I’ve been a teacher and adminstator at both public and independent schools for over 40 years. When I first started teaching, I had no idea what I was doing. Early on, one of my more experienced colleagues half-jokingly told me to get the addresses all of my students because in 20 years I’d want to write them and say “I hope you turned out OK.”
I didn’t do that, but I did quickly glean where my colleague was coming from with that advice. One of the first lessons I learned is that teaching requires patience, as you may not see results for months or years—and grit. You must roll up your sleeves, roll with punches, and get up every day asking yourself “what is best for the child?” This fundamental question will keep you grounded and heading in the right direction. I learned many other lessons along the way, of course, and I share some of the most critical ones for new teachers here.
Play the long game. You’re going to have to fake it until you make it, at least for the first few years. Not only is there a lot to learn about teaching and your students, but there is also so much to learn about working with parents, administrators, and colleagues, particularly in the independent school environment.
Appear confident even if you feel unsure. Even veteran teachers falter and doubt themselves, so don’t expect to have all the answers right away. If a parent asks you a tough question, tell them you will do some research and get back to them. Then, seek guidance. You may not want to immediately go to your administrator with all your problems, so find a fellow teacher who you can vent to and ask for advice. At The Bolles School (FL) where I work, we started a formal mentoring program two years ago and have been refining it as we go. In other schools where there wasn’t a formal program, I would ask an experienced and willing teacher to mentor a new teacher.
Work backward. Ask yourself, “What do I want my students to learn today?” Establish that concept as a goal and work backward from there when designing a lesson. Consider using exit tickets—index cards on which students write what they learned. Review these at the end of the day to see if you hit the mark and achieved your goal.
You may think that all students understand your lesson because no one ever responds when you ask if there are any questions. Some students will be so lost they can’t even form one. You’ll know from your exit tickets who is consistently not understanding the lesson. Go directly to those students and in a one-on-one setting ask some clarifying questions to check for understanding.
As you design lessons, remember that children, especially those who struggle with auditory processing, cannot process verbiage if there is too much of it. Figure out the basics of the lesson, then add on if, and when, you can.
Remember to take breaks. Are your students on their knees, rocking back in their chairs, kicking shoes off? They probably need to move. Children can generally sit about their age plus two minutes. For example, every 10 minutes or so do a quick brain break for 8-year-olds. Brain breaks promote learning. If you don’t give kids a chance to move, they will find a way to move on their own.
As you go through the curriculum, don’t forget about “teachable moments.” Those will happen when you least expect them. I remember after a really hard rain, the class was walking on the sidewalk and noticing—and trying not to step on—all the worms. We stopped and wondered why they were all out there. We went back to the classroom and researched it as a class and found that worms will come out from underground after a rainstorm so they don’t drown underground where all the water accumulates. This led to more interesting questions about worms, which we further researched, and to my students imploring others to watch where they stepped after it rained.
Don’t be afraid to discipline. You are the CEO (chief emotional officer) of your classroom. Note positive behavior from across the class and call it out. Students will want to emulate that behavior. If and when you need to discipline a child, do so privately. Sit side-by-side when talking to children. They will hear you better than a face-to-face conversation, especially when disciplining. If you communicate head-on, most will either become defiant or shut down.
Set classroom rules that make you and your students feel good. Don’t follow another teacher’s discipline plan if you cannot carry through on it or if it doesn’t fit your style. Kids like to know how far they can push the envelope and which actions will elicit what kind of response from you. Kids would rather be praised than punished, but they would rather be punished than ignored. Sometimes their errant behavior is just a call to be noticed. There is comfort for all in knowing the basic rules and consequences.
Connect with parents. I require my teachers to send three good-news emails a week. Using their class list, they write to the parents of three different students until each student has a positive email sent home. Then they start all over again.
You can also communicate with parents in other ways. Meet at a coffee shop or go to a Saturday soccer game. Ask, “How do you think things are going?” It’s especially important to connect with parents who have a struggling learner. You will discover the stages of grief a parent may be in if their child has difficulties—express compassion and appreciation for their child. Parents usually want to know one basic thing: that teachers know and love their child. They want a great curriculum, but it is secondary to you knowing their child.
During parent–teacher conferences, ask them to start with any concerns, comments, or celebrations. You might think that the conference will go one way and instead find that parents have other fundamental questions. You want the parent to leave the conference feeling heard and understood.
Be kind to yourself. Teaching requires energy. Eat well, get a good night’s sleep, sing in the morning to get your voice ready, breathe deeply, and know that you most likely will be tired for the first few weeks of a new school year—or more. Sometimes, leave the work at school: Make sure to pamper yourself, take a walk, get a massage, work out, meditate, and go out with friends.
The most important things to always remember are: trust your gut, lead with your heart, rely on your training, and enjoy yourself. And on behalf of every educator, thank you for joining us in this noble profession.
Peggy Campbell-Rush is an educational consultant and an appointed US Fulbright Education Specialist. She previously served as lower school head at schools in New Jersey and Florida and has been an administrator and a teacher in U.S. and England.