BFTP: 10 Things I Wish I Knew As a First-Year Teacher
Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 06:01AM A weekend Blue Skunk "feature" will be a revision of an old post. I'm calling this BFTP: Blast from the Past. Original post October 8, 2008.
This is in response to (a very flattering) request by Joel on his So You Want to Teach blog. He's asking for a list the 10 Things I Wish I Knew As a First Year Teacher.
Man, that was over 30 years ago now. I started as a high school English, speech and drama teacher in a small school district in Iowa in 1976. I was also the yearbook, newspaper, class play and speech contest adviser. My first year's salary was $7,800. We lived in a house that I would not put a dog in today. And I was a terrible teacher.
If I knew then what I know now...
1. Leave your ego at the door. I think I lost my temper at least once a day before I somehow learned not to take student remarks and actions personally and to actually be more mature than the kids I taught. Man, this was really hard. Prepare to be dissed. It comes with the job.
2. Admit ignorance or uncertainty. The best questions to discuss in class are the ones for which you really don't have a good answer.
3. Let the kids teach each other. Your goal should be for your students to do more and more and for you to do less and less.
4. Don't play gotcha on tests. Let kids know exactly what you expect them to know and be able to do. That way you are an ally in their success, not the enemy.
5. Some administrators are incompetent. Be subversive when it helps kids. Make at least one really good friend on the teaching staff with whom to commiserate.
6. The majority of parent complaints will come from extra curricular decisions. Give the school board member's kid the lead in the play. It's not a hill worth dying on.
7. You'll never be able to live on a single teaching salary. Get used to a second job and/or a summer job. Or marry for money.
8. If at first you don't succeed, try a different age group to teach. I didn't like teaching high school students. I loved teaching middle schoolers. I like teaching adults even better. I found elementary children fun, but sort of annoying. Sorry.
9. Lighten up on yourself. Teaching is a hell of lot harder than it looks. Practice will make you better, but never perfect.
10. Some kids will do well because of you; some will do well despite you. You won't reach every kid, but there will always be some kids who will benefit from knowing you. Have faith that you are doing good in the world.
I need to add one:
11. It takes a lot of courage to be a good teacher. To buck the system, to work with challenging students everyday, to do what you know in your heart is right, to try new things and sometimes fail, calls for real bravery. Who'd have known?
I still get the urge to place a full-page ad in the town paper where I first taught, apologizing to everyone who may have had me as a teacher for the two years I was employed there.
I still might.
My first year school picture. Oh, as a teacher, not a kindergartner.
Reader Comments (3)
I would add: Realize that could work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and still have stuff to do. Don't try. Make sure you have out of school activities.
I like number seven. I am still looking for a man with money.
Hi Gwen,
Still looking for a woman with money as well. Don't know why since I am married!
Doug
I really like the first point. I still get upset but really try to take a step back before I react. I have to remember who some of those comments are meant for, usually not me but for a students friends. And sometimes when a student challenges me due to my response they are right.