In this post, I am going to reflect on some things that worked and some things that did NOT, and then what changes I am going to make for next year. But first, let me just update you!
Updates
So I have been going on interviews looking for a full-time job, or at least one that has benefits, and after interviewing at 5 schools (I was called back everywhere I applied for demo lessons!), I was offered two positions. One I had to turn down because it turned out there were no benefits and it was rather far; the second one I accepted. It's part-time, teaching three Latin classes only, but it carries benefits, a decent salary, and professional development! I was accepted to an MAT program for teaching Latin in secondary schools, so I will receive reimbursement for my classes when I get a B or higher. Everything is so exciting! My new position will be in a public high school and I will finally have the full experience of being a teacher with mentoring, staff meetings, starting up clubs, etc. I can't even tell you how EXCITED I am!!!!!
Reflections
Now here is the meat of my post. Teaching is an art (ars, artis in Latin means "skill, art") and requires a lot of self-reflection to do it successfully. I am happy to have the summer to break away from the frenzy of what is a regular class and to have the time to think: what have I as the teacher learned this year? Here are some practical and philosophical things I've taken away from my first year of teaching:
-Invest in a rolling backpack. No, it's not stylish or cool, but you'll look like the rookie teacher you are if you try to carry everything. Carrying everything from classroom to classroom made the experience much more onerous. It's fine to carry some things, but if you carry a gigantic binder bursting full of EVERYTHING you need, plus books, plus your grade book, etc, you will be sad at the end of the day. And without arms to open doors. While people may help you inside the building, you're on your own when you get to the car and have no hands.
-Related to point 1: Have a folder for every class, or even a separate binder. Take only what you need at a time.
-Create a folder solely for parental communication. I kept everything, but it was not in a designated area.
-Keep a website updated regularly with homework assignments and initials of students with missing work (I started doing this MP2 or MP3). Parents need to know what is going on and they and the students need to know to check the website regularly. Either that, or call home. If you don't, and the student fails, you will hear from very concerned or even angry parents in a conference, and they WILL have their say. This is ESPECIALLY important in the first marking period, and your communication will be more appreciated BEFORE the student fails more so than AFTER.
-Don't take what parents say personally, even when the worst things come out. They are usually talking to you because they are worried about their child's future, not because they are angry with you or hate you or hate your subject. Think about how you would feel in the parent's place. Worry is a genuine emotion. Be diplomatic and listen to the legitimate concerns of the parent and give information kindly. Make it a safe zone for the parent to have his or her say, and really listen! Sometimes you do learn something about how to improve your pedagogy or about how to help the child.
-Converse with other teachers as much as possible. Usually, I find I have a good instinct, but another teacher may offer me either validation or constructive criticism, or inform me of a policy I wasn't aware of (especially important for part-time teachers!).
-Revise how I carry out detention. I made students write self-reflective essays for detention, but I think I need something more severe, or I need more structure.
-Come up with some sort of age-appropriate signal to create silence in the classroom. If you come home and you don't have a voice, you're doing something wrong. This is where I should converse with other teachers and see how they keep order and see what I can use. If you have to scream, you have to realize ya know what, screaming about Billy not sitting down is not worth destroying my vocal cords. Sometimes silence is the best method I've used to get silence.
-BE FLEXIBLE. You will be asked to do crazy, unexpected, unplanned things while physically present in a school that destroy almost any sense of order you possess. Just say yes unless it's unethical, obviously. Also, roll with the punches when there are crazy announcements, fire drills, and weird, rambling questions asked.
-Students are inquisitive. You don't have to know all the answers, and you don't have to answer EVERY question.
-Even if students act out or disrespect you, they ALL are expecting YOU to be the adult in the room. Don't disappoint them.
-Hope for the best, but do not be disappointed or take it personally when a student doesn't turn in work, come for extra help, etc. You will never know the full story of why a student does poorly so do not judge any student based on his or her test scores.
-BE PROFESSIONAL. The students WILL respect you if you are the adult in the room even if they are kids! It also helps to look professional, especially if you're younger. Many of my students think I'm in my late 20s or early 30s. Yes, they will try to guess your age. Don't reveal that you have no clue what's going on. If you look like you have your act together and act like it, that will carry you very far. If students ask if this is your first time teaching, dodge the bullet! Either say you've taught before (even if it's tutoring - don't tell them that) or just redirect the conversation. Remember: they are inquisitive.
Do a google search on yourself, and change your name or privacy settings wherever your name pops up where you can. You can bet they will look you up (did I mention they are inquisitive)? Make sure your professional life does not become a nightmare because students found pictures of you from college on a public web search! I use aliases on all of my social media.
-BE YOURSELF. You can't be a robot! They will love or hate you as you are, as will anyone else in life. Your personal flair in the classroom is like the signature stamp of your art. I love colors, referencing Tangled, Les Mis, "making it 'real'", doing Gangnam Style at the school dance (I actually did... The kids loved it), etc. But that's me. You will do different things because you are different! The content is the content, but the delivery means EVERYTHING. Show them why YOU LOVE your subject! I love my subject so much it's part of who I am!
-Always meet students in public places. Never touch a student. Never "friend" or text a student. Always do things publicly and keep a record of meetings, or inform parents of meetings. Accountability is everything and you want to prove that you are trustworthy. If I close a door, I make sure to place myself in the room so that someone walking by could see that I and a student are there and what we're doing.
-If you love weekends, you should plan to get your grading and planning done during the week when you're at the school. It's the only way I have a weekend. I try to get everything graded and put up and updated the SAME DAY I get the work; otherwise, I will never see anyone again, which would destroy me as I am very social.
-If you have a home base, keep extra copies of homework assignments in a file where students can take them. Otherwise they depend on you to get everything.
-Save time!! Come up with a system. Taking attendance and returning papers and individually checking homework takes FOREVER. You can lose 15 minutes just doing those things alone! Have an attendance sheet passed around, use returning papers as an "exit" ticket, have them turn in their homework at that time, etc. That's what I do. Otherwise, there's nothing like inactivity to spark misbehavior. Idle hands...
-Students will use the bathroom in your class. In my school, they had a hand signal for this. It will not be one or two. It will be ten students at a time. And, students WILL tell you, "I never learned this - I was in the bathroom," and expect that to excuse them from knowing the material, no matter how much time you have spent on it. I try the one student at a time method. I saw also a sign-out sheet at one school, and I think that might work better. It helps to add a REALLY EMBARRASSING hall pass to deter them from leaving. I am still thinking of one.
-Love all your students; loving them does not mean liking them. There will be days when they will get on your nerves - yet, never stop that from believing in them, expecting the highest quality work, and hoping that they will use the knowledge they learned in your class to change the world. They are the future and the future must be given support and love to grow and change the world positively. Challenge yourself to rise above the petty everyday problems and look to the big picture. Never forget why you entered the classroom.
-Try not to punch anyone who says teachers don't do anything. Remember those days when you had to create a presentation for class, take questions, and then have a panel ask questions on what you did? Imagine doing that every day for nine months out of a year, and then having to see how well your audience remembered what you said. And you have to be entertaining and relevant. And take classes. And fill out paperwork. That's the everyday life of a teacher. They EARN what they make! Teachers do a LOT of work at home on their own time and don't get paid to do it! There are some nights that I don't get home until 5 or 6 after coming early to prepare for the day.
-Be insanely organized or die. Basically. I'm lucky to have an organized personality (that's how I've done so well with classical languages!).
-Be able to answer these questions: What do you do in your spare time? What have you read lately? People who interview you will expect you to answer something outside of teaching.
-You do not have to break the bank to dress professionally.
-Get a MA in teaching. It's worthwhile. Do your student teaching. It's much easier to do it the traditional route because you ultimately have to do it anyway.
-Be kind to yourself. You don't have many deadlines for paperwork, so if you have reached your breaking point, resolve to finish it tomorrow and break. I like to go running... after a stressful day, I can't think and I often work through my lunch break and eat very little. I go home, eat, and if I have enough time, I go running. I don't kill myself for my job, because I value myself and work is a good that must be enjoyed (yes! Enjoyed) in moderation. There will always be work to do.
-Be kind to your coworkers. I left a note for one of the teachers one day because she had a very stressful day and was almost reduced to tears. She really appreciated it.
-Be kind to your kids. The more work you give them, multiply that by 100 for yourself. There's nothing wrong with giving them a break every now and then.
-USE RUBRICS. These are lifesavers. If you don't have any, create them. I created rubrics after watching a lecture via iTunes university on what to consider; afterwards, I had another teacher look it over. They save you from major headaches.
-Go the extra mile and show up to your students' events: plays, exhibitions, concerts, graduations, inductions... No, you won't be paid to show up. Think of yourself as a sideline parent. Even older students depend on you.
-Be consistent.
-On the first day of school, come prepared. Explain why the subject is important and even cool to study! Set up classroom management rules and boundaries. Also, be prepared to answer the super practical, "What will we need for this class?" I didn't know how to answer this question the first week; now I know I want my students to have loose leaf paper, index cards, their textbook, and a folder for papers.
-When you plan a project to be presented, make the groups as large as possible without being unruly if you want to spend maybe 1-2 days on presentations... I did individual projects this year and it was like the assignment that never ended since I teach one day a week. We finished almost all of them within 1 marking period.
-Have clear deadlines, expectations, and assignments. If there's room for a sliver of doubt, you will not get what you wanted.
-Seniors have senioritis. It starts in 8th grade.
-Always be honest and upfront if you yourself make a mistake. You are accountable to thousands of people at any given time - someone's going to find out.
-Be strict on homework and making up assessments. I had students bringing in work (sometimes even MARKING PERIODS late) and expecting to boost their F to an A. It was totally disrespectful; I felt I was being taken advantage of, and it was entirely not fair to anyone else. Next year, if all assignments and assessments are not made up within the same WEEK, it's a irrevocable F. This is to encourage student accountability AND to help my sanity. Students who are absent must make up all work within the week they return. No one is entitled to burden the teacher with extra work because he or she was lazy and didn't do the work when required.
This is BY NO MEANS the end of this list. As I reflect on my teaching experience, I will continue to add to the list. Here's one picture with a good quotation. Happy Friday! :)
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