Make Me or Break Me
They say this first year will make me
Or break me.
I guess that’s because it takes me
Eight days
To get through a stack of papers
And there are eight more waiting,
And every day I stay at school later
And get less done…
This is NOT fun. Help me someone!!!
I’m already counting how many more Mondays
Until vacation (There are 12, by the way,
And I’m getting impatient)
Because I spent all last night
On grading and preparation
But I can’t get these kids to just
[STOP TALKING]
And take this inspiration…
They say this job is rewarding, but lately
I just feel like all my students hate me…
Their papers frustrate me
And I’m going so crazy
No sane person would want to date me.
But I’m here to stay.
It takes a lot to break me.
And that’s why I say
No matter what it takes me…
This year Is going to MAKE me.
-Roxanna Elder,
Author of See Me After Class:
Advice for Teachers By Teachers
There’s a rule that gets passed around between teachers, “Your first two years are impossible. You don’t sleep, you don’t have time for anything outside of school, and you’re often miserable in the classroom. But, if you make it through the first two years, you can sleep, enjoy yourself, and you will be in love with teaching and your classroom.”
Why is there such a steep learning curve for teachers? And what can we, as educators and community activists, do better in the educational system and keep first-year teachers in the job?
First, let’s talk about the two major elements that go into a positive classroom experience: classroom management and lesson planning.
Classroom Management
You walk into a third-grade classroom and there are four kids waiting to sharpen their pencils, two throwing papers into the garbage, a group sitting in the back is chatting about yesterday’s little league game, and everyone else is trying to hear what the teacher is saying. Meanwhile, the teacher has prepared a really interesting lesson in math. They are playing a math game with multiplication and division using dice. The students who can hear what is going on and who are interested in learning are truly engaged.
The problem is that even though this lesson is beautifully planned, more than half the class is missing key concepts because they either can’t hear or aren’t interested in being involved. That’s where classroom management becomes a key element in teaching.
First Week
Many first-year teachers are instructed not to smile on the first day of class. I wholeheartedly disagree with this instruction; however, the theory behind this directive is sound. The first week, or even the first day of school, sets the tone for the rest of the year. That means that the teacher needs to come into the classroom with confidence and control. The teacher’s attitude should be authoritative (firm and self-assured) and not authoritarian (severe and rigid).
Classroom Rules
During the first week of school, students should help the teacher come up with a list of rules that will govern society in general. Then, the teacher should help translate them into classroom rules. For instance, if the students said, “No stealing from other people,” the teacher should translate that into, “No speaking when other people are speaking.” Once the top ten (or fewer) rules are established, the teacher should write them in large, clean letters on a large poster and hang it in the room.
Some suggestions:
- Follow directions the first time given
- Keep body parts, objects and unkind words to yourself
- Raise your hand to answer or ask questions in class
- Raise one finger to use the bathroom
- Be in the proper place at the proper time
- Use materials and equipment properly
- Always walk, rather than run, in the building