Top 10 for New Teachers

A couple weeks ago, I got an email from a friend of a friend who is about to graduate with her MAT and adventure into her own classroom in the fall.  She asked me for my top ten pieces of advice for her as a brand new teacher.  Well….shoot.  No one had ever asked me that before, and I was admittedly pretty stumped.  I sat on that email for a full week and a half before I finally starting writing…but once I did, man, the words just kept pouring out of my fingertips.  I’m not sure if I’m feeling nostalgic as I say ‘see ya later’ to the classroom this year and move into a new role as an instructional coach….but whatever it is, here’s what I came up with.  I actually think her question was pretty brilliant, and very insightful for a young lady about to embark into the profession.  So Katie….here you go :)  I have such excitement for you as you take your first steps into education, and I have every confidence that you will make an outstanding teacher.   I can’t wait to hear about your adventures <3>

Top 10 for New Teachers

1. Love your kids first.  Make sure they know it.  Invest time in getting to know the people will be walking through your classroom door every day for nine months.  Understand that, for many of them, they’ll spend more daily face to face time with you then their own parents.  So champion them.  Be their cheerleader.  Believe in them, no matter what.  We have so many standards that we’re expected to teach and so many benchmarks to reach…but truly, what you can ask for and expect of these kids depends so much on how much you invest in them as individuals.  Just love their socks off    

2. Model empathy.  Kids are hardwired to love on each other, I truly believe that.  They’re hardwired to champion and cheer for their friends, to love fully and recklessly, and to accept one another without question.  But somewhere along the way, society teaches them something else.  They learn that words are powerful, and that some are like a sucker punch to the gut.  And they learn to use words as weapons to hurt and to tear each other down.  And somehow, that becomes ‘cool’.   Teach them to reject that worldly definition.  Demonstrate that truly influential people are those that exude grace in the face of adversity.  Who stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, and who choose to act when other choose to walk away.  One of the first words I introduce to my students and in my classroom is integrity.  Who are you when no one is looking?  That’s the person I care about the most.

3. Set the bar high, and do it unapologetically.  Over the years, many a parent has walked up to me after Back to School Night and said some version of “Are you sure those are realistic expectations for ____ grade?!”  Every single year….I just smile.  Because I’m sure.  I’m sure that kids achieve the most when you expect the most.  I don’t lower my expectations for anyone; I just scaffold more along the way.  Does that mean that every child will meet every standard?  No.  But that’s not the point.  I’m teaching kids to value themselves, to reach higher than what seems possible, and to not limit themselves.  If I don’t think they can do it, why on earth would they even try? Kids are remarkable.  And you’ll be amazing what they can achieve if you just make them believe they can.

4. Be silly.  Laugh a lot.  Let kids be kids and join in the fun anytime you can.  Learning is an experience that is best experienced together.

5. Extend grace to the more prickly parents you encounter along the way.  Understand that they are advocating for their kids the best they know how.  Parenting is a hard gig.  We’re all doing the best we can, so even when it hurts and you want to bite back….just extend grace.   Be transparent.  Be humble.  Listen to what they say, and respond in love.  Not all parents truly understand that you love their kid too.  But you do….so just tell them.   

6. Wear your heart on your sleeve.  Really. It’s okay to care, and it’s okay to care a lot.  I’ve sat in meetings and listened to stories of family lives and personal circumstances that have left me devastated.  I’ve gone home at night and cried.  I’ve sat in my room and prayed over the many, many hurts that are just beyond my power to heal.  The greatest influence you’ll ever have as a teacher isn’t over the academics.  It’s over the person.  There will be some students who leave indelible imprints on your heart.  There will be some who literally break your heart.  Who challenge you, push every single one of your buttons and insist on crossing every single line you draw in the sand.  But man….those are my very favorites.  Never forget that they need you the most.  Those boundaries that you’re setting?  Keep setting them.  That tough love?  Keep dishin’ it out.  They need you to care.  They need you to never give up, no matter how hard they make it for you.   

I vividly remember sitting down with one of my toughest students after he had made a particularly poor choice at recess--he was angry with me, and yelled: “THIS IS YOUR FAULT!  YOU ALWAYS GET ME IN TROUBLE!!”  I looked at the tear streaks on his face, at the way his hands were clenched but his bottom lip trembled…and my heart broke for him.  So I took his hands in mine, and I told him a story about my own kids. I told him about how Blake had hit his sister the day before and I had put him in time out.  I told him how Blake had yelled and whined and criiiiied and cried because he didn’t like my consequence. Then I asked that little boy if he thought I did that to Blake because I had been angry with him, or because I didn’t love him?  And as I asked him that…I saw his eyes begin to well up with tears.  I pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear, “Buddy, I set those boundaries for Blake because, man….I just love him.  I love him so much and I have so much faith in who he is, and I want him to grow up to be a man of integrity.  I see in him now the person he is becoming, and I’m so proud of him.  It’s just my job to help him get there.”   When I finished, I asked if he understood what I was saying.  I told him that he was no different than Blake, and that I held him accountable for his actions because I loved him.  Because I knew what he was capable of, and I was committed to helping him become the person I knew he was inside.  And you know what happened? That little boy cried.  Big, alligator tears that stained my shirt as he wrapped his little arms around my neck that day.  I’ll never forget.  He is one that left an indelible mark on my heart, and I will forever care about the person he is becoming.  So just remember that you are a difference maker.  Don’t let anyone fall through the cracks.  They are all worthy of being loved like that. 

7. Celebrate success!  Go big.  Kids love to hear that you’re proud of them, and they love to be celebrated.  So do it!  Tell these little people how stinkin’ proud you are of them every single day.  Call home to share some classroom accomplish, either big or small.  Find as many reasons as you can to celebrate these little lives.

8. Value yourself as a great teacher.  Just believe it.  You have chosen a truly noble profession and have been given a great gift—the power to change a life.  You can believe you’re a mediocre teacher doing a mediocre job, or you can realize the inspiration you are to these kids.  Believe in yourself just as much as you believe in them.

9. Robert Frost has long held one of my very favorite, albeit a bit cheeky, quotes about education: 

“There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fills you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.”

Just give that gentle prod.  Don’t be afraid to step back and explore your role of teaching as a guide.  Some of the richest learning opportunities occur when you give students the chance to take the lead; so teach them how to talk to each other and how to be thinkers.  Let them explore new ideas and get excited about the possibilities.  It’s such a valuable life skill that is so easily overlooked.  

10. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, be you.  Certainly take the time to learn from teachers who inspire you professionally, but in the end….do you.   Don’t try to be anyone else.  Sometimes you’ll float effortlessly, and sometimes you’ll tread water while you try madly to keep your head above water.  Hey, welcome to teaching ;)  It’s okay.  

Inevitably, at the beginning of every year in kindergarten, there are a few sweet little ones who erupt in alligator tears the moment mom or dad walks out the door.  So many times over the years, I’ve bent down, wrapped my arms around those tiny little shoulders and said the same, heartfelt words: Sweetheart, I know this is new.  I know this is scary.  And I know you miss your mom.  But you know what else?  Even though I’m not your mom, I am a mom…and I promise to love you like that.  Every single day.  You and me? We’re in this together. And it’s going to be okay. 

I think that's good advice for us too, as educators.  So be yourself, and know that you are surrounded by a network of people who love this job as much as you do.  At the end of the day--especially the hard ones--know that we're all in this together, and it's going to be okay.  
 

So here's to teaching.  Trust me....you're going to love it.