Lessons from my first year of teaching 1. Buffets are about choices Throughout my six years of university, I was shown many educational ideas. If I were to employ every single strategy and philosophy to my teaching, I would have gone insane. But that didnt stop me from trying. At the beginning of the year I tried to implement different routines, activities, delivery methods, technology, apps, teaching methods, seating arrangements, etc. It wasnt long until I became overwhelmed with what was going on. To add on, I had decided that because it was my first year, I would go crazy on professional development. I signed up for two sessions on Universal Design for Learning, only to realize later that they were on the same night. Thats how busy I was in the first two months of school. After first term reports, I realized I had forgotten what my friend Robin and I had decided in our fourth year of university. I had forgotten the most important, and the most well used piece of educational philosophy: it depends. I realized that I could try as many things as I wanted, but if it didnt do anything to help the students, then I was doing it for the wrong reasons. I started to pull back on the new things, and havent looked back since. 2. You cant control time Thats not to say that I let go of everything I had planned. I had thought about my classroom more than what is probably considered healthy over the summer break. I had so many ideas for units and lessons, and started creating things for my classroom. But, again, I found myself getting lost in the teaching, and forgetting about the educating part of my job. In the craziness of the school year I lost sight of what one of my cooperating teachers taught me when I was freaking out about not being able to finish my science unit by the end of my practicum block. She said to me, it doesnt matter if you get through the content, or how fast you do it. I would rather the kids learn one thing well, than not understand many things. These words continued to guide my teaching, and I think the students were better because of it. That might not sit will with everyone, but I found that, specifically in my math classes, when I slowed down and made sure the students understood the first step, the next one didnt take as long to get. I decided to end the year with algebra because I knew just the word scared the students. When I introduced the unit, I told them that they had been doing algebra all year, they just didnt know it. I had sneakily integrated algebraic reasoning into many of the previous units, so now all I had to do was teach them how to communicate that thinking. This lesson also goes for my students. Three months into the year I decided I was going to cover up the clock in my classroom. They hated it at first, but soon the clock-watchers were

paying more attention, and the two-minute pack up was limited to the few students who wore a watch. 3. Plan A will not always work Teachers should have a plan for every letter of the alphabet. Directly related to number 1, this learning was one I was all too familiar with before entering this first year. As teachers, we never really know how the day is going to go. We can plan and re-plan all we want, but Matthew might add something to the discussion you didnt consider, or it turns out all of 8E got it faster than you thought. Ive made it habit now to prepare for both. Expect a lesson to take longer, and have extension activities ready if it doesnt. As the year progressed, I anticipated the questions that were going to be asked, or the possible snags they might run into, but its not going to be the same next year, as the students will be completely new! If Plan A doesnt work, it could be a multitude of things, so dont be hard on yourself like I was at my first lesson flop. Anything from the weather, to who is in the room at that exact moment, can cause a lesson to be derailed. Thinking on your feet and adaptation are lessons that were quickly learned. 4. Youre allowed to have a bad day I remember feeling guilty coming into work exhausted from the night before, because I wouldnt be able to give the students the same energy and attention. I tried to hide it, but they knew. So after awhile I figured, why not expose the elephant in the room. So one day I walked in and said, alright, Im not having a good day, so lets try and get through this together. That day was a little coocoo bananas, but as the months went on and I was more straight up with the students about how I was feeling, the more they were inclined to do the same. It created this sense of community that was really nice to have. Sometimes, things are not going to go your way. Sometimes, things are not going to go your way every single period of the day. On those days, refer to #3. If that doesnt work, I find that finding a colleague to commiserate with always does the trick. Youre not the only teacher in the school. And as a first year teacher, it was nice to hear what others had to say, and how they mightve dealt with the different situations. 5. Students make better teachers I cannot put into writing how many times this year my students taught me something. The information they present may not always be related to our topic of study, but their inherent curiosity and enthusiasm for their interests was infectious and inspiring. Half-way through the year I decided to take advantage of this, and put my students into groups in all of my classes. I re-designed my lessons to include more discourse between them, and after a timid few weeks, they began to get the hang of it.

I can recall one situation where I wasnt really familiar with the topic of study: pneumatic and hydraulic pressure systems. I had provided the students with an article that explained both systems and asked them to fill in a foldable for next class that outlined characteristics, examples, pros, and cons of each system. The article was from the curriculum, and so I invited students to do further research should they need more information, so long as they cited their sources. I had prepared a PowerPoint for next class with the main ideas from the article and the curriculum, but when I asked the class to share their findings, the discussion became richer as some students did some really good research on each system. Needless to say, I learned a lot about pressure systems that day. 6. The most valuable skill is listening Listening to students can bring wonderful results. Take that last anecdote as some evidence. But listening to students should not be limited to class discussions. In homeroom, in the halls, while doing outdoor supervision, on the way to a field trip, at the field trip, and of course after school. Actively listening to students helps build that relationship between you and the students. I know the joy I feel when I know that someone is actively listening to what I have to say, and can only imagine how that makes students feel. Related to this, is listening to the room. Now I dont mean making sure that everyone is using appropriate language, thats a given. I guess what Im trying to say can better be described as reading a room. Planning a lesson is hard work, and Im not going to lie, having to abandon a lesson or an activity because things werent clicking was hard. This year I learned that that doesnt matter. If it is not furthering the students understanding it is not worth their time. Time for Plan G! 7. Asking for help doesnt make you weak, it makes you stronger This is something I made sure my students understood on day one, but on a professional level, listening to your colleagues and mentors is also very important. Many times I found myself in the classroom of a teacher with more experience than me, asking them for help and advice, but it didnt happen right away. I was very nave in the beginning, and thought I could figure it all out on my own. Boy was I wrong. I would not be half the teacher I am today, or half as sane as I am today, without the help of my mentors, colleagues and friends. Without them, I probably wouldnt have made it past first term reports. As teachers we encourage collaboration between our students, but if we expect the same level of collaboration between teachers, we will be better equipped to provide our students with lessons and activities that not only teach, but also inspire. 8. Learn to say no This one was a hard lesson learned. As a student teacher I felt compelled to say yes to everything! Yes, Ill supervise volleyball this week. Of course I can help plan this week long event. Need help setting up afterschool? Count me in! Granted, I chose to do most of the things I ended up doing as a student teacher, but this past year I was reminded of #2, and the fact that there really wasnt enough of it.

Would I have loved to have been able to say yes to everything and do it well, yes (mostly because thats the kind of coocoo bananas person I am), but the truth is I had to learn where to draw the line. I just started my career. There will be time to do those things, but not all at once. 9. Eat Lunch in the staff room Some of the funniest conversations from the last year happened on the days I had the opportunity to eat lunch in the staff room. Between choir rehearsals, school play and math contest prep, I didnt have many opportunities to eat lunch in the staff room, but by the end of the year I looked forward to the days where I could sit at a table with my colleagues and just talk. Sometimes we were philosophical and discussed who, if given the opportunity, we would put on a lie detector. Sometimes we were just plain silly and talked about the latest practical joke amongst the staff. Whatever it was, it was nice to be around adults, and to unwind a little bit. Teacher well being is important, though, as I sit here during the summer typing this article, its clear that I still have some learning to do in this department. 10. MAKE MISTAKES Just do it. Be fearless. Jump in headfirst. I did the majority of my learning and growing this year through screwing things up. Its more than just making mistakes though. You have to make them, realize you were wrong, own up to it, figure out the lesson and then move on. Be it with what youre teaching, like when I had to re-teach the laws of reflection because I screwed up, or with how youre acting, like when I had to apologize for my lack of filter after being on some cold medicine, making mistakes is the only way our brain learns things. This lesson is so important, and is hopefully evident in #1-9. Its one that I hope my students left me understanding, and one that I hope to live by for a very long time. Be curious. Be resilient. Make mistakes. You got this. Mr. C