Do and Do Not; You Can Always Try Again Tomorrow

I know you.

There’s a list in your head, right? A list of things you want to achieve, a list of things you swear you’ll never do, an infinite amount of possibilities orbiting around your head.

Your eyes are just a touch too wide, your outfit carefully chosen, your smile nervous but charming.

Tomorrow, or next week or next month, you are going to walk into your very own classroom and introduce yourself to your students.  You will be a teacher. It is a moment to savor.

Then the bell rings, the students storm the building, and you are not just a teacher in name, but in practice.

To be honest, the anticipation never really goes away—every year a small tingle begins in my fingertips as I walk past the ‘Back to School’ aisle at Target, turning into an itch to visit my classroom, until it’s the night before school starts and I struggle to sleep, anxious and excited to see what the new year will bring.

That list in your head? It’s in my head too. It never goes away. Teaching is a vocation with an inexhaustible spring of inspiration. Channeling that inspiration can be in turns exhausting, intimidating, and exhilarating. Though I do not claim to be any sort of master teacher, I humbly offer a list of some do’s and do not’s compiled from the six years I have spent in the classroom:

§  Do try new things and create lessons that you believe will inspire your students. This seems obvious, but often there is a set agenda and that agenda is not always in line with your principles. If you need to step back from the assigned curriculum and create something you believe will benefit the learners, do it.

§  Don’t be disappointed when some of your ideas blow up in spectacular fashion. Despite careful planning, things sometimes go inexplicably wrong. There isn’t a teacher alive who doesn’t still have this happening on a semi-regular basis. Trying new things takes courage; have the courage to continue trying.

§  Do develop a network of positive people who will support and encourage your progress. One of the biggest mistakes I made when I transitioned to teaching high school was that I stayed in my classroom rather than seeking out my peers. If there isn’t a time scheduled for you to meet with teachers, go and find them.  It is worth the effort and will help keep morale up as you hit a wall in the spring and start praying for May to come quickly.   

§  Don’t hold a grudge. Students are going to do things, like cheat on an assignment, treat their classmates poorly and treat you poorly. If they are going to learn something from those mistakes and continue to learn something in your class, they need to be forgiven. That does not mean that the transgression should be ignored. They deserve to know that you are angry, disappointed or sad, but they also deserve to know that you haven’t stopped trying to teach them.

§  Do ask a million questions. Ask where the teaching supply closet is (if there is one). Ask for names of students, staff in the office and the janitors, even if you’ve asked three times before. Ask what works best for other teachers when you are at a loss. Ask how you can improve. Ask until someone tells you to stop—because no one has ever told me to stop. Don’t worry that you are annoying someone; there are plenty of people in a school you can ask.

§  Don’t forget to take time away from teaching for yourself. Teaching follows you home from work, whether in the physicality of papers to grade or in the mental anguish about a particular student or lesson.  It is vital that you have other priorities and activities to occupy your time, or else teaching will consume you and you may come to resent how much it asks of you.

§  Do keep a journal of your best and worst days; both are equally helpful. Writing down frustrations will ease your anger and hopefully allow you to sleep at night. Writing down proud moments will remind you that you are having an impact and building relationships with students. There are 180 days in a school year—you will make a mistake at least once every single day. You will also probably quadruple the amount of good you do just by being dedicated to this profession and greeting your students every morning with a smile.

Good luck. I wish you the very best as you begin your journey.  

Sarah Hayes will be starting her seventh year as an English teacher this fall. She currently teaches at Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She currently teaches sophomore English and AP Literature and Composition. You can read her musings on literature and teaching on her blog: http://misshayesteaches.wordpress.com/ or follow her teacher twitter @mshayesteaches