Five Valuable Tips For New Teachers

Veteran teachers gave me some quite valuable advice during my first year of teaching many years ago. Starting a new job is difficult in any setting, but teaching has a unique flavor and challenge that require a strong commitment to excellence. Here are some pearls of wisdom that I have not forgotten in all these years.

1. Start the first month very strict. A mistake made by many new teachers is trying to make friends with students. Their lack of maturity, especially in teenagers, causes them to equate friendly with lack of discipline. When you walk into the classroom the first day, they must understand that you are the boss, the supreme authority that will guide their learning throughout the year.

You don’t have to be friends with children or teens to be an effective teacher. Just be strict and fair, without falling into extremes. As soon as they understand that you care, they will respect you and follow your instructions. As time goes by, you can start to relax the strict attitude, since the students will have understood by then your rules on behavior and responsibility.

2. Enjoy your time off. A colleague of mine told me once that he spends every summer vacation working for the district in summer school and any other special training program available. This is a man who also stays late for tutorials every week day. He runs the risk of burning out. We have a long vacation because we need it. People from outside the profession believe that we don’t work enough. Invite any of them to spend one day in a classroom as a substitute teacher. The experience will convince them that we need the rest. So enjoy you free time to the fullest and recharge your batteries.

3. Plan every day in a detailed manner. You must keep them busy every minute of the period, from the moment they walk in to the time they leave. Giving them free time is to invite generalized pandemonium. You can always call attendance while they are working. Make sure you give them very clear instructions on every assignment. You don’t want to be peppered by questions that have to do with hazy instructions.

4. Do not stereotype students (or teachers). One of the greatest misconceptions people have regarding challenged (disabled) students is that they can’t learn, that they are “dumb”. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have had MR (Mentally Retarded) students in my classroom who performed better than some of the “normal” students. There is in every student a component that must be “watered” frequently in order to make it grow; it’s called motivation to excellence. It exists in every child, but it doesn’t always find fertile ground in which to grow. That is why an effective teacher must offer an environment that is propitious for every style of learning.

5. Keep your cool. Whatever happens in school or in the classroom, keeping your cool will help you defuse sticky situations. If a student shows disrespect, try to imagine him or her in a difficult home environment, lacking the affection every child needs, or struggling to help a single mother. That student is just venting his/her frustration at the injustice of life, not at you. If you lose your cool, you are communicating that you are incapable of controlling your emotions and you’ll end up in a shouting match. Anger is not a good counselor.

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