First Year Teacher Advice – Setting High Expectations and BELIEVING in Students
I have several teacher-y email subscriptions, and one of them linked to this NEA discussion board in which a soon to be second year teacher, April asked…
How do I set high expectations and BELIEVE in my students?
I clicked on the link to help. First, I was happy to find that many other teachers had already shared the wisdom of their own experiences. Second, I was truly inspired by what these teachers had wrote. They offered many great resources that I will share here as well. Third, I was just so thankful to be a part of this profession. The care put into the responses has affirmed my love of being an educator. As Nancy shared, it is “absolutely beautiful advice”. There is nothing like teachers helping teachers.
Please read it. Any teacher, regardless of experience, will find some value. It is entangled with all the complexities of teaching and humanity. And to April, I’m proud to have you as a fellow educator. We are all here to learn and grow.
Here are just some of the tips and resources shared in the thread:
- Aim for at least a 5:1 positive to negative comment ratio. (Even true in the workplace!)
- Take notes from this classroom management video showing week 1, day 1 of Mr. Hester’s ninth grade English class. (There are also Day 2 and Day 3 videos.)
- Adapt the classroom management materials used in the video for use in your own classroom.
- Know that you are not alone. This is a graph showing the common feelings of first year teachers. (From Connie)
- Imagine people who have accomplished great things as the students in your classroom. (Just read Kate’s advice here.)
Spoiler alert: April’s first day went better.
P.S. I’m looking forward to my first day back with students. Any tips?
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