Advicefor New Teachers

Adapted from the readers of Free Technology for Teachers

Relationships•Don’t forget to be yourself and show them your personality.  Kids and parents see right through the dog and pony show...so just be you take a deep breath and relax.  

•Be humble. Take advise and listen to those that have been there before you. Reach out to the parents and keep them informed.  Be careful of the politics of your new school and don't chose a side in haste. Try not to gossip. Be kind. Be helpful. Don't take on too much. Keep a journal of each day, note the good and the conflicts. Keep this record private in case you need it.  Do not visit with the principal about certain things without representation. Be positive, work hard, and be a continuous learner (Marilyn Winter).

•As far as the students - remember that every student has a strength but sometimes it takes a bit of searching. Take time to really get to know them. When you have conflict, it is much better to talk 1-1 to the student(s) involved, rather than a public confrontation. Good luck!

•Join, develop, or create a personal learning network of educators that are innovative, personable, and put students first.

•Do not befriend students or have perceived favorites. No nicknames either. 

•Create a safe and fun learning community. Start with introduction icebreaker activities and establishing class norms.

• Learn how to correctly pronounce names from the language groups you will see in your class. With most languages, if you learn a few conventions for how names in other languages are represented in English, you can pronounce them correctly. Students notice when you can say their names right!

Seeking Help•Find the best teachers in your building and respectfully request that you sit in their classes. Take notes, ask questions, watch their techniques. Get a feel for their classroom culture and apply it to your own classroom practice.

•Ask your school librarian for help. That's their job!

•Find a mentor. Someone you can learn with/from, someone you can talk to (Greta Sandler). 

•Don't be afraid to ask questions! Your teaching peers, understand the school system, the calendar, the grading system, professional contact, the curriculum, classroom management, because they have been through it before. It's not a weakness to admit you don't know something!

•Get to know two people in your school as soon as possible: the secretary and the custodian. These two support staff often work behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly and can be your most valuable resource.

Parents•Call parents during the first week to introduce yourself and you will get a feel for how supportive and responsive your parents will be.  Also, try to make time to call for good things.  That way when a negative phone call must be made, you already have a rapport with the parent (Miss E.).

•If you are teaching at the Elementary or Middle School level, send home a weekly communication (email, etc.) to your students and parents.  They will love the updates and the feeling of being connected to school.  It will also allow you to get out important reminders and class news all in one shot! 

•Give parents the following assignment @ orientation or on the 1st day of school: "In a million words or less....describe your child." This is a very effective way for parents to have an opportunity to give you both the positives & negatives about their child's personality, learning styles, ect. Students LOVE the fact that their parents have an assignment on the first day. Parents usually respond with a minimum of 3 paragraphs. This assignment helped me learn names faster, as well as gain a perspective about each child in a short amount of time. Can work with all grade levels; I did it at the middle school level.

Planning•My best advice for new teachers is to always have a backup plan.

•Always have a alternate lesson plan in mind, because what works with one group of kids one day may not work with another group of kids.

•Don't try to be perfect.  Remember you know more than the students do.  Try to sit in on other teacher's classes and see what you can learn.  Finally, you will get better.  Don't panic (Robert Courtemanche).

•Curriculum can wait.  Spend time building community and relationships in your classroom.  Once you do that, and establish norms and routines, you can fly through the curriculum (Ben K.).

•Ask colleagues for advice with planning. There is a wealth of proven ideas in all schools. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. A sense of ownership is important but so is your social life.

•Know your stuff, especially if you teach teenagers. They can spot a fake a mile away. Love what you teach. If you love your subject area, that love will inevitably rub off on your students.

Planning (continued)•If a lesson bombs, don't self destruct. The sun WILL rise tomorrow morning, and the birds will sing again. You will always have another chance to make it a good lesson or activity (Joe).

•Be creative, try new things, don't be afraid to fail, be as organized as you can!

•Don't listen to the "yeahbutters" ["Yeah, (that's a good idea,) but (I/we tried it X years ago and) it won't work]. If you think it will work, do it; if it doesn't work, refer to tip #1.

•Don't be afraid to create the most amazing lesson plan and promptly throw it in the recycling bin when you see it isn't working (Meaghan Worcester).

•Try everything. There is no one size that will fit all and there is no one technique or strategy that will work all the time. Be open to new ideas so seek them out whenever you get a chance (Alfonso Gonzalez).

•Be prepared to spend more time when you integrating technology in teaching and learning. Always have Plan B and C; computers don't work as we want them to sometimes. All the best!

Organization•Create an "absent box" where you place papers for absent students (with their name written on the top). Teach students to visit this box immediately upon return to class.

•Get organized and stay organized.  Train your students (any age!) to put things away correctly.  This will save you so much time! 

•Set aside time at the end of each day to de-clutter your desk and put materials in their proper place.  When you walk in the next morning, you will be able to focus and move forward.

•Organization...color code everything, use one paper calendar and one electronic calendar (phone or computer) to keep track of deadlines and meetings, file things right away (Rae Downen).

•Arrive early and leave on time. Don't stay until it is finished. You will work more efficiently (Gail Braddock).

•As much as grading sucks, keep up with it. Procrastinating on grading only hurts your students' performance and makes a lot of work for you at the last minute. Also put those grades in the gradebook right away so you aren't getting asked daily (by students, parents, administrators) when grades will be updated (Heather).

Management•Have a plan for discipline infractions from DAY 1.  Follow it to the letter for the first two weeks. Kids will get the message that you mean what you say and say what you mean (Miss E).

•My best advice: be consistent, be respectful of them (it's a 2-way street), be ready to listen when they want to talk to you, be ready to share yourself with them, and start off by building a community where students can take risks and feel safe. (Debra)

•Don't take it personal. 

•Be consistent, firm and fair.  When the bell rings come out teaching!

•Make sure that the students know that you are in charge.  I work in a big urban district, and if the students can see that you are unsure of yourself, you will have a LONG year (Matt F.)

•When students want to argue with you (and some will), calmly tell them, "I am not going to argue with you," and walk away.  Don't let student get you to battle (Carol).

•Teaching your students classroom procedures and checking daily to make sure they are followed, makes a classroom run smoothly all year (Kim Munoz).

•Don't make classroom rules you won't enforce (Jeanette).

•Decide what few rules are holy and what rules can be used to teach kids take responsibility for their actions. Never let the holy rules about behaviour etc be broken, no matter what (Linda).

Taking Care of Yourself•Get enough sleep!

•Doing something for yourself every day after school that makes you happy. Learning when to put an end to your school day and realize you have a life outside of school. Don't live or count down for your summers off because having the summer off isn't the reason why you became a teacher. Enjoy your students!

•Limit the amount of work that you take home.  I try to take work home on 2-3 days a week and never on weekends. 

•The best advice I ever received as a new teacher was to go home. I loved my students and my job, but was exhausted. I was at school 2-3 hours late every night. The lesson learned was that going home didn't make me a bad teacher, it meant I was taking care of myself. I hold true to that as often as I can (Teresa Bender). 

•Don't try to do everything - you'll never survive. Just concentrate on learning one or two things really well, and show your kids how much fun it is to learn something new.

•Be positive and surround yourself with positive teachers. Maintain a positive attitude with all of your students and make a conscious effort to smile, even when your sad or angry.

Miscellaneous•Do not take the closest parking spots to the door.  Those should be kept open for those teachers w/ seniority or physical issues.

•Be honest and make sure you work harder than everyone else around you. No one can ever fault you for this (Brad McDiarmid).

•Don't be afraid to try out new things such as Web 2.0 tools. Just remember that pedagogy and learning outcome come first. It's alright if the response is poor or impact is minimal as there is always chance to improve the teaching and use of tools.

•Talk to a professional financial planner very early on in your career.  Often it is cheaper to buy years of service after your 1st year than in your last 5years.  Early investing is the key to secure financial future, if there is such a  thing?

•Keep learning - let your students know what you are currently working on and be enthusiastic; you will earn their respect and might help them be more motivated.

•Think before you speak. When I first started teaching, I felt the need to respond to questions as soon as (if not before) they left the kids' mouths. Sometimes I made things more confusing because I didn't plan my response. Sometimes I used horribly embarrassing word choices that made them giggle and my face turn red. Now, I always take a few breaths before I respond and it turns out much better (Beth).

•My former principal always said, "Children don't come from strangers." Their behaviors, attitudes, and fears... are learned by the best most influential teachers - their parents.