I am humbled and honored to be among the amazing presenters scheduled for the upcoming New Teacher Reform Symposium. And whilst the name may fool you, this is a don’t miss event for all teachers, not just new ones. This amazing free worldwide e.conference takes place on your computer Saturday, January 8th and Sunday the 9th depending on your location with 2 keynotes and 18 presenters. You can see the schedule of events and the speaker list here. There are even door prizes for participants, and I know my district lets me use it for professional development, so you may even be able to get that.
I will be speaking on creating a student-centered classroom, which has been my mission this year as a newish teacher. So as any new teacher should do, I ask you, what advice should I make sure I pass on? Here is your chance to be heard.
Join me and educators around the world as we learn from each other through this incredible opportunity. As a participant in the last reform symposium, I can guarantee this is not an opportunity you want to miss!
Category: new teacher
But How is it Different this Year?
Being in my final year of probation as a new teacher means that I will only be observed once officially this year. That is not to say that I have not been observed on other occasions, but only once will I have to fill out the paperwork and set up a formal meeting to discuss the results and feedback of this observation. So I wonder, how will my classroom be different than previous observations to the casual observer?
1. I will not stand at the front of the room. In fact, the front of the room changes at all times so that students never feel pushed to the back or to the side.
2. I will move more. Since there is no front of the room, I move more around, engaging students in small discussions, keeping an eye on behavior, as well as trying to facilitate more interaction through my own movement.
3. I will not do all of the talking. This year it is not about me but about the students, so I need to facilitate and then get out of the way.
4. Students will move around. I was never a fan of desks, they stifled me as a child and I still lie down on a couch to read a book rather than sit, so my classroom reflects that; students should be able to be in positions where they can access learning the best way possible, whatever that may look like.
5. Students will have a voice. No longer am I the end all of all information so while I know the path my lesson will take, how we get there and what we end up exploring more deeply may change.
6. The end results may differ. Before the students would all produce a single product to show off their knowledge, now I realize that students can show learning through many different methods and will therefore be open to all of these.
7. Evaluation will be ongoing and never combined with a percentage or letter grade. While I may still have to produce a letter grade for my trimester report cards, these will not be part of our learning. Grades interfere with the real goal of the lesson which is to learn, not to receive an A or score 100%.
8. Mistakes will be encouraged. Instead of prepping my students beforehand to ensure no mistakes will be made by them or I, we will simply explore together and that means also embracing any mistakes or mishaps that come up naturally. After all, life mostly consists of lucky mishaps that shape our decisions and thus creates our futures.
9. Homework will not be assigned. Learning is extended beyond our classroom hours through discussion, blogging or reflection. Worksheets or packets are rarely used to practice a skill and instead students are encouraged to enjoy time outside of school so that they may be more productive learners in school.
10. This will not be a dog and pony show. We often discuss how an observation can become a stilted affair, created solely for the purpose of observation. I would rather have my observation be unscheduled or a surprise so that the real lesson can be viewed and discussed. I know I will be prepared for it since I have to be prepared every day to teach.
How different will your classroom be this year?
Veering Off the Chosen Lesson Path – or Why You Should Take a New Route
As college students when taught the craft of becoming a teacher, one thing is hammered into us again and again; the necessity of lesson plans. We are given graphic organizers to ensure that we account for every single possible thing; special needs, types of learing, beginning, goal, standards and on and on. I slaved over my mine, creating perfect fictitious classrooms that would need my supposed expertise to reach the goal. It would always be me as the fierce director bringing students into learning, the keeper of the flame.
As a first year teacher, I continued my meticulous planning, always knowing the end goal and more importantly the exact path that I would take to go there. Students were forced down my chute of learning so that they could reach their glorious destination, often not having time to take a different direction, a different approach. I had curriculum to get through and by golly I would!
And then I realized what I was really doing. By glossing over student questions, by forcing my path on the students, I was losing them. I was losing their inquisitiveness, their creativity, their sense of learning style and most sadly, I was losing their trust in me as a teacher. Why would they open up when I barely ever slowed down to listen to them? It wasn’t that I wasn’t a decent teacher, I was, but that was it, decent. No room for individuality, no room for new discoveries, just here is the goal, let’s reach it.
Learning is always happening in any classroom you walk into. But notice the different types of learning. Is there room for student exploration? For veering off the path? For taking a totally different route altogether? How stringent is the teacher with their lesson plan, is it followed minutely or used as a guide for the ultimate goal? How loud are the students? How engaged? I was once asked by my principal what my goal for a particularly disastrous lesson plan was and I couldn’t tell him, what I could tell him was the path I was going to take. What a wake up call that was – thanks Mr. Rykal -know your goal, think of a path but then don’t be afraid to go another route, to listen to the students, let them shape the learning. I promise, you will see the difference in excitement, in caring, and in learning. Do you dare to take anther route?
Sing the Praise of Other Teachers
We want to be a welcoming school, a place where all students feel safe, happy and inspired. We cherish our kids, greet them in the hallway and take a special interest in anyone who needs it or just happens to be in our path. We recognize achievements, we assemble and build community, togetherness and pride in ourselves and each other. We discuss how to do it better, more, bigger. How can we reach each kid to make them feel appreciated, acknowledged and valued? And yet, sometimes we forget about the teachers.
We are so busy always focusing on the achievements of the kids that the natural success of fellow staff members becomes something that slips our mind or is an entirely taboo topic depending on your staff climate. Why? Shouldn’t teacher accomplishment, whether big or small, be the first place we start when we discuss success in our school? Don’t we want to be part of an active community where you hear genuine praise in the hallways, classrooms and staff lounge? We forget to share or assumptions are made that no one wants to hear it. I some places, jealousy can rear it’s ugly head and people learn to not share, to not divulge that they did well on something.
Enough of this fear of acknowledgement! Ban the temptation to not share or highlight. Praise others as you wish your students would praise each other. After all, our students learn best by example, think of the great learning experience it will be for them if they hear natural praise every day between staff members. Start small, be genuine, be brave and take the first step; tell someone you noticed, you cared, you were inspired. Praise someone and set the example, start a movement.
Why is Teaching a Lonely Job?
This past week as I have reflected upon personal conversations, emails and posts I have come across I had a sad realization; everywhere there are teachers who feel that no one wants them to succeed, that no one cares what they do, that no one stops to listen to them. While I had hoped that these were merely regional perspectives and not something worldwide, I see now that teaching can be an incredibly lonely job.
Every teacher wants to be the best teacher they can be. They start out with ideas, ideals, and aspirations, truly believing that every child can learn, achieve, be something incredible. And yet, after perhaps not so gracious welcomes, or reserved hello’s, teachers learn their first lesson about teaching: don’t expect a red carpet welcome. It is not that other teachers aren’t welcoming, the profession as a whole just seems to be a bit skeptical, naturally reserved when anything new enters our midsts whether it be a new idea, change, or a new person.
And what a sad lesson that is. We are there to reach out to all students, to make them feel welcome, and we spend precious class time building community with our students and then forget the community that needs to be re-formed every time someone new enters our schools.
I discussed this with my mother, who is a college professor. She agreed with me that this is not a localized phenomenon but something that she has encountered on various levels as well. Her take was that it often can be attributed to jealousy, busyness, competitiveness or a combination of any of those. I hate to say she is right but I do think from personal experience that there is room for improvement in how we treat each other face to face. I think of how in my online PLN whenever there is a success, people cheer and ask more questions. Now I wonder whether this happens as much in real life as we would like to think it does. I certainly have days where I feel as if no one hardly cares and then there are days when I feel accepted and welcomed.
So I open it up for debate. Are teachers friendly to each other or could we improve on this? Why can teaching feel as if it is you against the world with few people cheering you on? Do we create this situation or is a just a cutthroat profession where people fend for themselves, constantly wary of the new person?
Dear First Year Pernille
 |
| Image from here |
Dear First Year Pernille,
You did it! You got the job you set your heart on and now comes the part you have been looking forward to; teaching! I know life has a lot in store for you this first year, already you are 4 months pregnant on the first day of school, and yet there are just a few things I want you to know before you start.
Stop stressing over your room! Now is the time to be outside going for a walk, not laboring over the placement of posters, bulletin boards or welcome signs. The kids will hardly notice it so give yourself a break. Even if it feels like a hallway bulletin board competition at times – it’s not.
Ask more questions. Your teammates are some of the kindest and smartest people around. Don’t feel that you are a burden or that you should already know. You are new, don’t feel like you have to act like you already know the answer.
Trust your gut. Feel that little tingle in your stomach? Besides the baby, that’s your intuition trying to tell you to listen to it. So absolutely go ahead and use some of those same programs but then spend some time finding yourself as well. Make this your room with your teaching style, not a watered down version of someone else’s.
Allow yourself to fail. The students love it when we fail, why? Because it shows we are humans. The sooner you embrace your failures as another step in learning, the sooner you can get over it, and the more you will be a role model for the kids.
Don’t beat yourself up. Not everything will be perfect, even for an overachiever like yourself. Some days will be amazing, others will not. Don’t worry there will be more good than bad but when those bad ones come around – give yourself a break.
Smile. Love. Laugh. Share. Think. Reflect. Question. Be kind. Be brave. Be you. Everything is going to be just fine. Oh, and do get on Twitter.
Pernille Ripp 