Tayyab Nazir
1. Don’t worry so much about doing the right thing. There is no one right
way. You must determine what works best with your personality, your students,
and school policies. It will help if you have read your school’s student
handbook. The guidelines in the handbook will help you avoid some of the more
obvious pitfalls and give you some insight into the culture of your new school.
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2.
Relax. Get to know your students. Listen, empathize, and above all be
patient. Your students are great people. Let them know that you care about them
and their education. Also let the students know that you are not infallible—be
comfortable enough with yourself that you can admit when you do not know an
answer and that you are willing to learn with your students. Establish that
“sense of presence” that conveys to students and anyone observing the
classroom that you are confident, capable, organized, prepared, responsive to
students’ needs, and able to make the class engaging for all students.
Remember, stop worrying about yourself and what you are doing. Think about
your students and enjoy working with them.
3.
Teaching is hard work. It is much more work than you ever thought
possible. It is essential that you are organized and use your time efficiently.
Beginning teachers are generally surprised at the amount of time it takes to plan
effectively. Determining objectives, deciding on activities, collecting materials,
grading papers, and making informed decisions take a tremendous amount of
time. And just when you think you have everything planned and organized, there
is an unexpected fire drill, student assembly, or early dismissal that forces you to
adjust your plans. It is essential that beginning teachers give themselves
sufficient time to plan as well as learn to be flexible.
Flexibility in time management is also essential to accommodate the diversity of
students’ background knowledge and the manner in which they learn to process
information. Successful teachers are willing to stop and reteach if necessary or
to modify lesson plans if it becomes clear that more or less time is required.
It will help if you thoroughly think through your day’s activities and objectives,
keep careful records and notes, and prepare to explain and give common
everyday examples. Don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions and opinions. Talk to
colleagues. Most teachers are flattered that you asked.
4.
Standards cannot be ignored and should not be feared. There are
pressures of test scores and state standards that must be met. Standardized tests
are often used to determine school and district performance, allocate funds, and
gain public approval. These test scores may even be published. Look at the
standards as an aid to good teaching. Standards help you decide what to teach,
support your decisions about what and how to teach, convince the public that
you are familiar with the field of science teaching, and focus curriculum so that
you do not spend too much time on a favorite subject and ignore important
concepts that must be taught. To relieve your anxiety about standards, offer to
serve on the committee that implements standards in your school.
5.
Write objectives that focus on student learning, not on today’s task.
For example, “Build a model of a dam” is a task while “Simulate the principle
of how dams work” is what you really want students to learn. Focus on what
you really expect students to learn and to be able to do. Thinking about the
criteria for student success before giving an assignment will help you determine
your expectations. Critics will say this leads to grade inflation, but I disagree.
Almost all students want to succeed. Clearly stating your expectations upfront
helps students to know what they need to do to be successful and helps to build
student confidence in you as a fair teacher.
Expectations need to be realistic and challenging for all students. Creating a list
of expectations that provides for a range of abilities and skill levels can be
difficult; however, students of all abilities must have the opportunity to succeed.
Having clear expectations (objectives) will help you focus your lesson plan by
allowing you to ask yourself, “How does this lesson or activity bring my
students closer to meeting expectations?”
6.
Smile, and do so frequently. Forget the adage, “Don’t smile until
Christmas.” Smiling and demonstrating a sense of humor will not compromise
your authority. You may be the only adult who smiles or greets an individual
student warmly today. You may never know the importance of those smiles or
other expressions of caring. Remember, you do not know what has happened to
your students before they entered your classroom. Maybe they have had a fight
with their mom or dad or with a sister or brother before leaving for school;
maybe they haven’t eaten; maybe they are feeling sick or have been teased in the
hallway. Give them a break. Make them happy to be in your classroom every
day.
Think about the difference in the following scenarios: A student has been absent
from class for several days. As you greet students coming into the classroom,
you might say in a stern and authoritarian voice “Tommy, you have been absent
for three days. Your homework is in your folder. You have until Thursday to
turn it in.” Or as you greet the student, you smile and say, “Tommy, I’m so
glad to see you. I was beginning to be concerned. You have been gone for three
days. Your homework is in your folder. Please pick it up and complete it by
Thursday. You may ask me or your fellow students for help.” In both cases,
you are the person in charge of the classroom. However, in one case, a positive
classroom environment is established where a student feels important and cared
for, while in the other, rules or procedure is more important than the child.
Which classroom would you rather be in?
7.
Respect your students. Treat your students as intelligent humans beings.
Avoid categorizing them as lazy, bright, unorganized, etc. Rather, look for each
student’s unique qualities. Do not allow put-downs or sarcasm in your
classroom. Show by example that every comment is valued and must be
constructive or helpful to others. Students can be taught responsibility for their
own actions by following your example. This means you should always be
prepared, return papers promptly, and provide feedback that is quick, helpful,
and thoughtful. Chances are that if you respect your students, they will respect
you.
8.
Believe in your students even if they don’t believe in themselves. Treat
students as valued members of society. Give them hope and confidence that they
can develop as strong individuals. Giving students answers or taking over and
doing an experiment or activity for them leads to learned helplessness. The
students begin to feel incompetent and doubt their ability to succeed. It is also
important that discipline is not perceived as being personal. The act is criticized,
not the student who has erred in judgment. We are all learning acceptable modes
of behavior. Help them learn.
9.
Don’t isolate yourself. New teachers are often overwhelmed with the
demands of their first teaching job, fear of failure, and uncertainty about the best
course of action. Compounding this situation can be a feeling of isolation and
the need to talk about work and the problems you have encountered. It is
essential that beginning teachers become proactive in developing a support
system. Often, experienced teachers become entrenched in a day-to-day routine
and are so busy with their own concerns that they do not realize that a beginning
teacher might need help or support. Take the initiative to develop personal and
professional relationships in your school. If possible, establish a mentor
relationship with an experienced teacher. A mentor relationship encourages you
to cooperatively seek solutions, increases your awareness of alternatives,
provides a sounding board to vent frustrations, and allows you to learn from the
experiences of a colleague.
10.
It is not appropriate to teach the way we were taught. Chances are that
your students are growing up in a world completely different from the one you
grew up in. Technology, lifestyles, economics, and many other factors have
created a different world than when you were in school. Students at this level are
still curious, imaginative, enthusiastic, and talkative. The classroom environment
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