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I am completely overwhelmed.



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amother


 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 9:18 pm
I am teaching at a new school. a new grade level. I am so overwhelmed by everything. Today was the first day, and from a teaching perspective it was a disaster. When I finished my day I ran to my car to cry.

The school is very different. It caters to an off the beat kind of crowd, some religious, some not, mostly kids who were in public school at one point and have switched here.

Im teaching a bunch of ages, (10,11,12) all limdiue kodesh. I have no experience teaching chumash to that age and ive downloaded translation sheets from chinuch.org, but besides reading and translating I have no idea what I am doing.

I feel like I made a huge mistake and each day will be worse than the next. I can't imagine me being able to teach these kids.
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bigsis144




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 9:22 pm
I don't have much advice, as I'm a new teacher myself (first year teaching 5th grade).

I'm just giving you MAJOR Hug 'cuz I KNOW THAT FEEL. My first day was Tuesday and by 6pm I'd already cried twice and tried to curl up in a ball and fall asleep.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:17 pm
Hugs. That sounds hard. Can you connect with someone else who teaches a similar subject and can help share tips/ideas? Doesn't need to be local. Maybe someone here can chime in - HEY IMAMOTHERS WHO TEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL CHUMASH/HEBREW, AMOTHER NEEDS YOU HERE!

I don't know what your school wants from you, but my personal leaning in chumash is to create meaning. Can you look for yourself, without stressing about your lesson plan, into the parsha and see what means something to you? That might spark something in you to bring to your lesson. If you have a hard time finding meaning yourself, maybe try a parsha dvar torah book (or several)

I remember at that age being very disenchanted with all the reading and translating of chumash/nach. It's possible the teachers did more than that and I was just too spacey to remember (I really was) but that's the part I remember that MADE me tune out. See if you can start with a compelling question instead of starting with the text.

Also since it's the beginning of the year you can take some time to get to know the students better. They're preteens, this is a great age where they can start to connect to teachers on a more personal level. Not saying it doesn't also come with its major challenges, but I'm just trying to help you see where the potential is. You teach all limudei kodesh and it's Elul, if you need it to be part of your educational program you can have some heart-to-heart share-y discussions about goals and things, forgiveness, etc...
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:18 pm
By the way, what was your old school and grade level like? Often the same strengths will serve you well in many places and ages, once you figure out how to tap into them.
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cbsmommy




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:31 pm
Just chiming in to say that I also started at a new school this year.
There is always a learning curve.
I found that anytime I taught a new class (even when it was in the same school!) I went home feeling overwhelmed on the first day. When you don't know the kids names, you don't know their abilities, and they don't yet know that you are truly there to try and scaffold their learning --- it's extremely hard to feel confident in yourself.
Hang in there.
Hugs.

And to piggyback off Seeker, what was your old classroom like? Maybe we can help you find some similarities and boost your confidence.
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Tirza




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:40 pm
I really think you should ask for help. Find an experienced teacher, someone you trust, and tell them honestly what you need help with. Teachers are happy to share their techniques and knowlede with less experienced teachers.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:42 pm
It's a totally normal reaction. I always used to come home the first week of the new schoolyear that I taught utterly exhausted and on the verge of tears.

HUGS

It gets better!
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:44 pm
You bring back memories of my worst year teaching. Middle school is REALLY tough.

I wish I had followed the advice I am giving now. Run, don't walk, to the administration or a teacher in the school who seems to have it together and ask for mentoring. Get observed. Get help with lesson planning. Get a good balance of reading and translation, activities to bring the material to life, and tests. Talk to other teachers in other schools and get ideas.

The support for you can make a big difference.

Hugs and hatzlacha!
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spinkles




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 10:56 pm
My daughter is that age and she really enjoys when the teacher does games with them to review the material (like Jeopardy). She also really likes creative projects based on the material (like creating posters or dioramas to be displayed for other classes to see).
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MiracleMama




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 11:02 pm
No advice. I haven't been a teacher for a long time now. But I can relate to going home in tears. The year I taught teens was the worst experience ever. Hugs! Hope things get better soon.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 11:05 pm
op here
wow thank you all so much for the support.
to answer some q's- my previous class was in a Chabad school, where the class had the main chumash and navi teacher who taught all of the textual and skill based lessons.
And I taught everything else. Davening, parsha, yehadus, yomtov, yedios klali yos/halacha
So I did alot of parsha lessons,sheets/quizzes, inspirational stories, cute songs, and so on.
I also had 10 calm girls in my class and now I have 11 rowdy boys and 5 girls.

Chumash is my main stress. Also the fact that these are not 'regular yeshiva kids' at all.

thank you so much for letting me vent.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 11:24 pm
amother wrote:
op here
wow thank you all so much for the support.
to answer some q's- my previous class was in a Chabad school, where the class had the main chumash and navi teacher who taught all of the textual and skill based lessons.
And I taught everything else. Davening, parsha, yehadus, yomtov, yedios klali yos/halacha
So I did alot of parsha lessons,sheets/quizzes, inspirational stories, cute songs, and so on.
I also had 10 calm girls in my class and now I have 11 rowdy boys and 5 girls.

Chumash is my main stress. Also the fact that these are not 'regular yeshiva kids' at all.

thank you so much for letting me vent.


Are your students at the level of translating yet? You mentioned that many came from public school. Do they read Hebrew? Maybe you should concentrate on basic reading skills.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Sep 04 2014, 11:26 pm
Can you talk to the teacher who taught textual classes to your previous class? I'm sure she'd be willing to share ideas?

Everything else should still be relevant.

Rowdy boys is a combination of two things - be firm and act confident, but also at the same time you also need to accept their reality and flow with it. You absolutely shouldn't put up with disrespect, but if they move around more or get a little loud, don't take it personally.
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Teacher_EW




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 05 2014, 8:38 am
I have been teaching for the past six year, and I think there are two pieces of advice I can give you. First, don't look at the students like they are "so different" or "off the beaten path... They are Jewish kids in a Jewish school who want to learn Jewish subjects. Last year, I taught in a Modern Orthodox school that was co-ed, and after talking to my students and getting to know them, I found that they had a stronger Jewish identity than many Bais Yaakov students. They love being Jewish and want to learn the stories that make them who they are.

The other thing I would say, that somebody else mentioned, is to focus on the stories and hashkafot, instead of pure translation. Look for books like "The Midrash Says" series. There are also fabulous divrei torah about every parsha on Aish.com, that connect the chumash to things that are applicable today.

The most important thing to remember, though, so that you don't lose the class in the first week, is that no matter how nervous or unsure you are, you have to walk in confidently and authoritatively. Make them think that you are 100% comfortable with the job, otherwise they will take advantage of you.

GOOD LUCK!!!
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imdl




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Sep 05 2014, 9:42 am
I strongly suggest you do everything you can to integrate movement into your classes. Kids need to move, and they learn better when the learning is combined with movement. Once you get started, it's not that hard to figure out. Even something small like having them stand to repeat an important phrase or move to different spots in the room to express their opinion on something (ie: move to the right if you agree, left if you disagree) can make a huge difference.

And to echo previous posters, exude confidence. You are the teacher, you know what you're doing, you're in charge, and you love teaching. Write it as a reminder to yourself in your notes if it helps, but make sure you project all that.
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apple24




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Sep 15 2014, 11:05 pm
I have been teaching 5th grade for many years, I am more than happy to speak to any new teacher who could use some chizzuk or would like to hear how I do things. You can pm me.

Wishing you all continued hatzlacha!
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mo5




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Sep 16 2014, 5:08 am
You mentioned you used to do inspirational stories etc. continue to do the same things! Games, if there is technology in the classroom use it to have the kids create power points or movies to review, and I echo the advice of an earlier poster- speak to the administration or a teacher for advice !
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amother


 

Post Tue, Sep 16 2014, 6:32 am
Sounds difficult.

What is your educational background? How did you get stuck teaching chumash if you have no experience?
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