ABC's of Teaching

A-  Always be positive!  Even on the most difficult of days! Your attitude will affect your class more than you think! 

B-  Be prepared for anything!  Have a great lesson planned?  Everything going smooth?  Sounds like a great time for a fire drill or a kid puking at their desk! You never know what could happen in the course of the day.  If something doesn’t go according to plan, you have to be prepared to deal with it! 

C- Communication- Keep good communication with the kids and their parents.  

D- DEVOLSON- Unfamiliar with DEVOLSON? (Dark Evils Vortex Of Late Sept Oct Nov).  Find ways to make it through DEVOLSON.  There are lots of fun meme’s and games for DEVOLSON!  Google it! 

E-  Extra time.  Keep in mind that sometimes you need extra time to complete a lesson or understand a concept.  If your school is really picky about schedules…do the best you can…but keep in mind, just because your math block is only 90 minutes doesn’t mean everyone will complete everything in that time. 

F-  Facebook.  Do not accept friend requests from students or parents.  As tempting as it may be, it is never a good idea.  I have had parent request that I ignored all year and if I had a great relationship with them and wanted to keep in touch (and knew there were no younger siblings that could pass through my grade) I accepted their request in the summer.  Also, NEVER post about your students or negative remarks about your school. 

   

G-  Grades.  Stay on top of grading.  You will regret falling behind and having to waste a weekend or a holiday grading papers!

H-  Homework-Make it meaningful! Students spend 7+ hours a day at school, they don’t need to do meaningless work at home.  Depending on their grade, keep in mind that many kids have 2 working parents who don’t have hours to spend on homework. 

I-   Initiative – Even it if it’s your 1^st year, take charge of something.  It will show other teachers that you are a leader and care about your place in the school.  

J-  Jump for Joy!  Celebrate every success of your students!!!!!!  

K- Krazy Glue- Keep some in your desk.  You’d be surprised how often it comes in handy. 

L-  Lunch.  Eat a good lunch….you need it! Don’t skip it to run copies or grade papers, your body needs fuel to be at it’s best!

M- Moms- If you have Moms (or Dads) that want volunteer, let them!  If you don’t want them in your classroom, ask them to come help with bulletin boards, coping papers, or cutting things out.  Most parents just want to help. 

N-  Never Enough Time…there is truly never enough! Every teacher feels this way!  If you find a way to beat this...PLEASE let me know!

O-  Only 10 months….it will seem like an eternity at the beginning of the year….but it really is a small amount of time! 

P-  Prepare/Prep – Do as much as you can ahead of time before a lesson.  It will pay off! 

Q- Quick- Days may drag on but when the school year ends you’ll realize how fast the years go by! 

R- Recess- need I say more?  Kids need to run off all that extra energy!  Get outside whenever you can.  Inside recess is not a teachers favorite (although I have found that I get a little extra done in my room while the kids are playing).  

S- Smelly-  Keep a bottle of air freshener handy…..you never know when you might need it!

T -  Tattling-  If you teach a younger grade, nip tattling in the bud at the beginning of the year!  There are so many great idea on Pinterest about tattling.  I always teach my kids the difference between reporting and tattling.  Don’t just “let it go” of you’ll spend a good portion of your day dealing with that.

U- Understand-  When you students have a problem, listen to them, understand them.  You never know what could be going on in their home life that can affect their school performance. Take time to listen.

V-  Vary-    Vary your teaching strategies, vary your center activities, vary how you line up your class…constantly switch up how you do things when you can.  Stick to solid routines but occasionally change it up!  Example!  I use Write the Room as a writing center I can teach at the beginning of the year and then change them out each month!  Check it out!  Click on the cover to preview this awesome activity! 

Write the Room!

W- Wash Your Hands….need I say more?  Ick!

X-      X = Xtra materials (yes I know that doesn’t really start with X, but give me a break).  Keep extra supplies and materials on hand, you never know when a new students will join your class.  

Y-      Yes! – Yes you will survive! Whether this is your 1^st year teaching, your 30^th year, or you’re beginning your journey with student teaching!  YOU WILL SURVIVE!

Z-       Ziploc Bags-  Stock up!  You’ll find so many uses for them!