Tips for New Teachers

“We can do this. We're educators. We're born to make a difference.” – Rita Pierson
If you like these ideas, take one of my courses or check out my books. Ask me about training your teachers, [email protected]!
According to Teachers Count, the average teacher impacts 3000 students within a lifetime. Teachers make a difference, but it's a tough job with a lot of giving. In order to survive your first year and continue the journey, I am sharing tips and resources that helped me and others. Click here for the slide presentation. 

Tips

  • Cultivate relationships- Check out my icebreakers for children and icebreakers for teens and adults. Find plenty more get to know you activities on my Icebreakers page.
  • Classroom arrangement matters!
  • Calming Spaces
    • https://www.thewatsoninstitute.org/watson-life-resources/situation/classroom-calming-corner/ 
      https://sites.google.com/c-vusd.org/virtualcalmingspace/home 
  • Encourage learners to take part in creating their own learning environments!
    • Have them graffiti on butcher paper on the wall
    • Have them post their inspirational quotes on the wall
    • Have them help design the bulletin board, calendars, or your virtual learning spaces!
  • Walk in motivated- You will have the rest of the year to get bogged down, stressed, and in the dumps. What's wrong with walking in believing you can really make a difference to your learners? Click here for resources to avoid teacher burnout.
  • Be preventative and proactive when it comes to managing your classroom- In my classes, I want my students to reflect on their behavior choices, think about the consequences of their choices, and make better decisions. Writing them up and sending them to the principal doesn’t really get them to do this. I try not to punish and strive to discipline with love. Classroom management tips and strategies are discussed in chapter 19 of The 30 Goals Challenge.
  • Connect with families- Contact parents  with positive messages about their children to let them know you believe in their children. I like to write emails and send one to each parent with a nice personal note about the student. Formmule is a great add-on to quickly send a batch of personalized emails through Google Docs! I also include information about the school supplies, technology we will use, and more. Invite them to a parent technology workshop run by your department. Get parents to test out the sites and technology you plan to use. Find more great tips in this post, Survival Tips for Engaging Parents!
  • Build a teacher survival kit- I knew a teacher, who carried in her purse, masking tape, scissors, a small cushion ball, and other supplies for emergencies. This was her kit, which made her flexible to change her lessons or get kids moving in case of fire drills, student restlessness, etc. I talk about this more in detail in chapter 9 of The 30 Goals Challenge. Find a recent post here!
  • Integrate technology effectively- Pedagogy first then technology. Find more tips on my page, Survival Tips for Integrating Technology. When we use technology it should:
    • Support students ownership of learning
    • Allow students to be content creators
    • Engage and motivate students to be continuous learners
    • Support effective communication, especially with peers worldwide
Change the classroom environment- In chapter 24 of The 30 Goals Challenge, I talk about different ways to change your classroom to enhance the learning. This includes learning stations, makerspaces, and shoeless classrooms!

Bookmarks

Find the tools listed above and many more resources in the bookmarks below.