RWRR: My 12 Best Pieces Of Advice For Teachers And Other People Who Want Kids To Read Good

Don't worry, it's a Zoolander reference.

First, hi! This is a bit awkward as there are many new faces here, and this is not my “normal” content — that will come tomorrow. Typically, I only send a note once a week, but last week, I promised some teaching-related posts, and here we are! I promise, this is RARE, and tomorrow’s email will be back to my traditional share of something I’ve read, my thoughts on writing, a rant, and a recommendation. A big thank you to my dear, lovely friend Holly Burns for sending so many of you my way!

If you’ve been around for a bit, it’s likely that you know that I’ve been a teacher for a long time! I started my career in education by working as a tutor for a state program funded by No Child Left Behind starting in 2003 and then, in 2004, I taught adults with disabilities for a year at a day program. In 2005, I started teaching at a group home, and in 2007, I became a public school teacher.

Recently, I mentioned that I hesitate to post teaching advice because I assumed it would be…boring. I assumed that unless one is a teacher, few people would find talking about teaching terribly interesting. As it turns out, a lot of teachers read this newsletter (hello, fellow educators!) and so do a lot of parents (hi parents!). That said, teaching advice looks an awful lot like life advice, and so, this post was born.

I’ll be doing a follow-up post on office supplies that I love for my classroom and personal life, so if this isn’t your thing, feel free to skip and return for that.

I’ll be back to my regular content TOMORROW. On to the list!

12 Of My Best Pieces Of Advice For Teachers

1. Don’t take it personally.

Take a moment, and try to remember what it felt like to be a little kid, or better yet, a teenager. Do you remember what it feels like to have feelings and hormones and a lack of awareness pumping through your body? Literally nothing you did had to do with an adult. Most choices have to do with your friends, your moods, your hormones, your whatever. As teachers, when you remember that the students in front of you rarely do things to hurt you and that their behavior is almost never about you, it becomes a lot easier to remain in control of your feelings.

This advice also applies to the adults you encounter at school, too, who tend to be far more frustrating than the children.

No one said it better than Monica. Cue this song up for the bad days.

2. But don’t not take it personally, either.

If you keep getting the same feedback from students, parents, colleagues, or administrators year after year, consider that you’re the common denominator. If there are policies, ways of being, or behaviors that cause problems, or people who don’t know one another seem to react the same way to your actions, it never hurts to be curious about how you can improve.

I love the the old proverb that if you’re walking through town and you meet a jerk, then you’ve met a jerk; but, if you’re walking through town and everyone you meet is a jerk, than YOU are the jerk. Don’t be the jerk.

3. Better to over-plan than to under-plan.

I’ve been doing this job a long time. I can pull things out of my rear end and if I want to, I can lesson plan on the way to school. Most of the time, I don’t. This is partly because I lack any sense of chill, but more seriously because I think my students deserve my best every day.

I dislike having dead time in class, and as any experienced teacher will tell you, unstructured time is when the drama/trouble/issues creep up. Kids need things to do. Much like there is always money in the banana stand, there is always an extra activity in Mrs. Estes’ cabinet. Having too much to get through is far preferable to realizing you have nothing for the children to do.

4. Boundaries, routines, organization, and expectations: know them, live them, love them.

If you follow one piece of my advice, make it this one. Worry less about having a cute room, and more about having an organized room that sets up the way you want your students to behave. Spend time figuring out how you want days to run.

From day one, I have work for students to do, a seating chart, and a firm hand. In my classroom, from the first day, there are no cell phones being used, we are not sitting by our friends, and we have an assignment to do. It’s not to be mean, it’s because I want my students to understand that there is a grown-up in the room and I am in charge.

I want my students to know how I want them to do everything from when to sharpen their pencil to what I want them to do when they need to go to the bathroom. I organize my room around these routines and try to make things accessible to kids, and to set them up for success (parents, I think this is key for you, too, if I can say that). The thing I believe most fervently about kids is that they want to do well. I teach at a site that is diverse and historically under-resourced. Many people have made the choice not to expect much from my students. I believe that my students can and will learn. I believe that they are capable of meeting whatever bar I set for them. Set high expectations, give them boundaries, and watch them rise to the occasion. They will!

5. Learn the difference between a question that’s for the good of the order, and a question that’s just for you.

Few people enjoy meetings, and fewer people enjoy dumb questions. It’s normal to have many questions when you’re starting out as an educator. Be judicious about when, who, and how you ask. For example: if a question about the bell schedule applies to everyone on staff, yes, you should ask it at the faculty meeting. But if your question is just about setting up your grade book to your specifications, hold that thought until everyone else has left. This goes a long way towards building good will with your colleagues instead of making everyone feel like this when you raise your hand:

6. The best thing you can bring to school is an emotionally-regulated you.

Teachers: get thee to therapy. Or to spin class. Or to hang out with friends. Or to whatever is going to help you learn to deal with your emotions. Kids, colleagues, events, etc. trigger us. It happens — we are humans.

But when we are not tending to our emotions, suddenly, our feelings are not about the child in our third period, but about the way our siblings behaved or a colleague’s comment hits on an insecurity we thought we’d dealt with and our reactions do not match the moment.

If things are rough at home, you’re stressed out about life, or you’re in a negative head space (which happens to all of us — a teaching credential doesn’t absolve you of struggling in life!) figure out a way to get well emotionally.

7. Stay out of the office, stay out of the lunchroom.

I got this advice my first year of teaching, and while it’s not literal, it’s important. What it means is this: stay away from groups of people where complaining is the norm. If you spend time with teachers who see kids negatively, you will too. If your colleagues love to complain about other colleagues, you’ll get in the habit. Don’t get me wrong: I am a hater to the core, and we all need a safe space! But being around people who don’t hate everything about school helps life feel better. Also: try to stay out of the mix of the cliques and groups that always form at schools (there are many, many people who return to middle or high school to either avenge or recreate their own experience) — teaching is not a popularity contest among the kids or the staff, no matter how some people conduct themselves. Find a few friends, hold them dear, and keep your yap shut.

8. Clean out your classroom every winter break and every summer break.

This is self-explanatory, I hope. But, this is perhaps the best advice a former mentor teacher gave me. I should admit that for me, throwing things away is a religious experience, so it’s not the chore or emotional struggle some find it to be. Despite having taught for 20 years, I could move out of my classroom in an hour. Everything is in a bin, it’s labeled, it’s ready to be used OR removed. Don’t be the scary hoarder teacher who offloads old copies on whoever takes over your room when you retire.

9. You don’t have to be THE ONE to teach every lesson.

I understand the temptation to be the teacher who holds every child’s feet to the fire and wins every battle with administration. I love a squeaky wheel, and at times, I will be The One. Here’s what I think about, though: in college, I worked for the call center for Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. As agents, we were authorized to give certain discounts to customers if they were mad (10% off, free shipping, etc.). Some agents would do everything they could to not give it out, whereas others offered it right away. The people who gave it up rarely got yelled at, had happy customers, and generally, had an easier time. Admittedly, at first, I tried to withhold it but then I realized that the 10% was not coming out of my paycheck! I didn’t have to cover the shipping cost! WHO CARES?! I feel the same about many school-related things. If a child plagiarizes, and I follow the expectations set for teachers, but neither my administration nor parents of said child seem to feel a sense of urgency around consequences, then why should I? If a parent wants their child to earn an A- and that means rounding a grade .3% OR sitting in meetings, do I want to waste my one wild and precious life fighting about .3% that does not retroactively get deducted from my 8th grade English grade? NOPE. In short: life will life, karma will karma, and it’s not my job to work out my control issues on a 12-year-old. Be generous, be graceful, and move on with your business. You don’t always have to be the one. If a kid cheats in your class, they’ll cheat in another, and some other teacher or professor may have the time to take it up the flagpole. That’s not your business. You’ll know when it is.

This also applies to what other adults are up to. Don’t tattle. Unless someone is hurting a child or a colleague, doing something dangerous, or affecting your life, don’t worry about what time someone is arriving or leaving, if they’re showing a movie, or what they’re up to. Eyes on your own lesson plans, gradebook, and teaching. God knows we all have enough to do.

10. Have one-on-one conversations, but make no secret treaties.

    

The best way to destroy a relationship with a student is to humiliate them in front of their peers. Don’t do it. Don’t demand things of kids in front of other people, don’t call them out publicly, don’t try to make an example of them. I prefer to ask kids to step outside and then take a few deep breaths and then speak one-on-one OR kneel down by their desk and have a quiet discussion. Everyone is better when they’re not on the spot.

That said: never cut a deal with a kid that you wouldn’t be willing to cut for every kid. If you tell one student you’re going to drop warm-ups from their grade or let them retake a test, you better be prepared to tell any other student that you’ll do the same. Fairness matters. No. secret. treaties.

11. Cover your behind.

I love receipts! I save emails (mostly to parents) and communication. I send home regular updates with grades and make sure my grade book is updated once a week. If a student’s grade drops significantly, I get in touch. If a student isn’t doing work, I call home. If I notice a change in behavior, I reach out. I cc my administration and try to get students connected with resources. My Google Classroom has all of my assignments available and I make it exceedingly clear how kids can get work to improve their grade, and how to connect with me for support!

In short: there shouldn’t be questions about how you grade, how students are doing in your class, and how students can improve. Parents should know your name (especially if their student is struggling) and see that you are trying to help their child (literally the point of the job). Your behavior should be above reproach when kids are involved. Your efforts should be noted because not only does it help you if people have questions, it also helps your administration if parents complain. Moreover: IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR KIDS. Your job as a teacher is to help kids learn, not impede their ability to do so. But also? Cover yourself in the process of making that happen.

12. Last, but certainly not least, whenever you’re making a decision, the most important question to ask is: what is BEST for the kids?

Far too many decisions at schools, board meetings, homes, and districts are made through the lens of what adults want. What’s easiest for the adults? What’s most pleasant for the adults? What is the least amount of work for the adults?

If you are ever unsure of what you should do in your classroom, the question to keep in mind is: What is best for the kids. What serves the kids? What do the kids need? What do the kids want?

That’s the whole point. Don’t forget it.