teach

1) It is perfectly fine if the first few days of class seem "boring" to
your students - it doesn't matter. You are probably doing the right thing
and you have to be OK with it. It is not your job to entertain your students
or to be the anti-teacher. If the kids are calm, that is a plus.

2) Always have a backup plan that is not photocopy dependent. In other words,
let's say there is twenty minutes (or less) left in class and you are done
with what you wanted to do for the day, have something for them to do. This
thing does not necessarily have to have anything to do with what you are
doing in class. There are times like this when a little "busy work" is OK.
It is better than saying sit quietly for ten minutes. The kids are given
stuff like this to do all the time. Just tell them it is practice/review.
If it is a worksheet that you can hand out, good. If you weren't able to
photocopy it for any reason be prepared to write the problems on the board.

3) Be resourceful, find solutions to things. Simple solutions. Like above,
the copy machine was not working? Write stuff out on the board and have
kids write everything you write, not just the answer, even if it is an easy
problem. Explain to them that if they look at their work later and it just
has the answer they won't know what the question was (and neither will you,
the teacher.) Tell them to keep their work organized, even if it is on a
blank sheet of paper. I always kept a stack of computer paper or loose leaf
around.

4) Don't be self-conscious. For example, dress appropriately, but don't
drive yourself crazy about what "appropriate" means. No one is going to
care/remember what you wore except for you (unless you are the teacher who
wears the same exact thing everyday - and even then, so what?)

5) You are going to be exhausted the first few weeks of school in a way
you have never been before in your life. Just remembering names and details
fo school procedures, not to mention how to solve/present math problems,
is mentally exhausting. When you come home, you may feel too tired to prepare
anything for the next day, which is scary. Here are a couple of important
things to think about:
a) I used to sleep for twenty minutes to an hour each afternoon. That was
the only way I could clear my head and think about what/how to teach the
next day. I was still able to sleep at night.
b) Don't be afraid to just plow through the textbook the next day. In other
words, if you are up to chapter 1, section 5 teach it and make that the
goal for the day. Stay focused on a goal and get through the day.
c) If you can get a jump on planning this week - do it! This is such valuable
time, because the kids aren't around yet. Don't give me this, "What about
planning to the diagnostic" stuff. You can always change stuff later, but
have something ready to go for the first week.
d) Don't even think about going out on a school night! You are crazy. By
this I even mean going out to dinner, unless it means you will still be
home by 8pm. You will be tired and irritable the next day. You will wind
up lesson planning until 1am OR winging it the next day. Either situation
is a you-know what (I am trying to limit my use of the word 'nightmare.')
Trust me on this one - be a really boring person for a couple of weeks until
you get your bearings.
e) Do your work a little bit at a time. Don't say, "I'll grade those later."
If you can grab an hour to grade twenty diagnostics, do it. Don't try to
grade all one hundred at the same time. You will be hating yourself, or
you will wind up grading them over Christmas vacation, just out of curiosity.
f) Keep life really simple: (1) have a clear goal for class each day, (2)
take attendance right away, (3) move through your daily procedures at YOUR
pace, if the kids are sitting and waiting for you, that's fine, you are
the teacher, you should not feel pressured or rushed. If you try to rush
through your routines (assigning homework, taking attendance, etc.) you
will just wind up tripping over yourself. It is better to go too slow than
too fast, initially. And you will seem more in control.

6) If you are talking too much you are messing up. Don't over explain things.
Gain your composure, think about a clear simple way to explain a couple of
small steps and then give the kids a chance to figure it out. If they are
still confused, highlight the key points and going over them one at a time.
Write steps out on the board and have the kids write them in their notebooks!
If you don't do this you will wind up saying the same thing to them 1,000
times and you will say it in different ways. Write it down and then just
point to it. If one of your steps is confusing the kids may ask questions
that force you to rewrite it and better articulate what you are trying to
say - that is good, that is what should happen.

7) If you put a problem up that you realize is trickier than you originally
thought and is getting you off-track, do not hesitate to say, "I just realized
something about that problem that makes it inappropriate for us, I'll explain
why later, try this one instead." And move on. Don't get bogged down in
feeling like you have to prove to them you know exactly what you are doing.
You DO know. You are the teacher. They don't need to know everything tha
tis in your head.

8) When you are lesson-planning keep it simple. Don't start off by thinking
about what you are going to SAY (there is tons you can say about even the
simplest math concept), think about the kind of problem you want them to
solve, be specific and choose some model problems, AND THEN think about
what you will say to describe how to solve THOSE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS. You
are not giving a lecture on the topic to a group of distinguished colleagues,
you are teaching some kids how to solve a problem. Mechanics and concepts
are not mutually exclusive, but once they get some basic mechanics down
regarding a specific problem, the conceptual part will start to make more
sense to them.

9) Number 8 is true for daily lesson planning, but is the exact opposite
if you are introducing a big topic that will be followed by at least a few
days of problem solving. Patrick's "Cartesian Plane with Ropes" lesson comes
to mind. He clearly thought about what he wanted to say AND DO with the kids
(not just talk) so that when they did start graphing they has a conceptual
framework/mental model to work with and then he could plan each day that
followed referring back to this experience. But once you are in the day-to-day,
be specific about the problems you want them to be able to solve each day
and how to break down the small steps to get them to solve these problems
correctly.

10) Have a good attitude and treat everyone with respect, peers and students.
This does not mean you have to bend over backwards for anyone. Sometimes
the best thing you can say is, "Not now", "No" or "I don't know", depending
on the situation. You don't have to be all things to all people. Teenagers
can be very dramatic, don't get sucked into their dramas. They will survive.
If a kid is demanding attention recognize it for what it is and don't drop
everything to accommodate them or them will own you. If a kid is really upset
that they are not getting the attention they want they will either play
the "You don't care about me, you're just like every other teacher" card
or they will be blatantly disrespectful. In either case, don't fall for it.
They just want attention. You can give it to them, but it has to be on your
terms. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE. Your willingness to drop everything for
the kid who is being a drama queen/king is not a testament to your desire
to be a great teacher and change the world. Instead, you are being manipulated
by someone who is acting like a five year old.

11) Keep your mouth shut with your colleagues. They don't want to hear how
smart you are, how much you know and how enthusiastic you are. DON'T COME
OFF AS A KNOW-IT-ALL, there is nothing worse for a veteran teacher to witness.
Don't take stands with your colleagues, listen and learn. Save your energy
for the classroom, grading papers, preparing for class, and administrative
items. You are new at this - you are not an expert and you are not expected
to be, no matter how smart or clever you are. Be humble. If you are right
about something that's great, but time will tell.

12) Don't be the center of your own drama. Don't play out the "Did I do
the right thing by becoming a teacher" scenario on a daily basis. If you
have a couple of bad classes, bad days, bad weeks, whatever, that's life,
get over it. Go back to the drawing board. Organize yourself and don't allow
yourself to become overwhelmed. Be a grownup. You are allowed to make mistakes
and not be great in your first year, but be proactive. Create simple, clear
lesson plans based on simple, clear objectives. Have clear expectations
of what you want your students to know and be able to do by the end of the
class and then figure out how to get them there without talking too much
and giving them time to work and support each other - you do not have to
do all the heavy lifting. Create a class climate where the kids on not dependent
on you to do everything, teach them to be independent and expect them to
work in pairs and help each other. Find people (including me) that you can
call on if you need some support, but be proactive and problem solve. If
something happens that makes you say, "I didn't expect that" or "I don't
know what to do in this situation" just say to yourself, "Wow, that is new
or unexpected, I'll have to get some advice for that one." Problem solve
and figure it out - you are not expected to know how to handle everything
all at once, but you will know better next time. One of the best ways to
do this is to support each other. Do not feel embarrassed to say to each
other, "I messed up today, can you help me figure this out?" Humility is
often the best teacher.

13) Keep your diagnostic simple! You don't want to start the year off by
grading 400 pieces of paper. Revise it now if you have to and cut it in
half. (I am attaching the diagnostics that I showed you - don't forget, I
took those kids over halfway through the year and new some things about
them, so my diagnostic may have things in it that don't make sense to you
when planning one for the beginning of the year.) I never gave the diagnostics
back to the kids. They were for me to see what the kids could do. If the
kids ever asked for them I would say, "I told you that they weren't counting
towards your grade, so don't worry about it." If a kid was really cocky
like he knew it all, but did terribly on his diagnostic, I would show it
to him one-on-one after class to bring him back down to Earth.

14) Be clear and decisive in the classroom. Set high expectations and treat
the kids respectfully, they will usually rise to the occasion if they feel
respected. Provide structure, but don't play cat and mouse games. You can
always call a parent later. If you have a particular kid who you think may
turn your class upside down, don't have a standoff with them. Talk to someone
(an AP, etc) who may actually be able to help and make it clear that this
kid is a real outlier. Don't be afraid to say, "What do you think I should
do?" Is it the administration's job to support you. If the person you are
talking to seems overwhelmed, find someone else, ask each other, another
teacher, em, etc.




To sum up:
Get a routine down (hw, attendance, etc)
Go at your pace, don't feel pressured or rushed
Keep plans simple and clear
Don't talk too much
Don't think about what you are going to do, think about what the kids will
do
Have a backup plan (a worksheet, problems you can put on the board)
Plan out the first week now
Never operate from position of fear ("I'm afraid this lesson may be boring")
Don't seek out or expect approval
Get plenty of sleep
Do work in small chunks
Be respectful
Be humble