Back to School Advice for Teachers

Desks are stacked in a heap near the windows. Files have been purged and transferred, and the dry erase board is clean. I am on summer break. My first year of teaching was a mountain of paperwork, full of powerful learning moments, and new friendships. I signed on for another year and can genuinely say that my rookie start was difficult, but not too disheartening. Here are the most important things (in no particular order) I learned in the third grade.

1. Stay organized - Skillful time management was important. There is only so much time in the day to plan, make copies, call parents, enter or tabulate grades, organize field trips, or any of the other 20 things that might need attending to through the day. I use a planner for every week and some lessons I plan out in more detail. I need a broad view of the big picture first and then I can better handle the constant mental minutiae of being in a classroom with 28 other people all day long.

2. Children are sometimes moody! Don't take their emotional or cognitive struggles personally. They are less able to attach words and meaning to their emotions than are adults. Sometimes they get headaches. They fight with their parents. They want to be right and smart and good at everything. Have some pillows or a safe spot in a corner of the classroom where a kid can take a short break from whatever is hindering them emotionally so they can get back to the business of learning. Don't coddle them, but kids appreciate a little understanding and personal attention too. Conversely, teach students that it is not okay to relax their academic focus for too long, disrupt the learning environment for others, or contribute to an unsafe atmosphere.