More teachers are leaving the profession than ever before:
My first year of teaching, I wanted to commit suicide. This is not an exaggeration. I bought lottery tickets weekly looking for an escape. As you all know, we feel trapped.
If you like your job, that is great, and I will not take away from that. However, this post is for anyone suffering. So let me give you some tips to help you. I also want to note I work in one of the worst states for education, and one of the top 20 poorest districts in the country. Here we go:
1) Parents are not your enemy: Teachers are so afraid of parents, but if you establish a good relationship from the beginning, you would be surprised. I always give a small gift to parents at the beginning of the year, and I put them on the Remind app. The gift costs me money, yes, but it is always worth it.
I always, always try to work with parents before referring a student. They always appreciate it! For my tough students, I give weekly updates. I rarely refer students anymore.
Remember, I am in a poor district with a lot of broken homes. But with this approach, I have rarely if ever had a problem. In fact, during my disastrous first year of teaching, I called about 50 parents in a month and fixed my classeoom.
Most parents really have no idea. If they trust you, they will believe you.
Also learn how to do the sandwich method! Positive, negative, positive. Joshua is an amazing kid, but I am concerned. Here is why. Again, I really love having him."
http://robdkelly.com/blog/communication/the-sandwich-method-of-feedback/
2) You can only control your own classroom: I am saying this as I work on an administrative degree. Unless you have some power in admin, you likely cannot change much outside your classroom. I still make effort, but I realize it is mostly a lost cause unless you have some decent level of leadership in the school. Make your classroom environment everything! Worry about the rest later or when you have energy.
3) Remember about the "crab bucket" mentality: Generally speaking, people are more likely to get jealous when you are doing well than praise you. Do not worry if people like you. Just do what is right, which leads to my next point...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality
4) No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mostly destroyed education. It is now a business, and your colleagues are now competitors. A little jealousy is going to happen, and you will have to expect that under pressure, people normally are not as kind. Data, test scores, and over work are the norm now:
5) Take a day off: I worked for most of my ten years fearing a day off. I am angry about that because I moved districts and I had to start from scratch. If you need a day off, take it!!! Your classroom will be fine, and if your kids are out of control, make sure your consequences are ready. I always tell kids I will call parents, and they know I am in now way lying, which also leads to my next point...
6) Stay true to what you say you are going to do! Teachers say one thing and do another. Kids do not take them seriously. If you say you are going to write up or call home, do it!!! Do NOT feel sorry. Have some compassion, yes. But kids need rules, boundaries, and structure. Kids think I'm evil at the beginning of the year, but always thank me later when I helped them get back on track through loving discipline. We must set limits with kids, and you are NOT their friend:
https://www.verywellfamily.com/reasons-why-it-is-important-to-set-limits-with-kids-1094884
7) Be efficient: The other day I graded, and I did not spend as much time on simple work habits. They got a 1 if they turned in, and a 0 if they did it.
How many times have I put effort into grading something, only to see it on the floor like trash? You must be efficient and not obsessive. Sometimes you cannot grade everything. You cannot do it all. Do what you need to, and prioritize certain things. I am often honest with kids and tell them I just did not have the time. They never seem to hold it against me. I do data, but I do it in a way that means something to me and my students. Same with everything else! There are ways to cut corners:
8) Be what you want your students to be: You cannot get mad if they have late work if you procrastinate constantly. You cannot be mad if they are disrespectful if you treat them with disrespect. Model and be who you want them to be. I always admit when I have slacked or not lived up to expectations. I also give students some level of slack when I know they are going through a hard time. Nobody is perfect.
9) Classroom management is everything: I now get bored during teaching because of how smoothly my classroom runs. I rarely have discipline issues. They send me the absolute worst kids in the school. After my distrastous first year, I read Harry Wong's "The First Days of School" and I never looked back. He is right about mostly everything.
https://www.effectiveteaching.com/store/products/books/new-the-first-days-of-school-5th-edition
10) Positive Behavior Supports and Interventions (PBIS): Look it up and embrace it. My talk now is 75% positive and 25% negative. When I first began PBIS, it felt unnatural. I challenged myself to give 5 compliments per class. Now my students love me because of how positive I am. It feels completely natural now.
Let's say your class is not listening. My reaction? I find the one kid doing the right thing. "I really appreciate Isaac listening to me." They all change their behavior.
I could write an entire different post on this, but for now:
11) Leave work at work and develop a routine: I work every Sunday to prepare my class for the week. But I never (almost never) do any work after I get off the rest of the week. Find a schedule that works for you, and have boundaries! Most things can wait. If something is urgent, that is different. When I work on Sunday, it means I rarely come in early, and I rarely stay late. However, people still see me as an "over-achiever" at my school.
(12) Avoid "crusty" teachers: I rarely participate in the constant negativity of teachers. It brings me down. If you want change, have a solution.
13) You cannot save them all: DO NOT put your energy into the student who never works. I always tell students I cannot force them to do anything. If they want to sleep and be lazy, give a clear consequence and move on. Prepare them for the real world.
The other day I was "acting admin." Teachers were all freaking out about a kid not working, but he was not disturbing the classroom. Their energy on him took away from 25 other kids. Document and move on. I never really care unless it is a complete disruption. These kids realize I will not respond to the negative attention they so desperately crave.
14) Move if you need to: If your school is not working out for you, move. It is ok, and you owe them nothing.
15) Society is mostly broken: You are not going to change the world, but you can change one student's life. Just caring is almost always enough for most. Remember, consequences are almost gone from education. Kids are looking forward to a harsh world. I treat my classroom as the one hour of the day they have some peace. A teacher once observed me and said it was like being with a family.
I do spend a lot of money on it all, but it is worth it.
Of course I cannot cover everything, but these tips saved me as a teacher.
Ask me literally anything.
Submitted January 31, 2020 at 07:03PM by missylizzy https://ift.tt/2Udcfgs
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