Reply to Am I Making a Mistake?

Forum Index » Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)

Reply to "Am I Making a Mistake?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]
Anonymous wrote:

I will be honored and genuinely gratefulto sign the contract.

Congratulations, OP! You’ve got this.

I’ve said this before, but it seems worth repeating: force yourself to bounce back from those bad days. You get chances to start over, and it gets easier.

[b]When you feel overwhelmed, remember what you’ve already accomplished and don’t focus as much on what still needs to get done.[/b] You won’t be able to get it all done, but you can do a great job on a lot of it.

[b]Don’t take it personally when a student says something cruel.[/b] It’s hard not to, but that insult came from a child who is likely feeling scared or insecure. You’ll develop a thick skin if you don’t have one already.

Sometimes administrators are helpful, but [b]the best help will come from other teachers. They are in there with you, whereas administrators have been out of the classroom so they may not remember what it’s really like.[/b] If your observations aren’t great at first, don’t worry too much. Ask a fellow teacher to take a look at them and see what advice they have.

[b]Find yourself a quiet place in the building. You may not get a lot of time there, but 20 minutes to yourself is precious and calming. [/b]I found a bench in a back hallway that’s my spot, and it gives me a break from the classroom. Sometimes the same walls get claustrophobic.

[b]Be the teacher who knows the students[/b]. That’s the best thing you can do to develop strong classroom management. Go to after school activities and see them in a different environment. They’ll remember you cared enough to stop by.

Give yourself 10 minutes at the end of the day to triage. What needs to be done before you leave? What can you take home? What can wait for the morning? I keep a notebook at my desk with running to-do list. I highlight the ones I have to get done *that day*. (Also: I don’t throw away old pages. I keep them as a reminder of all I’ve accomplished. It makes me feel better.)

Hope some of this helps![/quote]

This is great advice. Use your own good sense and do what works the best for you (because that will be what is best for the students too). As long as you communicate and admit when things are not perfect in the room, the students will come to trust you and follow you. Take the time to build relationships. When something doesn't go well, admit it and talk to students about how you are going to change the lesson or teach it another way based on what you have learned. EVERYONE in the room is learning and that includes you. Showing this is a strength. There is nothing wrong with having a "bad day". What is wrong is doubling down on it the next day.

You can get materials from others and learn from them, but ultimately you will have your own style and that is what makes teaching and learning so wonderful. It's a very creative process. Don't let the powers that be drain your creative spirit. Be you and you will be fine. I hope you aren't overwhelmed by all of our posts. You will find your way. Hang in there. Best wishes!![/quote]

Funny story: the first time I ever taught at INTO, I asked the students to supply me with a common noun that is a liquid. One student offered ‘soup’ and it totally did not compute in my brain. I was anticipating the word ‘water’ or ‘soda’ because most students carry bottle of the clear stuff with them on campus (for me, it is soda). Anyway, something I thought was amazing to watch happened after I requested that the student repeat it several times. I totally thought that it must be a drink I had never encountered before with. I laughed at my own obliviousness and the students laughed with me, not at me. All nine of the students were enunciating the word in an amusing effort to communicate to me. This provided these beginners a perfect opportunity to practice their pronunciation with. Then, the student who had suggested ‘soup’ demonstrated eating from a bowl. In other words, he had to negotiate meaning with me. This is an important tool that L2 learners develop in order to make up for what they may lack in vocabulary. When it clicked for me, I swear the students could see it on my face and we all laughed in relief. My takeaway from that was that it is good to be genuinely myself and because they engaged in risk-taking behavior even though I had never lead a group of students that large before. Also, it reinforced that I am not immune to making mistakes, too, and that I would have to work on thinking outside of my own worldview.  So, that is to say I absolutely agree that we all have lot to learn; specifically, that I have some preconceived notions, for better or worse. 😅[/quote]

I second being genuinely yourself. I was given some advice my first year: rule the classroom with an iron fist and don’t show any weakness. This came from an experienced teacher who was well-respected in the school. She had a drill instructor style that worked for her and was authentically the way she cared for the kids.  They loved her because of these rigid expectations for behavior. She created a safe space because they knew her clear expectations.

I tried to imitate it and failed. Her style was not my style, and I wasn’t being ME. It came across as forced and fearful. I’ve found my style since then. It’s quieter and more motherly, and it works equally well. I can now hold students to the same high expectations, but in a manner that is authentic and genuinely me. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics