This might have been a better topic for me a decade ago but reflecting back there are a few things that I would like to pass on to new teachers or new-ish teachers.
#1 Be prepared and be professional. If you have your ducks in a row (as best you can) then it will reflect well to your superiors, peers, and students. Make sure you are dressed well (does not mean to be frumpy or to buy expensive clothes) and that you are groomed. How you present yourself is your brand. People will learn what to expect from you based on what you give them. #2 Be involved. Go to as many school events as you can. Students, admin, and parents love to see teacher faces in the crowd. If your co workers invite you to something then go! Maybe someone you don't like isn't really that bad outside of school. Bonding with the people you work with makes work much easier and offers a system of help and support. You always need good teacher friends. #3 Be authentic and unafraid. You have to find your voice. If you are more laid back then go with that; if you are naturally more of a disciplinarian than work that. You have to be yourself. Kids especially can sniff out a fake. I am pretty easy going and am not much on discipline yet I have few discipline issues. I set clear and consistent boundaries and expectations. Do NOT make a rule you cannot enforce 100% of the time; if you do not enforce your rules you have lost. Pick your battles and make your rules something that you can manage. I also like to explain to the kids why we do things, the days of "because I said so" do not fly any more. If you make it a team/family effort in the classroom then life will be easier. Once you have the kids bought in then they will begin to correct their own behavior and each other's. Authenticity translates to teaching styles as well. I like to be creative and try different things and really think outside of the box. Take your passions and share them with the kids. Sometimes the ideas work and sometimes they do not. Do not be afraid to try. I have had wild ideas that become grade level policies and even gotten me a job. People love new and different. Just be sure to keep in mind the goal of anything you create. Are you doing cool stuff because it is cool or is it actually facilitating learning? Lastly, we are all happy to have young teachers and we hope you stick around. This is a pretty amazing job! -Kyle PS thanks for the inspiration Brittany aka fivefootoneteacher
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Halloween is here!
I am not a big Halloween guy but I always try to do a little something in my classroom. I play music everyday and play “spooky” music on Halloween. A lot of my kids love the holiday so I try to recognize that and make them happy. Teachers can not forget that we are in the customer service industry and small things matter most. I don't usually dress up either but my costume this year is simple enough to wear. What do you do around holidays in your classroom? My mom used to always tell me to go and get some fresh air in my lungs when I was younger. Fresh air has many benefits including that it makes you happier and can help sharpen your mind. Since here in SC it is just starting to cool off; it was the perfect time for one of my favorite economic activities.
Whenever we are working on our unit that includes supply and demand, I like to take my kids outside to draw the curves for supply and demand. I have a big bucket of sidewalk chalk that I got from amazon. It is similar to this. My kids love this! No matter that they are juniors and seniors in high school they all enjoy being up. moving, and outside if only for about 20-30 minutes. When they come back in they are more focused. This activity also can let the entire school know what you are working on depending on where you take your students. I like to take them to a high traffic area so their work is on full display. I have not had any problems with anything inappropriate being written with chalk. The benefit of chalk is the ease of cleaning so if someone did write or draw something it it an easy fix. Clean up is also easy you just need water or rain. Try and get your students outside if you can. They love it and we could all use some fresh air in our lungs! -Kyle Our first quarter of the year is almost done!
It has been a crazy time with 2 hurricanes causing the loss of 5 instructional days. I had the normal filtering in and out of students as schedules get changed and I managed to learn everyone's name pretty quick. I am terrible at names but I got these a lot faster than normal. My pacing is better this year and I feel like we are progressing well. I like how I have AP Human Geography organized and how well we are progressing through the units. Economics is becoming more and more refined and polished. I still goof up but things are really falling into place. I am hoping we can add AP Economics next year. US History is the only place I am really struggling. I feel like the pacing guide is very quick and I am just trying to organize it all in a way that makes sense to me and the kids. Hopefully with more time things smooth out. On the behavior front, my kids are pretty well behaved and are respectful. I got lucky with a great bunch of students. Hopefully their positive attitudes carry through all year but we will see when we hit the 3rd nine weeks gloom run. All in all a great start to the school year! How is your year going? -Kyle How do you manage stress?
Do you eat a little extra, drink a little extra, spend more time with friends, more time alone? I like to find a physical challenge to combat the mental fight. Lately, I have been running more and more. I ran almost a decade ago but my knees started to hurt and I moved on to different physical challenges. As I circle back to running, I am enjoying the simplicity. It is something you can do anytime and any where without hardly any equipment. Running lets me focus on a target and strive to achieve it. I aim to run my best everyday and sometimes that is a time that makes me happy and sometimes it is not but I always feel a bit better after it is all done. My advice for dealing with stress is to control what you can and manage what you cannot. I make sure I am prepared as best I can but I know there are limits on my capabilities. I also suggest finding a healthy outlet to expunge the stress. Do something to improve your life and go from negative to positive and it's all good. -Kyle How do you deal with people that grind your gears? As a teacher we have to interact with kids and adults and it is very likely you will not get along with all of them. For kids, I just keep in mind that they are kids and they do not know how to behave unless they are taught and that is my job. I also do my best not let teenagers affect my day. Adults on the other hand can be much more difficult to handle.
I do my very best to be polite to everyone but I do not go out my way to help those that I don't like. I am a team player but I won't break my back for people that whine and complain about everything. There is always at least one person that doesn't like this or that and feels the need to broadcast it to everyone. I do my best to avoid negative people and negative talk. I try to stay as positive as possible. This is not always the case because we all get triggered but the calmer and more positive you stay the better you and those around you will feel. We are expected to be professionals and know how to modify and adjust as things change. Things are always evolving in a school setting so you have to be flexible and understanding. I've encountered teachers that expect everything to be handed to them and just have ready made classes. That is not how this works; that's not how any of this works. My job as a teacher is to create lessons for MY students and best serve their needs. No other teacher can do that. So to deal with people that expect hand outs I help them when I can but the school needs to manage some of these expectations. Teaching is a creative profession. We create, shape, and mold everything we touch. This artistry can not be accomplished without influence but our works need not be copies either. As many teachers that are advocating now for better treatment and better pay we need to act like we deserve it. We need to prove our worth. Let us show the world how important we are and how large an impact we can have on the future. Mondays are great! It is a chance at a fresh start every week. This month it is also a new month so it is a double win! October is the start to a new season for us down south, we are in the heart of football season, baseball is heating up with the playoffs, and it is time for a new toothbrush. If you do not like a fresh toothbrush you may be insane.
October is also a great time to clean out. You can get rid of the spring/summer items you did not use or are broken as you pack them away. It is also a chance to clean out your fall/winter items as you pull them out. Now is a great time to pare down and streamline. Cleaning out the clutter can free the mind. October is also a great time to really focus on fitness. I know that sounds crazy as the holiday season seems to be bearing down upon us and candy corn is flowing in the streets but it is true! With the heat dissipating, now is the time to get outside and move! With the sun setting earlier, it is better to hit the gym for a work out than to use the extra time for more Netflix or facebook. If you eat clean the majority of the time and only indulge a few times this holiday season then your stretchy pants won't be your only friend. So attack the new day and the new month! How are you going to make your October awesome? -Kyle |
AuthorKyle is a 34 year old teacher that loves James Bond, history, donuts, and sneakers. Archives
February 2021
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