I am reminded every day that I am doing exactly what the Lord has planned for me to do- teach. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, not all teachers can say that, but I can say it very proudly and very truthfully. The kids I teach are between 12 and 13 years old. They are hysterical, outspoken, overly confident, quirky,
When people think of "coaching," so often winning and losing comes to mind. I played volleyball when I was in 8th grade, too, and I remember that being important to me. But now, as a coach, it really doesn't seem like the deciding factor. Of course I want my teams to do well, but recently I have felt other priorities being placed on my heart. These kids, my classroom students included, need a place in which they feel safe, they need to feel cared for, and they need to be encouraged. Those are my priorities. I want them to succeed, but winning the game, or making a 100 on a test may not be attainable for some, so I want them to succeed at something that is attainable. I love nothing more than the face of an athlete who has worked so tremendously hard at trying to over-hand serve in practice, and she makes it over the net for the first time in her life. My goodness, God is so good! What a success! That's a "win" in my book. I love seeing a student practically jumping out of his seat because he couldn't wait to show me that he did all of his homework the night before, and then when he realizes he didn't miss a single question! To me, another "win."
Without intending to do this, I guess I just want to give a couple of tips to new teachers. I am a new teacher myself, so by no means am I saying that I have it all together. These are just my thoughts typed out:
Encourage. Be your students' greatest advocate. They need your support. Set goals for them, or help them set goals, and give them reminders of the fact that you are confident in them and in their abilities. Encourage them to do their best and be their best. One wall of my classroom is devoted solely to this...
Celebrate the small victories. Just like I stated above, a victory does not have to be perfection, but a small goal that gets accomplished. Remembering his/her spiral every day for a week. Being the first one ready to work one day. Finding his/her own mistake rather than being told. There are so many small victories that you can celebrate in your classroom if you will just take the time to notice.
Talk to your students. I mean like REALLY talk to them. There are so many students that will walk the halls all day long without ever being greeted or talked to by an adult. They want to be talked to. They want to be noticed. You get them on your side when you talk to them. When they walk into your classroom, greet them. It is easy to sit behind your desk between passing periods, but try not to. When the bell rings for the end of class, I tell all of my students to "have a great day!" and mean it. I now have it posted above my door (as suggested by a student last year).
Establish routine. Kids work better and do better when they know exactly what is expected of them (and let's be honest, so do you). When they have down time, you can lose them. Every day when my kids walk into class, they have the same routine--put their cell phone in its assigned holder on their way to their desk, then they write in their agenda, get out homework from the night before prepared with questions, and then "Title and Date" their notes for the day. This is every single day.
Have I mentioned that I love what I do? Here is a picture from the first day of school that I never had the chance to post. Go Eagles! I hope you are having a great week, and remember that in everything you do, you are leaving an impression. Make it a good one.
