Comments on: Open Letter to a New Teacher

By: damian

damian — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:30:27 +0000

Thanks for stopping by to comment, Keyle. Just like any other tool, the usefulness of social networks, blogs, etc., comes down to how a person uses them. If you start your student teaching experience or your first year of teaching with several years worth of professional networking under your belt, you will have resources available to you that even many of your veteran colleagues won’t have. Good luck to you!

By: Keyle Alcorn

Keyle Alcorn — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:08 +0000

I just read this blog and it was very nice to read. I am a sophomore in college now and I am taking a class that is making us subscribe to blogs and join social net works and such. Many of us thought these things were pointless. But after reading your blog post I am glad to hear that everything we are doing is going to help us in the long run. Thank you for the reassurance.

By: damian

damian — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Thanks so much for all your comments, folks! Here's another resource: 100 Helpful Websites for New Teachers, found via Kate Olson (whose blog also appears on the list).

By: Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky’s blog

Sunday links. « Fred Klonsky’s blog — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:16:38 +0000

[...] Apace of Change gets a phone call from Texas. It’s a new teacher asking for advise. A of C sees it as an example of the internet building a network of change. So do I. [...]

By: Trumom

Trumom — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:55:12 +0000

Wear comfortable shoes.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:21:50 +0000

~Never say you’ll do something that you aren’t prepared to do. There will be a day when that “one student” calls your bluff and if you aren’t prepared to follow through with it (no matter how ridiculous), you’ve lost them.
~ORGANIZATION is KEY!
~Document everything.
~Have fun and love your job! I wake up everyday thankful to have found a career that I love and know that I make a difference.

By: Leigh Newton

Leigh Newton — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:01:28 +0000

Ensure you are up to speed with making tables in a word processor – you’ll need them for class lists, rubrics, timetables… and endless other tasks.

Don’t be scared to use ICT in education, in fact it is essential with this generation.

Get familiar with Google Docs for peer editing and submission for teacher editing before publication.

Don’t talk over classroom noise – wait for the students to be listening.

By: Heather Mason

Heather Mason — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:51:24 +0000

For building:
Network. Find people to talk to about teaching. This includes Twitter and Nings, but also people at your school or nearby schools that know your specifics.
Know your students. Data is a collection of numbers and curriculum a list of ideas. Your students guide your instruction. Always keep them front and center in your mind, your planbook and your gradebook.
Give it at least two years. You walk into your class on day one of your second year with a different attitude than you do in your first year.

For not being torn down:
Don’t take it personally. Your students were built to test you, your administrators are under pressures from their bosses, the state doesn’t have a clue what you do and parents are often focused on only their kids. Very little of the criticism you recieve will really have to do with the quality of your teaching. You have to know how good you are, but don’t confuse criticism with solid advice.

By: Chad Lehman

Chad Lehman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:49:31 +0000

You need to realize that you will be learning right along with them. You are not a finished product, just like the students. Keep a sense of humor because there will be times when you do something or a student does something and the appropriate thing to do is laugh.

By: Theresa M.

Theresa M. — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:34:27 +0000

Be positive and realize the first year is a challenge on so many levels. Be flexible and make each day the best it can be. Read a lot and ask questions of everyone.

I did the career change a few years ago and love my job now! Every day is different and I do have some control over what happens behind the door to my classroom. I try very hard to make sure that I create interesting lessons, reflect on what goes well and not so well with each activity and make changes as needed.

Kids/teens are great and will often give you feedback (even when you don’t want it or ask for it).