAKING. Adapt. Modify.
Overcome. But be yourself.
4. MAKE FRIENDS - Find AT LEAST ONE person who can be your mentor - preferably
a teacher with much experience, preferably in your subject area, preferably
who has a similar style, but find someone. You'll quickly find out who the
most respected people in the faculty are - seek them out. Also, band with
a buddy - find another first year that you can commiserate, plan, bounce
ideas from books off of - you'll both benefit. In addition to the school
secretary and custodian and the media specialist (who can HOOK YOU UP!),
make sure you develop a rapport with your administrator. Find out what he/she
expects in terms of paperwork and discipline and what he/she can offer you
in terms of support/advice. ABOVE ALL, make sure you go see these nice folks
some times when you don't need anything.
5. READ, READ, READ, AND DISCUSS. The learning never stops!
6. HAVE FUN and HANG ON TO YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR WITH BOTH HANDS. Or, as my
professor used to tell me -- They're going to want to get your goat. Let
'em have it. Just don't let them get your donkey.
Hope this helps.
-Mendy
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Naomi, a middle school vice-principal, added several more suggestions.
Wow.....lots of great advice. I have a few more.
-- Find one or two mentors: Do not try to follow every suggestion from every
teacher...it becomes overwhelming.
-- Remember everything takes practice. Don't assume that because you tell
students to do something it will happen. For instance: Choose a signal for
quiet in your room. One signal. (lights out, hands up, etc.). Practice this
with the students. Tell them what you expect when you give the signal. Then
say, "Ok talk. When I give the signal I expect you to...." (put
your hand up, become quiet, etc.). Practice this over and over during the
first few days. At any time in the year that the signal breaks down, go
back to some practice.
-- Don't blame the students. As a first year teacher you will struggle.
Remember that if you had more experience you would have additional strategies.
Although you will definitely try to change student behavior, the only person
whose behavior you can absolutely change is your own. Be reflective. When
things go wrong.....try to figure out what you could have done that might
have prevented the problem.
-- Contact parents early in the year, before there are problems. Introduce
yourself and try to say something positive about the student. This will
open a positive line of communication. Don't call parents in anger, but
do call them. Ask for their support and suggestions. Don't assume that student's
negative behavior is caused by poor parenting skills.
-- Don't create a great deal of paper work for yourself. It is better to
have very few papers that have to be collected and graded. I found that
making a class list for each class I taught, with several columns across,
was the best way for me to collect data on students. I used a new sheet
each day. I gave a check for starting the "do now", a check for
reading silently, a check for sharing, etc. When a student was not working
I would go over quietly and say, "I really want to give you credit
for this work. I will come back in a minute or two to see if you have started."
Try not to make ultimatums like "The next student who throws a paper
will be suspended." Try to say something like "There is no paper
throwing. There will be consequences for anyone who throws anything in this
room." Then follow up with a consequence. Don't let it slip. But don't
box yourself into a single consequence (unless your school has an exact
policy).
My book
review of "First Year Urban Teacher" has some tips and some
links.
- Naomi
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Rick Wormeli (whose new book for first-year middle grades teachers will
soon be published by Stenhouse) challenged two opinions expressed in earlier
postings.
Hi Everyone -- I'm at the Nuts
and Bolts Symposium in Boulder, CO right now and I was checking e-mail
when I saw this great question about advice for first year teachers. I agree
with almost everything everyone said.
Please forgive me if I push some listserve members' buttons, but I disagree
with the advice to stay out of the teacher's lounge and to not smile before
Thanksgiving (Halloween, Christmas).
Rebecca Camarena reminded us that teaching, especially in the first year,
is very isolating. She's correct. Our first year teachers need to get out
and be with other faculty members as much as they reasonably can. In the
lounge they pick up tidbits of school culture and vital information (like
when somebody mentions a date change for turning in locker forms, for example).
They also exchange ideas, vent, and get a sense of belonging.
The greater gift is to help new teachers process what they experience in
the lounge and other gathering places, not to avoid them. Sure, there are
people who can really bring us down, but there are more people who inform
and inspire us. First year teachers need them every day. In addition, some
of us work in schools in which a teacher who never comes to lunch in the
lounge gets a reputation of being stand-offish, unapproachable, 'kind of
cold.' This is not the reputation a first year teacher wants to develop.
I say get in that lounge and in those other gathering places (like we find
near the copier if it's not in the lounge) whenever you want to connect
with others, relax, sort priorities, or just listen. Find yourself a close
mentor who can provide perspective on what you hear, but see the experience
as a positive one, not something to avoid.
By the way, not all lounges are dens of cynicism and despair. Most, in fact,
can be quite fun, relaxed, and even professional.
The second disagreement is the "don't smile" attitude for the
beginning of the year. I really have a problem with this.
Our humanity is the greatest thing we have going for us as teachers. It's
important that we express it on the first day we have our students -- they
need to know they are in the right place and that our classroom is safe
and emotionally non-threatening.
Our authority isn't so fragile as to not withstand a genuinely pleasant
moment with our students in the first moments we meet. Sure, we don't want
to throw parties or tell jokes every day for the first quarter, but we can
and should be laughing, smiling, and enjoying our students' company if the
opportunities arise during the course of instruction.
The better advice from my perspective is to tell new teachers to be very
structured and focused those first few weeks, keeping expectations for civility
high and vivid. In the midst of this, be yourself, however. Your sincerity,
professional demeanor, and well-planned, developmentally appropriate lesson
plans and classroom protocols will create the behavioral culture you want.
To not smile, to be anything other that what we are, isn't going to help.
In fact, for those students who are insecure, wondering whether or not they
belong or if they are worth anything to you or anyone else, it may be more
hurtful than you realize. The tone of our room comes from so many other
facets of our practice that the being overly stern (not smiling) sentiment
just isn't that influential. Go ahead - enjoy your students publicly from
day one.
- Rick
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Susie offered to share a list she made containing websites and anecdotes
for new teachers.
For a few years, I helped with new teacher training in my district.
Two years ago I started collecting websites and anecdotes with advice for
new teachers/beginning of the year (many of the ideas were helpful to me,
too, with 20+ years!) If anyone is interesting, I will gladly email my list
to you. (I am editing it as we "speak"-it's 30 pages!)
I'm glad Rebecca mentioned that not all teachers' lounges are bad. When
I first got to my present school, that was the most positive place in the
building. (Now that teachers lounge is a classroom, and the teachers lounge
is the former AV closet; no one but guest teachers go there now.) On the
first days of school, we were like the kids-we wanted to see who we had
prepped with! (before teaming days) Several of us think the #1 drawback
to teaming is our loss of that collegiality we had before, when we had more
contact with teachers across the grade levels. Teaming is well worth it,
and we can still try to create a school-wide feeling community of staff,
but it's harder now.
Feel free to email me if you would like the list I have.
-Susie
Shighley@aol.com
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Ilyne responded to Susie's offer.
As a principal I am devoted to the practice of mentoring...new and seasoned
faculty, paraprofessionals, parents, any of the school's stakeholders...I
bet your list could have many purposes, and I would love a copy...thanks
so much
-Ilyne
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Cindy asked an ESL question.
Next year (and presently in summer school) I am teaching Language Arts
and Math to a sixth grade student who just moved to the US from Germany.
She has been in the country for three weeks and only studied English for
one year before moving here.
She is having difficulty in all of her classes and seems overwhelmed. I
know that studies have shown that total immersion can be successful, but
I feel like there's got to be a better way for students at this vulnerable
age. In the past when I worked in public schools we had ESL specialists,
but now I'm in a private school and I feel like I have no guidance. Here
are my questions for all of you:
1. Does anyone have any advice to offer?
2. Can you suggest any professional reads that will help me better serve
this student?
3. Most of the ESL students I've taught have been Spanish speakers in their
homes. I was able to speak Spanish with students to clarify and communicate
with parents. This is different - I know nothing about the German language.
I am searching for ways to make connections with her. I would greatly appreciate
any suggestions, advice, and successes you would like to share.
- Cindy
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Melba, an experienced ESL teacher, shared her expertise.
I am certified in both bilingual and ESL and I have also taught ESL
to students from Mexico, Spain, Columbia, and Korea.
The only student who was monolingual was a Korean girl. She had been in
the US for a month when she checked into my math class. Teaching her was
easy because math translates extremely easily. However, I communicated with
her through something we call TPR -- total typical response.
Using pictures, drawings, gestures, body language to convey meaning is the
most effective approach I know. She did not speak for several months. It
usually takes about 1-3 years before monolinguals risk speaking in their
second language publicly. Imagine my excitement when she told me she did
not want to tuck in her shirt! I didn't know whether to scold her for not
obeying or praise her for speaking English. Of course, I praised her and
laughingly asked her again to tuck in her shirt.
I sat her with 3 of my top students which had no trouble communicating with
her. Although I was not the designated ESL teacher that year since I was
teaching math, I was able to use my skills to help this student. I also
realized that I can actually draw some simple pictures when I am properly
motivated.
- Melba
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Bill responded to Cindy's request for ESL resources.
First off, I would suggest taking her to the library and having her
pick out book after book to read. When she picks books you know, it will
give you something in common, and at any rate she will be acquiring vocabulary
and grammar and spelling and all that with every word she reads.
When I taught ESL in high school, I taught mostly to Koreans, Japanese and
Taiwanese. I found that not knowing their languages made it more difficult
in one sense (I had previously taught ESL to native French college students;
French is my own second language), but probably helped them in another.
I learned not to rephrase immediately if they did not understand me the
first time, but rather to repeat myself at least once, the theory being
that they get a few more words on each pass.
Of course, if she still doesn't get it, then you go about rephrasing. Sometimes
writing a key word out helps as well, or making a quick sketch. Sequencing
things carefully, in well organized steps, is more crucial when you can't
quickly retreat to a native language clarification - that's probably good
for both you and her.
Play games with her - even if it's one-on-one, there are games you can do
together. Practicing spelling? Play Boggle, or take turns making "Wheel
of Fortune" puzzles. Find out what her interests are, and build vocabulary
units around them. And remember, she has just as much of a need to communicate
as you do. You can be her key to understanding this bizarre language, making
friends, and fitting in. I suspect things will work out just fine.
As far as communicating with her parents, of course, they may be relatively
fluent in English anyway. If not, you may want to communicate with them
in writing at first, as they can always have a letter translated if need
be.
Good luck, and feel free to email me privately with any additional questions.
- Bill
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ellen offered an idea.
I don't teach ESL kids, but I do have an idea. In Europe (and the rest
of the world) American pop music is pretty popular and well-known. What
if you worked on vocabulary through current music? Print out the words,
play the music, lip-sync, have fun! Not only will she expand her vocabulary,
she'll be fitting in and engaged with the activity. What middle school student
doesn't like music?
Good luck!
- Ellen
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Bill responded to Ellen's thoughts.
Great idea, Ellen! And I have some ideas to add to it.
When you print out the words, you can leave out some of them and ask her
to try to fill them in as she listens. I've found that advanced beginners
can do maybe one word every other line; with my AP French classes, I pushed
them until they could fill in three words in a row (doing two or more words
in a row is a much harder skill than simply listening for one word in context).
You can add to the vocabulary development aspect by giving advanced clues
to those words (e.g. you have left out "happy" and your clue is
"not sad") in a separate section before the song even begins.
She can then check to see how many of her predictions were true once she
has completed the song.
You can teach other things through the songs as well - poetic structure
and techniques, culture, etc. Just don't overdo the teaching on any one
song or it ceases to be fun.
- Bill
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Donna shared a story.
I'm not sure I caught the whole idea of your question, but perhaps this
will help you. Last year I taught a very gracious and brilliant teenager
who spoke mostly Korean. She worked very hard to understand the English
language, and communicate with her classmates, and me. When we knew we were
not getting through to each other she would get out her electronic pocket
translator and type in the words in Korean and out they would come in English,
and vice versa!
- Donna
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Darby shared a beginning of the year activity that addresses the Multiple
Intelligences.
I am constantly amazed at the inspiration I derive from all of you.
Many thanks.
I wanted to share one thing I have done early in the term that has worked
well. Early on I like to address Multiple
Intelligences with the students.
Early adolescence is a time when many students struggle with diminishing
feelings of self worth as they search for the people they are becoming.
They are constantly using others as mirrors in which to judge themselves
and if they don't like what they see it can make the middle years very challenging.
I talk about different ways of being smart and we usually end up in lively
discussions.
The kids really do recognize their own strengths but often feel they don't
count much in school. I will never forget the student who came to me at
the end of an MI discussion with eyes welling up with tears and said in
a very hurt and angry voice- "Why hasn't anyone ever told me this before?"
Because language and math were his stretches he had always felt stupid.
It was an a ha! moment for him and a moment I will never forget.
I digress. Back to the activity I wanted to share...
Once the students have a clear idea about Multiple Intelligences, I have
them do a self portrait using any intelligence they choose. The range of
"portraits" (representations of themselves in many mediums) I
have seen is amazing to me. I have had portraits done as journals, reports,
video interviews a la Oprah, books like "A Dummies guide to ...,"
collages, paintings, poems, mobiles, puzzles, games, dances, songs, raps,
scrapbooks, spreadsheets, PowerPoint's, skits, diagrams, posters, recipes
etc, etc. We share and celebrate our diversity and individuality. It is
a great way of helping kids to honor each others strengths.
-Darby
[Here's a tutorial
about MI at the Disney Learning Partnership.]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sal pointed out the importance of having fun in the classroom and in
the teacher's lounge.
Many thanks to Rick Wormeli for his advice. I agree completely. Because
of all the laughing that goes on in our lounge I'm sure I've added several
years to my life. I have one bit of advice that I live by:
IF YOU'RE NOT HAVING FUN, TEACHING BECOMES A CHORE! I believe in this wholeheartedly.
This is my tenth year of teaching and I believe it more now than ever.
How do I practice this? I guess one could say I'm part Robin Williams in
the classroom, part Richard Mulligan from "Teachers" which starred
Jim Belushi, and part Sam Kinison from Rodney Dangerfield's "Back To
School" In the halls, I sing, I dance (I grab a teacher or student
as they come by and dance a hoedown - ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND WE GO....).
Anything to loosen up kids and teachers and....most importantly....myself.
It's a great tension releaser. If you've just had a tough period, go out
in the halls and sing and dance. I understand that this sounds a bit extreme
and, trust me; you'll be told that you're crazy, nuts, and every other synonym
you can think of. The bottom line, and the point of this posting, is to
have fun. If you're the type person that is extroverted and enjoys being
silly, GO FOR IT. You'll go home feeling great. Good luck this year!
Respectfully,
Sal
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Melba agreed with Sal.
Glad to meet you, Sal. I thought I was the only one who did that crazy
stuff! My kids are so used to me dancing, singing, cracking "math"
jokes, or making up raps. We used to march down the halls and to the cafeteria
singing the Order of Operations to the tune of the "army marching song".
We would stomp on the floor, pound on the desks to the rhythm of "We
will rock you" (We will simplify). I always admired my colleagues for
not complaining. They just laugh and close their doors.
Since I became a staff developer, I have not had that much fun. I plan to
use these strategies with the teachers this year. Maybe they will lighten
up.
- Melba
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ellen agreed with Sal.
Sal wrote: "I understand that this sounds a bit extreme and, trust
me; you'll be told that you're crazy, nuts, and every other synonym you
can think of. The bottom line, and the point of this posting, is to have
fun. If you're the type person that is extroverted and enjoys being silly,
GO FOR IT. You'll go home feeling great."
Sal is absolutely right. It is so important to BE YOURSELF. Be human.
If you are silly/crazy/weird, be silly/crazy/weird with your kids. If you
are passionate about cooking/ reading/weaving baskets, share that passion
with your kids. My students know I love to travel, and I try to share with
them the world that has opened up to me because of my travels.
They know I think I am weird, and I demonstrate to them on a daily basis
that I am weird but it's okay something important because they ARE weird
at this age and are so afraid to just be themselves. Don't be afraid to
share who you are with your kids; they will appreciate it.
-Ellen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mary Ellen expressed her belief that teachers need set aside time to
be with their colleagues in the faculty lounge.
I agree with much of what has been written. I would advise, also, to
join the faculty room and watch. I do this during lunch and talk about movies
or books or something neutral (or at least, I hope so). I have made friends
with people who are very different from me and who teach in a different
way (and one that I would never). By making the friendship, I find that
things change slowly but they change.
I have gained trust without the garbage stuff (the negative kids conversation)
and have found some good friends who have sat on the sidelines, too.
Additionally, one of the things I always ask myself is what did the child
learn from that? What did I learn?' I assess what I've done/the student
has done/ the parent has done in this way and it keeps me more focused.
Do I still blow it (after 33 years of doing this)? Sure do but I try to
forgive myself and learn from it. Enjoy the hardest job you'll ever do!!
- Mary Ellen
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Marsha shared her insights and emphasized the importance of seeking parent
support.
I think many good things have been said and I believe you need to always
take time to enjoy students and the time you spend with them. It's a gift,
not to be too hokey about it.
I also think that I would try to be as honest with them as possible. I couldn't
have ever pulled off not smiling or acting like a hard nose. It's just not
me. But there were things that I was very hard nosed about -- teasing, calling
someone stupid, not trying, thinking you couldn't do something.
Outside of those types of things, I always taught from the perspective that
it was our classroom and together we were going to take on something that
was tough. We'd be spending a year together tackling new ideas and pushing
ourselves to grow and learn new stuff.
I emphasized the hard but not impossible. By this I mean I didn't pull any
punches about how they wouldn't be perfect (neither would I) in trying to
become junior scientists or mathematicians. But that was the beauty of being
a class -- to help each other, challenge each other and push each other.
The only other thing I don't think has been covered to the max would be
the importance of parent support. This was a cornerstone for my room.
I told my parents that 7th grade was hard and that their students would
go through every emotion over the course of the year --- it's too easy,
it's too hard and so on. And that their student would hate it when I wouldn't
accept work that was beneath their ability and give it back for a "redo".
But I thought that was what they really wanted for the child; to learn to
do their best every time.
I also made sure that from the beginning my parents knew that not everyone
was given exactly the same tasks -- and that they'd have to trust my professional
judgement to give assignments and comments that uniquely reflected their
child.
I also genuinely invited them to be a part of our classroom. Every year
my parents brought different occupations and talents into the classroom.
The year one of my moms was a med tech we learned so much about germs, bacteria,
and she was wonderful. The next year one of my dads worked for the Army
Corps of Engineering and our soil unit was unbelievable. Another year my
student was from Palestine and we learned much from his family as they shared.
Another year one of my parents worked on the road and was willing to transport
the huge Learning Trunks back and forth from the Historical Society in another
city so we didn't have to pay shipping and handling; and so on.
I found when you truly want their participation, parents will respond. This
outreach, in turn, made them trust me, see me in action with their children,
and built a supportive atmosphere. I never used parents for grading -- Ever!!!
My "out of town" parents (often divorced) also were involved via
electronic bulletin boards, posting digital pictures to our class web site
and/or being a "sounding board" for projects. It was those distance
parents that appreciated being included the most I think and I can't tell
you how wonderful it was for the student who had never had that far-away
parent be able to do anything.
Lastly I would regularly ask, but not all the time, for my parents to use
the assignment rubric to respond to their student's work before it was turned
in to me. They appreciated having something to guide their input and they
were able to help their child improve what they did in way that wasn't doing
for them, but helping.
- Marsha
-----------------------------------------------------------------
John encouraged the new teachers to respond to Ann's question.
Although we're not hearing from many new teachers on the List, I assure
you they're here and I'm sure they're listening!
Let me urge some of our new or newer teachers to respond to Ann's question
- what would you like to see from your school in the way of support?
This may be a better question to ask around December 1st, but if you have
thoughts, do share.
Also - veterans - keep sharing!
-John
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kate, a first year teacher, spoke up.
I'm a new teacher but have held back on answering Ann's question because
I don't know what all I need to know, let alone how the school could help.
Um....everything?? :)
One basic thing would be some way to clarify all the little minor (until
you don't know them) things about how the school works...where do you get
supplies, which supplies does the school provide, how can you hang things
on the walls, etc. Not knowing that kind of very basic thing makes it a
lot harder to concentrate on the curricular issues.
The people I've met at my new school seem very willing and ready to help
if asked, but one of the problems I've had is not even knowing the questions
to ask. It would be nice to have some of those issues laid out for you...although
it would probably also be overwhelming to get a paper with all that kind
of instructions on it.
That's all I can think of for now, but I'll repost once I've found out what
I really needed to know and have figured out how I think my administration
could help me.
-Kate
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Cossandra suggested the importance of schools creating a "New Teacher's
Handbook."
As a part of a mentoring class my principal and I took together, we
put together a "New Teacher Handbook" with such info as you have
mentioned, Kate.
Also, we included forms for requisitions, maintenance, sick days, bus requests,
etc... community info (churches, stores, local tourist info) we also included
special ed info & forms, details about Friday lunch in the lounge -
a list of all staff they might need - from the business office to bus drivers,
secretaries at all levels as well as our staff and district wide administrators
& who to ask for what(we included digital pictures to help the names
and faces stick).
We hired 2 new teachers last year and they were thrilled to have this resource
- they used it throughout the year when they need to find something. We
put it together in a large 3 ring binder with info in plastic sleeves so
changes can easily be made as the need arises.
- Cossandra
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Ellen made an observation.
What might really work well is if your school or district surveyed new
teachers on your questions at the end of the first semester or the first
year. Like Kate says, when you are starting out, you don't even know what
questions to ask. Has anyone ever done this? If so, what did you find out?
- Ellen
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jennifer pointed out the importance of creating an inviting classroom
atmosphere.
Hello to all new teachers!
I remember that year so well. The learning that you will do this year is
unbelievable. Now, the help:
1. My first year principal told me that I should "be above the students."
Should not show them that I am human. I should be the adult and act above
them. PLEASE do not follow this advice. I learned quickly that it doesn't
work. You must be their teacher, but you also need to develop a personal
relationship with them. They need to know that you care, not that you just
want to shove some education down their throat. In your relationships with
students there always has to be a "silent line" that should never
be crossed. It is a personal choice where that line is, but you will figure
it out.
2. On a slightly different level. The atmosphere of your classroom is very
important. For mine, I NEVER use the overhead lights. I have lamps and natural
light that I use. My room smells good. I have lots of different music that
is playing a lot of the time. I have comfortable places that the kids can
read. When you walk into the room, a sense of peace and tranquility resound.
This affects not only the kids when they walk in, but other staff members
as well. The kids feel comfortable walking into my room. It is a great "secret
weapon" for classroom management. Keep in mind that you will spend
a lot of time in your classroom, make it a place that you enjoy being in.
Hope this helps.
-Jennifer
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Linda responded to Jennifer's posting.
Okay... so who else wants to be in Jennifer's classroom???!!!!! Wow!
Your own lights!!!
My room is actually a little theatre, and I have lights on the "stage",
and a light on my desk, but I never thought of using "normal"
lights throughout the room... WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!!!!!
I agree about making the room "yours"... I do an opening "assumptions"/
"inferences"/ "observation" activity with my kids that
asks them to look at the rooms ONLY of one of their teachers - and describe
what is there on a web graphic organizer. Then, assume that the things in
the teacher's room are there on purpose, and are a result of a "choice"
made by that teacher, to make inferences about that teacher:
- what do they think is important about teaching and learning?
- how much of the SUBJECT is reflected in the room?
- how much of the TEACHER is reflected in the room?
To model what this might look like, we use my room as a class example before
they go out and "look". Kids end up with a whole new perspective
about teachers and classrooms. I think many of them start out thinking that
rooms come preassembled. Which may be why kids who DON'T have my class,
walk by my door, peek in, and ask "what goes on in HERE????"
Follow up discussion entails "checking our assumptions and inferences"
against what we know, what others know, and experiences as the year goes
on.
- Linda
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John suggested additional resources from Education World and MiddleWeb.
Ellen recommended that first-year teachers check out the Education World
site for tips and ideas. Here are a couple of Ed World's features:
ADVICE FOR
FIRST-YEAR TEACHERS
PLANNING YOUR
FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL
Also... I should have mentioned our
earlier conversation string around first-year teachers...still fresh
after a year!
AND OUR CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT CHATS:
http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLdiscipline.html
http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLdiscipline2.html
http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLprocedures.html
http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLprocedures2.html
http://www.middleweb.com/MWLISTCONT/MSLattention.html
-John
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Juli provided a different point of view -- what NOT to do!
Here's a different take - what NOT to do as a new teacher.
1. Avoid constant redecoration. Constantly changing desks, tables, and wall
accessories only confuses kids. Have kids change seat assignments rather
than redoing the whole room.
2. Avoid changing rules. Kids need consistency. Find a way to use the rules
you already have to include what needs to be added. Example: "Respect
everyone" can mean lots of things.
3. Avoid taking too much work home with you or coming back to school in
the evenings. You need a break.
Making friends with an experienced teacher can really help!
- Juli
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Laura commented.
Someone wrote: "But new teachers will need to seek out these positive
folks."
Wouldn't it be better if the positive teachers invited the new teachers
to join them? When you're new you're not always sure you're welcomed.
- Laura
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Cossandra responded.
Yes.... and the positive teachers usually do seek out the new ones -
that is one of the things that makes them great:-)
- Cossandra
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John shared a favorite article.
This is one of my favorite articles for new teachers - from ASCD's Classroom
Leadership Online.
Ask Not What Your School Can Do for You,
But What YOU Can Do for You (Excerpt)
by Lisa Renard
Vol. 2, Number 8, May 1999
Being Proactive
In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989), Covey says that
being proactive "means that as human beings, we are responsible for
our own lives" (p. 71). "It is inspiring," says Covey, "to
realize that in choosing our response to circumstance, we powerfully affect
our circumstance" (p. 86). Covey is discussing the basic principle
that when life does not go the way that it should, truly effective people
do not throw their hands in the air, cry "victim," and give up
or move on. People who apply Covey's idea of being proactive to their teaching
careers become educational leaders.
When I read articles about new teachers, I am confronted with such issues
as, "How can we better support new teachers?" That's nice. But
why don't I ever read about "The top 10 ways new teachers can help
themselves," or "How to make your first years the best years"?
The focus of our efforts to help new teachers seems to weigh too heavily
on the schools, forgetting to encourage new teachers with practical steps
to help themselves.
In this age of abbreviated teacher-training programs, alternative certification,
and emergency teacher placements, a growing number of teachers have the
potential of arriving in classrooms feeling inadequately prepared. Instead
of arming themselves with the additional resources that they will need to
be successful and sane during those first years, too many stand isolated,
wondering bitterly where their welcoming committee could possibly be.
This sounds harsh, I know. The truth is that districts and schools do need
to do more to ensure new-teacher success (and therefore retention). Analysis
of teacher perceptions reveals that new-teacher support programs still fail
to hit the mark in terms of effectively helping new teachers (Ingersoll
& Alsalam, 1997). However, this is only part of the truth. The other
part is that new teachers need to be resourceful, tenacious, and self-motivated
to equip themselves with essential knowledge and skills.
What to Do! What to Do!
New teachers can do some very concrete things to prepare themselves
with the knowledge and skills to excel during those first few years:
Find out how to use the programs and equipment that you need on a regular
basis by asking colleagues specific questions. You won't look dumb if you
pay attention and do it for yourself the next time.
Scour your room and department for resources that will give you an idea
of what you are expected to do. Get your hands on a faculty handbook. Seek
out that curriculum guide. Sure, it should have been given to you. But if
it wasn't, find it.
If you weren't assigned a specific colleague mentor, recruit an unofficial
one. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know." It seems to give senior
colleagues a certain satisfaction to hear newbies say those three words.
They are the experts and are often glad to share wisdom and resources. Note
that I did not say "whine and complain to others." That elicits
a whole different reaction, which is to be labeled "needy" and
"ineffective."
On your own, seek out information about teaching. If you feel inadequate
in a particular area, don't expect the school to bring you up to speed.
Find books, Internet resources, anything that will improve your knowledge
and skills. Expect to spend time on your education beyond the walls of the
university.
Take classes-even tiny, one-unit, minicourses. Keep educating yourself.
So your school hasn't offered you the in service program that you feel that
you need. Find a comparable course on your own and go for it.
Equip yourself with knowledge about current research-based, best-known teaching
and assessment practices. Motivation & Learning (Rogers, Graham,
& Ludington, 1998) provides important ideas for your classroom. You'll
also want to read about multiple intelligences and brain-compatible learning.
Books by Eric Jensen or Renate and Geoffrey Caine will start you out well.
Read resources intended for new teachers. The First Days of School
(Wong & Wong, 1998) is an excellent beginning. Take care when choosing
to be certain that the resources advocate current, theoretically sound practices.
Avoid the myriad new-teacher resources available that promote outdated and
unsound practices, such as shaming students as a form of discipline or planning
classes solely for teacher convenience.
Join professional organizations and subscribe to journals. Doing this keeps
you informed and helps alleviate your feelings of isolation.
Choose your friends wisely. If the group in the lounge whines, complains,
and gossips, eat elsewhere. Seek colleagues who seem happy, enthusiastic,
and professional.
Being hard working, smart, resourceful, and willing to seek assistance-these
are the things that will make you successful during those first years of
teaching.
Fear of Being New
Being proactive is not the same as being pushy. Being proactive is recognizing
our ability and obligation to make things happen in our own lives (Covey,
1989, p. 75). New teachers who allow their probationary period to paralyze
them are not on the right track. Being new is neither a sin nor an offense
warranting termination. Novices can be tactful in seeking assistance. When
you do that well, no one will fault you for being new.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Carole shared her top four tips:
What great questions to post, John! I love what everyone is responding
with. I would add:
1. Communicate with your parents effectively and with respect. I find that
parents are very much appreciative of communication via phone, a note home,
or email! This prevents many problems and supports more of a team effort.
Parents appreciate truly being listened to, even if you don't always agree
with them. Some parents will work on the home front with the consistency
you use in the classroom. They have good input concerning their child. Some
parents will talk the talk, but they won't walk the walk. You learn to decide
who the parent is that says one thing but does the other.
2. Bottom line: What is in the best interests of the child and his/her education?
3. My own goal for the coming year: learn to say no and focus. Trying to
accomplish everything is not possible and drains you. Pick some goals or
activities, and work on them. Build on them bit by bit. You will not accomplish
everything right now.
4. I also put up a picture of my dog, Zacchaeus, and underneath captioned
"Teacher's pet." Students learn that he is very territorial and
would not allow any other pets. So while I care greatly for each of my students,
I will not have any pets. Zacchaeus will not stand for it. They catch my
drift and get a kick out of it.
Dogs make great teachable moments with many lessons, and are good ways of
bringing down some walls! Everyone knows of dogs and has something to share
about some dog. Many a time a students has shared something about their
family pet as we step away from the lesson briefly, and then they are come
back to the lesson with a better attitude and learning goes forward!
Good luck to everyone!
- Carole
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Anne shared some advice.
Three pieces of advice I'd give new teachers . . .
1. Keep a sense of humor (not sarcasm, though).
2. Form good relationships with teaching colleagues and pick their brains
for good ideas.
3. When you feel anger toward a student, think of at least one thing you
like about that student before you speak to him or her. (You'll be surprised
how that'll defuse anger!)
- Anne
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Chris shared his advice, from a principal's perspective.
Three pieces of advice to add to the great suggestions already posted.
(As an administrator, and from my vague memories as a new teacher):
1. Remember what it was like to be a middle school student, or any student
for that matter. Think realistically about what it was that your best teachers
did that made you want to learn from them. Think also about what did not
work for you as a student.
2. Don't try to do everything or even lots of things perfectly your first
year. Actually, you won't even get close, even if you take your lifetime
trying. I know you'll be trying to do it all, but choose a couple things
to focus on at a time.
3. Get to know the school secretaries, the janitors, and the cafeteria folks.
They will keep you up to date and supplied with procedures, toilet paper,
and food.
- Chris
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LeeAnn made an observation about the teachers' lounge.
It makes me sad that so many of you say this! Our teachers' lounge is
a haven and we do not talk about kids at all. We laugh and joke and have
a great time together.
I'd rather give the advice to be an agent of change in your teachers' lounge
if it is not a good place to be right now.
- LeeAnn
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Trish shared a practical resource.
Forms, forms, and more forms. Filling out forms seems to be something
teachers do almost daily. It could be a welcome letter, it could be a progress
report, newsletter, whatever. The
following site offers templates of all different types of forms for us to
use. Teachers in the school where I work found this a very helpful site...hope
many of you do too.
-Trish
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Beverly liked the templates resource!
Thanks, Trish, for the Education World link to the article on templates
for forms. Many of the teachers at my school will be grateful
- Beverly
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Brenda contributed some more useful links for the beginning of the school
year (and the beginning of a school career!).
The Most Important
Day: Starting Well
101 Things You Can Do
the First three Weeks of School
Teaching Kids
to Take Better Notes
Brenda also wrote:
The following tools may be useful as you create a learning profile on your
students this fall. I'd be interested in hearing about other tools that
teachers on this list use at the beginning of the year, particularly in
math:
PERSONAL
STYLE INVENTORY QUESTIONNAIRE
http://www.muskingum.edu/~cal/database/PSInventory.html
Assessing Your Learning Style:
http://snow.utoronto.ca/Learn2/mod3/assessing.html
http://www.clat.psu.edu/gems/Other/LSI/LSI.htm
Once you know a student's learning style...What Next?
Instructional Technologies and Tools That Address Different Learning Styles:
http://www2.ncsu.edu/ltc/guides/learning_styles/tools.html
- Brenda Dyck
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Trisha shared a favorite quote.
I have seen this quote everywhere lately I really think it applies to
our students as well as all of us.
"Work like you don't need money Love like you've never been hurt. And
dance like no one is watching."
- Trisha
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Melba shared an inspirational thought.
Awhile back a conversation string dealt with our vision of the
perfect middle school. I think that if all of us on this list who are
innovative, crazy, creative, not afraid to take risks, the changers, the
movers, and the shakers along with the newbies ready to jump into the world
of energetic youngsters and teachers who love teaching and more importantly
love kids were on the same ms campus, we would indeed have the perfect middle
school!
Please forgive me if the previous sentence borders on a run-on sentence,
but I have been writing mission statements all day.
- Melba
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Recently retired principal Betsy Burch zeroed in on an important piece
of advice for first year teacher: Be yourself!
Amen, you all! I think you, Ellen and Melba, have perhaps touched on
one of the most important factors in being a successful middle school teacher.
You absolutely must just be yourself - if there are any students under the
sun who can spot a fake, it is middle school kids!
Their sense of inherent fairness (especially for themselves!) and sense
about who is real and who is not borders on the intuitive - and they won't
let go of their perceptions! Yes, they may judge unfairly from the perspective
of some, but they judge us and we have to deal with it and not being afraid
to allow them to know us as real humans is a fateful error and takes much
longer to undo than simply being who you are in the very beginning.
I know, I know - many will disagree with me. I remember being told not to
smile at my students for the first month. Needless to say, I failed - a
whole month of no laughter, joy, excitement in a middle school classroom???!!!
You have to love them for who they are in their space and time. I always
asked teachers I was interviewing to name three adjectives that describe
middle school students. My teachers and I rarely hired those who gave us
negative adjectives about our beloved middle school kids - we figured that
if during an interview all they could think of were negative perceptions,
what would they think after a few weeks with the kids???!!
Be yourself - share pictures of family, pets, trips, hobbies - share the
books you read, the TV shows and movies you like, dress the way you are
comfortable - let them know when you are up or down - respond with genuine
feelings to things that they share with you - the rewards for being yourself
as a middle school teacher are many and precious!
-Betsy
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Kelly shared three pieces of advice:
I just started school with a brand new group of 7th graders, I will have
them for two years, and with one or two exceptions it went really well.
Here are my ideas for starting the year.
1. Rick is right. Strict is the way to go - but as he mentioned some time
earlier - don't forget to laugh. I had the best time with my kids today
while explaining some of my procedures - to illustrate them I used funny
stories and got the kids laughing along with me. Just to see their smiles,
rather than groans, grimaces, and, "Oh no, not another one who's going
to make us read and write and do a lot of hard work," was a real treat.
2. Make sure your students understand all of your rules and procedures from
the start. My students take notes on them, and have a quiz at the end of
the first week. After that I rarely have to tell someone where to turn in
work, when to sharpen a pencil, what the rules are for late assignments,
etc. I can point them to their notes, but usually the other kids let them
know.
3. Enjoy your students. You are doing more than teaching them the subject
matter. I hold all of my kids to high standards, but also enjoy them as
the individuals that they are. Some of my students are not gifted academically,
but I try to celebrate their accomplishments in the classroom and without.
Best of luck - you are in one of the best professions in the world!
Kelly Anderson
R. B. Stewart Middle School
Zephyrhills, FL 33540
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Caron hopes mentors are really helping new teachers.
I would hope that new teachers have a special binder prepared by mentor
teachers that explained the special events that make up the culture of the
school. The annual events that everyone takes for granted but leaves a new
teacher clueless and lost....when are grades due, comments....what do you
do for holiday celebrations? community service? dances? anything like that.....a
survival cheat sheet....
Caron
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sarah is a second-year teacher in a private school.
Most importantly, I learned to establish boundaries, consistency and procedures
from the first second of school. Last year I thought that mutual respect
would/could lead to an orderly classroom. Well maybe for 90% of the students,
but the other 10% will kill a period every time. It needs to be clear to
the students from the beginning that they will promote the learning environment
or will suffer the consequences.
Secondly, overplan. Have more planned than could possibly be finished because
sometimes lag time can be chaos time. Make sure students know what their
acceptable choices are for when they finish their work and others are still
working.
Begin telling yourself, "I am the teacher," right now if you haven't
already. You need to feel like a prepared, competent professional. Otherwise
students and staff may sense your insecurity and take advantage of it.
My proudest moments last year involved some of my students telling me that
I was their favorite teacher so far in school. A student who caused me tons
of trouble all year stated that "None of the teachers at this school
respect us, so why should we respect them?" I asked him what I had
ever done to disrespect him and he said that I was the exception. One girl's
mother told me that her daughter had never been interested in or done well
in math. In my class she really blossomed and became a 99% average student.
My worst moments last year included being treated terribly by my teacher's
aide who also happened to be the adminstrator's wife and was a very conservative,
children should be seen and not heard type person. I started up a student
newspaper which turned out to be a disaster because at our conservative
Christian school nobody is allowed to have an opinion that does not fully
support everything the school does, we weren't allowed to talk about secular
(non-Christian) music or fashion or most pg-13 movies in the entertainment
section. Students soon lost interest as we were repeatedly squashed by the
administration.
My advice for new teachers would be: relax. Don't try to be the best teacher
ever this year; just try to survive and teach. Be nice to everyone even
if you think their ideas stink. Do the best you can and try to be satisfied
with it.
Sarah
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashli hopes her mentor will be compatible.
I am a first year teacher and I will have a mentor teacher. I hope that
my mentor teacher is where I want to be 10 years from now. I hope that she
has the same philosophy as I do. I hope that she will help me get organized.
I am so scatterbrained, and I hate it.
My cooperating teacher (while I was doing my student teachign) really helped
me THINK through projects and papers. She made me think aboput things that
I would not have tought of in a million years. She was always right, too.
She knew what problems to anticipate and made me think about how to handle
them. I hope that my mentor teacher will somehow give me enough guidence
to stay afloat, but let me struggle a bit to figure things our for myself.
I hope that she makes me feel like I am a good teacher and I can do my job,
but also help me to realize where there is room for improvement and point
me in the right direction to improve my teaching.
-ashli-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashli -
I hope you get the mentor teacher you hope for... And as I was reading your
"hope" list, I was struck by how similar it is to what I hope
to do as a facilitator of my students' learning as well... The constant
tension between when to help and when to let them struggle. How to both
support AND challenge... I think your "handle" says it all: You
WILL be a teacher. Welcome to the adventure of a lifetime!!!
Linda Emm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amy remembers her first year clearly.
Ashli - This will actually be my sixth year in teaching, but I remember
that first year very clearly. The biggest challenge for me was learning
what to do when things don't go as planned. Teachers need to be able to
say, "Whoa! This isn't working, change midstream, and figure out something
better. My school was also under construction, so I had to learn to live
with jackhammer noise and no carpet for the last month of school!
The biggest surprise for me was actually how much I still relied on what
I knew about school. I find myself still falling back to the same structures
that did work for me, but won't work for all students. I have to constantly
remind myself that not everyone learns or thinks like I do and figure out
different ways to present and talk about things. The thing I learned was
to always write down your ideas you have about a unit, project, etc.. and
keep it somewhere where you will look at it. I just wrote another post about
organizing my language arts classroom, but it has taken me five years to
learn how to do that! Hope this helps.
Amy Heinsma in Colorado
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joanne Payling was a new teacher last year. Here's what she learned:
CHALLENGES:
1. Keeping up with all the grading that went along with 160+ language arts
students. It never seemed to end.
2. Keeping far enough ahead of each unit to have effective daily and weekly
lessons planned well.
3. Keeping the other, experienced L.A.'s teachers happy by going along with
their rigid interpretation of spelling and vocabulary by "learning"
25 words a week via textbook lessons while knowing it wasn't effective and
trying my own methods (god forbid we weren't all on the same book lesson
in the same week.)
4. Making time to observe in other teachers' classrooms during my prep period.
The times I managed it, it was INVALUABLE, both by watching experts in practice
and getting myriad ideas, AND by observing methods I did not want to emulate.
5. Attempting to save every Sunday as my "day off", meaning NO
school prep, grading, work.
SURPRISES
1. Kids cheat. (Ok, I was naive, but I prefer to believe the best, until
proven otherwise.)
2. Not all principals are people savvy or understanding.
3. Teaching is (can be?) a VERY isolating experience. YOU have to reach
out for help, not expect it to come to you. (In the best of worlds, you
will be assigned an excellent mentor and have regular team meetings, and
you won't feel the isolation as strongly.)
WHAT I LEARNED
1. I cannot (and never will again) "teach" 160-190 students. That
is an unreasonable number of students to give any middle school teacher,
if the administration expects the teacher to do anything more than move
their students through like a herd of sheep.
2. I love teaching.
3. It is possible to truly not like some of your students. You can still
be "fair", but there are some kids you just aren't going to make
that "connection" with. You have to hope another teacher can find
the goodness in them.
Joanne Payling
Substitute teacher again
Livermore, CA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
M. Vallarino made three points.
1. Always have BELLWORK for them ready to go. Stand at the door and hand
it to them as they go into your room. Two or three questions which can be
a review of yesterday's class. Assign points for the Bellwork so that they
know they're accountable.
2. ROUTINES, ROUTINES, ROUTINES. Seating chart ready on the first day. Go
over your rules, even if it takes you the first week of school to cover
them. Like Fred Jones says " Pay me now or pay me later."
3. Well planned lessons and estimate the amount of time it will take for
each activity, transitions,etc. When you are a new teacher, your timing
is off!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paulette says you'll never get it "perfect."
I will have a new teammate who is also a new teacher. I have been teaching
for several years and realize that even though I want her first year in
our school and with me to be a smooth and enjoyable experience, I know that
she will learn by her failures as well as her successes. For any new teacher,
I would first say that you don't have to be perfect and know everything
right away. Even seasoned teachers keep "perfecting" their craft
if they're good and want the best for kids. Also, I would say find someone
who you feel comfortable in asking those questions that aren't address in
faculty meetings and teacher memos. In our school each new teacher has a
mentor. However, not every mentor is great. One new teacher last year didn't
realize that she could use the copy machines herself and always wait to
have copies run for the parent volunteers who only showed up twice a week.
Above all, I would say work on being a firm, consistent and fair teacher
to the students and don't worry about whether they like you or not. If you
are all those three things they will definitely at least appreciate you.
Paulette
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carolyn admired Paulette's commitment to teacher mentoring.
Paulette...Wow, I wish my past year could have been spent with you. I have
been a RN for 17 years and decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my
working days teaching kids.
I found a program that would give me my certification and a master's degree
all in one year (yikes it was hard). I am in my early forties and did not
want to wait to begin this new start! I had great student teaching experiences,
both urban and suburban and landed a great job (I thought) within the district
that I live. And from there it was HELL.
I was put on a team with 1 experienced teacher (27 years), 1 experienced
librarian (21 years, no classroom experience) and another first year teacher.
The team leader - the one with all the experience, helped me out little.
He was so stuck in his ways and his teaching methods that it was hard to
talk about alternative methods that I was using and not all of them working.
We butted heads constantly. He did not want to budge an inch.
We had NO continuity on our team. The other new teacher and I had great
ideas about community, discipline, methods, strategies, etc. that were hard
to implement since there was very little consistency for our 120 kids. To
say the least it was very frustrating and I think I came home crying often.
It was so bad at one point that during Christmas break I was sure that I
did not want to return. I had a talk with myself and determined that if
I was going to keep my sanity I needed to come back a little more loose
in my philosophy but holding onto my ideals (that is quite hard to do as
I felt I was lowering my expectations not just for me, but my kids and what
I wanted my team to be).
I haven't mentioned that the adminstration of this school is fairly weak
and the majority of teachers talk bad about them constantly. Actually, my
first team meeting the team leader told me "You might as well keep
your resume current. You won't be staying." Negativity abounds within
my building.
Now, my official mentor was a young (26) science teacher who had been teaching
5 years. She was a good sounding board but did not have many concrete ideas
to help me with my problems. For example, one of my classes consisted of
24 kids, 15 of which had IEP's and the others should have (no assistant).
I did not know how to teach them. I wanted to have high expectations for
them, wanting to give them new skills, etc. and kept being told "they
can't do that" "That is too hard" "Just have them copy
from the board". BORING and frustrating for me and them I am sure.
The special ed teachers had no good advice either.
Looking back, I truly floundered last year with hardly a life buoy in site.
If it wasn't for the other new teacher on my team, boosting me up (mutually)
I am sure I would have been looking for a new job this summer. BUT, I hope
things are looking up for this year. My mentor, the other new teacher and
I had a talk with the principal about making us a team because we do have
the same sort of philosophies, etc. Well, pretty surprising to us, he did
it.
I will be teaching social studies this year, instead of science, she is
teaching science and the other teacher math. And even more surprising, our
language arts teacher is also fairly new to education and a new recruit
to the school. I am really looking forward to this year as I think it will
be a dynamic and exciting team we will try to create. We are going to try
and build a community, which is sorely needed in the building. I envy all
of you who seem to have nice working environments and mentoring relationships.
I hope to have the same. Thanks!
Carolyn Beitzel
[Note: Carolyn is a MiddleWeb diarist this year. Read
her diaries!]
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Deborah Bova shared a terrific idea that quite a few listserv members
ended up using. (Visit our conversation
archive to find reports on how the "million words or less"
project went.)
One thing that I would suggest to new and returnee teachers is something
I call "In a million words or less, tell us about your child."
Teams send it home on the first day. I would learn so much from parents
and families. I would learn about health issues, social upheaval, and other
issues that helped me to be a better teacher and to connect with kids. I
send it out on the first day, and the response is wonderful. It just says
"In a million words or less, tell us about your child" on the
top, and where to return it. Parents do the rest.
Deborah Bova
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paulette brought the discussion to a nice ending.
I am overwhelmed with the strong positive response many of you have expressed.
Even though I have been teaching for many years, each year brings butterflies
in my stomach for the first day, hopes and wishes that my class will respond
favorably to me, and that burned out feeling from last June has been replaced
with anticipation and excitement for the new year. I just somehow want to
convey this to my new partner, but I know that she will have to learn much
of it on her own. I have to tell you that I have never worked with someone
right out of school, and this veteran teacher feels a new purpose and reason
to be the best I can be because of it. Thank you for your encouraging words
and hope everyone has a great year!
Paulette
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