As I start my third year of teaching as a newly minted teacher, what wisdom would I bestow to my past self? It has been quite the learning experience- there are things that were not in my credential program.
Education is a journey; learning is a never ending process. I have a wonderful and supportive staff not only on my campus but throughout the district. I have been willing to expand my horizons. For someone who is an introvert, coming out of my shell with adults is difficult. I am thankful everyday for my students as well as the people who support me on a daily basis.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff. You will have beautifully written lesson plans that are planned to the minute; then something happens. In my classroom it was kids having panic attacks because I mentioned the words: long division. I made the mistake of giving them the worksheets which had 10 problems; it might as well have been 50. Things are going to happen that are NOT on your lesson plan and this is okay. We, as teachers, can think on our feet. Do not panic, you will figure out ways to recover quickly. Scrapping long division or having an adult help my students was mine. We’ll try again tomorrow.
- Go to the staff room. One of my professors told us this during preservice and as a student teacher I took her advice This like a mini professional development session: you get to know your colleagues in an informal way. Listen to them, they will have advice mixed in with all of their conversations. They are an important resource. You will be able to find the people who have a similar teaching philosophy to yours. As a student teacher, I just sat and listened and I learned a lot. Get to know everyone- especially the support staff; they are invaluable.
- It is okay to make mistakes. As a new teacher I was petrified of making mistakes. When I received email after email from a parent I was in tears. My perception was that this parent did not have faith or trust in me. I asked for help on how to respond. I learned that parents will question; they want to know that their child is in the best hands. I also learned to set boundaries with parents.
- DO NOT be afraid to ask questions. You are a brand new teacher, you are not expected to know everything. Ask for help when you need it. Education is an an acronym soup, ask what everything means. I had to look up what CUE stands for (computer using educators). I was worried that if I asked questions people would think, “If she doesn’t know this, why is she here?”. I got over that fear and I let my mentor know that sometimes I need to be prompted to ask for help. She did a great job of checking in with me to get me to talk. It also helped that she’s been right next door.
- Join Twitter. There is a plethora of amazing information out there on Twitter. Look for other new teachers, look for education articles, and look for colleagues. Make your own personal network of support. Join a Twitter chat about education if you’re unsure who to follow. Get comfortable with technology and trying different things. Look for those on Twitter who share your same philosophy and those that don’t. We need to be willing to challenge our preconceived notions.
- Try one new thing. Do not try all the new things at once; you will get overwhelmed. If it doesn’t work, reflect on why but MOVE on. Save the retooling for Winter, Spring or Summer break to figure out why it didn’t work. Try it again after the break but do not keep trying the same thing over if it doesn’t work; you’ll only frustrate yourself and your students. Also, ask yourself if this new thing will benefit students? How will it? What is the risk versus the reward of making this change? Do not make a change just for the sake of making the change. Also, don’t refuse to change. Ask the same questions: how will this help our students? What is the risk versus the reward of making these changes?
- Find support colleagues. After spending time in the staff room you will find the people who share your same vision and philosophy. Seek those people out, they will help you grow and most likely be the ones to support you the most. If something upsets you and you need a good cry they will be there. If you need a break because you’re overwhelmed they will help you. If you want to bounce ideas off of them, they are there to encourage you and help you reflect. If you need ideas, they will give them to you.
Education is a journey; learning is a never ending process. I have a wonderful and supportive staff not only on my campus but throughout the district. I have been willing to expand my horizons. For someone who is an introvert, coming out of my shell with adults is difficult. I am thankful everyday for my students as well as the people who support me on a daily basis.