Deb from Fabulously First is having a spectacular linky party called "A Teacher's Wisdom." The linky is dedicated to advice for new teachers but even after 14 years of teaching I loved reading through everyone's advice! Click the pic above to check out the linky!
The first year I taught there was a very kind veteran teacher who took me under her wings and gave me this advice:
Obviously she knew I was nervous, stressed, worried, etc. and she told me to smile in front of the kids and save the "stress face" for her! I liked that advice and it has served me well.
Make sure you find someone you can share your "stress face" with!
Here are a few more (lessons from my own mistakes):
*Ask for help:
Not everyone will know the answer but someone will...and it's OK that it's not you!
*Make mistakes:
Mistakes make you "one of the gang!" Only the robot who teaches in TimBukToo doesn't make mistakes and no one wants to teach with him!
*Every child CAN learn:
Just maybe not today so check back with him tomorrow.
*Keep calm and teach on:
Truthfully, I am still working on this one. . . hopefully I'll have it mastered before I retire.
*Teach your students EVERYTHING you expect them to know.
If you go into your classroom for the first time and "assume" your students will know how to behave in your room. . . well you know what happens to people who assume.
*And finally. . . enjoy it!
I still think back to that first year and wonder at how great those kids were. It is probably more likely that I just didn't know 1/2 the stuff that was "wrong" that first year. . .ignorance is bliss? Either way, it will forever, in my mind, be one of my top 10 favorite years!
This is such great advice!! Thanks for sharing, Liz :)
ReplyDeleteThis is great advice! I plan on linking up too! 14 years of teaching, wow! Congrats! :)
ReplyDeleteDani
Patterson's Porch
I just found your blog and was reading all your posts for July! I love your wisdom one, especially the last one! I too think that my first class was one of my best in my 22 years of teaching and it made me laugh out loud when you wrote that probably 1/2 the things were wrong, but you didn't know it. So true!! Thanks for the chuckle today and for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and was reading all your posts for July! I love your wisdom one, especially the last one! I too think that my first class was one of my best in my 22 years of teaching and it made me laugh out loud when you wrote that probably 1/2 the things were wrong, but you didn't know it. So true!! Thanks for the chuckle today and for the inspiration!
ReplyDelete