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Top tips for new teachers, from a 7th-year educator
Posted: 8/19/2009 10:47:01 AM
By Lisa A. Dennis
Contributing writer
The first year of a teacher’s career is filled with opportunity, excitement and, sometimes, crippling fear. Little prepares you for that first day, when 30 sets of eyes rest on you and you alone. Most often, that first year is about survival: learn the ropes, figure out how to make it all work.
Beyond the possibilities and exhilaration, however, lies a disturbing statistic: half of new teachers will abandon the profession before completing five years on the job. The problem seems to be that we feel alone, often isolated from our fellow instructors and inundated with administrative tasks. We find ourselves doing two jobs at once: being a teacher and learning to teach.
According to Tom McGinnity, executive director of Milwaukee’s Teacher Education Center, it comes down to the simple fact that teachers “either feel supported or they don’t. Too often, they don’t. Then, day in and day out, they and the kids aren’t being successful. These teachers need a lifeline.”
So how does anyone make it to year six? How do we beat the odds and see our hard work reflected in higher achieving students? Follow these bits of advice from someone who has seriously contemplated the exit but found renewed enthusiasm in personal integrity and collaboration:
Maintain your identity
No matter your position, this much is true: a teacher with any chance for survival in education enters the profession with a passion for teaching. When I teach, I try to present a whole human being, not just an academic device. Yes I am an educator, first and foremost, but I also love dance and photography. I have favorite novels and authors. I read poetry for fun. As a high school English teacher, some of these passions seem obvious. But dig a bit deeper and I also bake a mean cheesecake, play classic Nintendo, and proudly love a Beagle named Scout.
Freshmen rightly assume my love for “Romeo and Juliet” is genuine, but I catch and hold their attention when I compare Romeo’s love life to an overbeaten egg. Metaphorically speaking, if Romeo keeps it up, his cheesecake will be cracked.
Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
A successful young teacher is rarely alone. One of the most rewarding aspects of growing into the profession is the ability to turn yourself into a mentor. Whether this be in an official capacity or not, share your wisdom with those around you. Years two through five can often be just as challenging as the first, but you have learned. With an open door, you not only invite students in to offer assistance, but you also start to build a reputation as someone willing to help your colleagues, both novice and professional.
“Teaching is the only standalone profession left,” says Hanna Doerr, program manager for the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. “Every other profession relies on teamwork to accomplish its goals. New teachers come into the profession and see that they are alone, so instead of waiting it out until retirement, they leave in order to pursue a career that reflects the collaborative world in which we live.”
If you find you have become a singleton, Doerr suggests advocating for yourself. Work within your school to develop or support existing programs that use collaboration as a tool for teacher success at any level.
Cultivate meaningful relationships
My father was a teacher for 39 years. During that time, he learned countless lessons to pass on to the future of the profession. Some pearls, such as avoid the mimeograph when wearing white, may be obsolete. However, as is the case with many careers, some advice is timeless – such as no matter the place, no matter the time, knowing who your friends should be is tantamount to finding a golden ticket.
In your first year, if you were lucky, someone wisely told you to make friends with the janitors, the secretaries, and the cafeteria workers. This adage holds true for the entirety of your career. My advice? Make these relationships sincere.
Realize that in order for a school to run, cliché or not, everyone must work together. Take the time to get to know the people who work in your building, to recognize just how much work goes into keeping the building functional. Without these people, your work would be impossible. An understanding of that fact, and some sincere appreciation will take you far. Your own job will be made that much easier as a result.
Include your students
Even with the success that can be found through a collaborative environment, teachers often feel that something is missing within their own classrooms. An often overlooked and undervalued resource within our schools is the student body itself. McGinnity, of Milwaukee Teacher Education Center, suggests that teachers are most effective when they “stop playing adult games and remember what our kids need.”
At MTEC, and countless teacher resource centers across the county, teachers are being reminded that their commitment to the students is tantamount to their success. In order to improve both our professionalism and rapport with students, McGinnity suggests honoring, respecting and inviting our students into the process of improving learning. We as young teachers need the focal point to rest solely on improving the learning that goes on in our classrooms. What better place to find out what our students need than from their own imaginative minds?
Lisa A. Dennis is a teacher at Franklin High School.
