Tips for a First Time Teacher?

amother

Magenta

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 9:41 pm

Make sure your lesson is interesting and keep it moving. Getting stuck on something in the lesson is the easiest way to lose them, but going too fast and they're helplessly behind. Find a good pace where you're covering material but at a rate that they can retain the information.

Don't do the same thing for more than 20 minutes at a time, so alternate between teaching and classwork, or between board, sheet, and book.

Be firm but not mean. Strict but understanding. Listen and validate but stick to your rules. Any exceptions to rules should be made privately and on an individual basis or else you'll be assaulted with requests for exceptions.

Be punctual both walking into the classroom and at dismissal. Girls respect teachers who respect their time.

Don't punish the class for actions of a few.

Walk around the classroom, among the aisles and up to desks while you teach. Be an active teacher. Interact with the girls one on one while they're doing classwork.

Call on girls even those who don't raise their hands. EVERYONE is part of your classroom. Obviously use your common sense on what kind of questions you ask so that a girl doesn't get embarrassed or stuck by not knowing the answer. Thought questions are great for cold-calling on girls.

Frumme

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 9:55 pm

Classroom management, not classroom discipline! For example, as part of your beginning ice breakers, have the girls make the classroom guidelines together. They can make posters to place on the wall. That way they will know what to expect and what happens if they deviate from that expectation. For example, "two fingers up" could be a sign for the bathroom, or that weekly assignments are due on Wednesdays etc etc.

Let your more quiet students learn participation points in ways other than answering questions out loud in front of the whole class. It doesn't help them to call on them randomly because it can worsen anxiety or they may get embarrassed. Things like active involvement in group projects and "silent dialogues" (teacher posts a question in the board and each student responds on a piece of paper) are examples of engaging introverted students so they don't feel called out on or overshadowed by louder, more talkative students.

amother

Magenta

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 10:11 pm

Frumme wrote:

Too "childish" for 8th graders who aren't asking to use the bathroom. They just need to "go out."

Frumme

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 10:27 pm

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

Too "childish" for 8th graders who aren't asking to use the bathroom. They just need to "go out."

I disagree, a simple sign like that doesn't interrupt classroom discussions or lessons and is much more polite and adult than having students come up to your desk asking repetitively. The teacher can nod and acknowledge it's okay or not to go in 2 seconds. If an 8th grader just got up and left the room because "they need to go out" I would find that inappropriate because as a teacher you need to know exactly where your students are at all times. Imagine having to tell administration during an emergency, you have no idea where XYZ is because she just said she "needed to go out" and you aren't sure where "out" is.

mom39

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 10:44 pm

dankbar wrote:

Be strict in beginning of year & later you can loosen up, but not be too soft in beginning.

Exactly what I was going to say! A young new teacher might think "she wants the girls to love her" and therefore act cutesy and try to be their friend. The girls will pick up on it right away and you will have an extremely hard time controlling them. We all remember the teachers we caused trouble by! Be strict in the beginning. They will be testing you!!! You can loosen up in about November when they know who's the boss.

amother

Magenta

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 10:50 pm

Frumme wrote:

There are other options besides having girls come up to your desk asking repetitively or having girls leave whenever they want.

As an example, we have a "pass" system where every girl gets 3 passes per term to leave for a couple of minutes. The girl raises her hand and asks to leave; I ask for a pass, and she leaves. No need to tell me if she's going to the bathroom or she's hanging out in the hallway for a breather. But stay out for too long (ex, 20 minutes) and it's considered cutting class (which comes along with its own repercussions).

In case of emergency, once a girl leaves your classroom, you don't have much control over whre she is. You as well as I know that when girls say they're going to the bathroom, they're often not going there anyway. They're going to whichever hang-out spot is popular that year.

Because girls have a finite, limited number of passes, they aren't forever asking to leave. If a particular girl has extenuating circumstances, more passes may be handed to her with discretion so that her classmates are unaware.

Frumme

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 11:05 pm

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

There are other options besides having girls come up to your desk asking repetitively or having girls leave whenever they want.

As an example, we have a "pass" system where every girl gets 3 passes per term to leave for a couple of minutes. The girl raises her hand and asks to leave; I ask for a pass, and she leaves. No need to tell me if she's going to the bathroom or she's hanging out in the hallway for a breather. But stay out for too long (ex, 20 minutes) and it's considered cutting class.

In case of emergency, once a girl leaves your classroom, you don't have much control over whre she is. You as well as I know that when girls say they're going to the bathroom, they're often not going there anyway. They're going to whichever hang-out spot is popular that year.

Because girls have a finite, limited number of passes, they aren't forever asking to leave. If a particular girl has extenuating circumstances, more passes may be handed to her with discretion so that her classmates are unaware.

So you're just reiterating the point I made in my first post. You made a pass system with your student that works for your classroom. Passes, raising hands with a sign, whatever it is, you expressed to your students that the classroom is managed in a certain way. The example I gave was just that, an example, and OP can choose herself if it will work for her classroom.

As for not knowing where a student is during an emergency, it shows a lot more responsibility to say that you at least were told a direction where the student might have gone than to say "I have no idea." Of course you don't know exactly if the student will go where s/he says s/he is going, but it will not look good on you professionally to say that if you're asked and respond that way. If you've never had to deal with a missing student situation in your school, thank Hashem (BH none of my own students).

amother

Gray

Tue, Aug 18 2020, 11:23 pm

mom39 wrote:

I never bought into this "don't smile before xhristmas" rule
Here's a better way to think of it: be firm to the class and nice to individuals.

amother

Hotpink

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 12:20 am

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

Nice points!!!
One thing- I would say don’t punish a few for actions of the entire class is even more important than not punishing the class for actions of a few.
Singling our a few “bad” girls when something takes place in the class is the worst thing that can be done and I don’t know why this is done often. It could break children.

amother

Scarlet

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 1:52 am

Don't try to be their friend. Be their teacher!!
It's all about presence in the classroom, demand respect and in turn respect your students. Be a little bit aloof at the beginning. Let you relationship with them develop naturally over time, if you try too hard or fast they'll take advantage. Be confident in all your decisions. Use the right tone of voice. Be strict, but don't punish to quickl. Practise a disproval look in the mirror. Be quick to size up the class, if they are a difficult class you may need to come down harsh at the beginning. Don't be scared... But if its a nice class that want to be good don't come down too harsh. When the first kid tests you, give a very stern look, then a warning, then act.... They are all watching how you react. If you do it right at the beginning things stay good. If you let something go at the beginning and it's a tough class things will spiral quickly out of control. You can't teach if you don't have discipline. So show them how you want them to behave first.

amother

Blonde

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 2:31 am

Since you have experience, you probably already know this. BE EXTRA STRICT WHEN THEY FIRST TEST YOU. I still remember my first week when there was a writing assignment and one girl said she has nothing to write and wouldn't do it and they all looked to me for my response. They test with little things, don't let anything slip until they see you mean business or it will become a huge problem later.

Move around the classroom, keep them engaged by asking questions that are relevant in their lives and having stimulating discussions and fun games.
Set high standards of what you expect from their work and don't expect anything less. Command respect by never showing that any comment or misbehavior affects you

amother

Magenta

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 2:01 pm

amother [ Wheat ] wrote:

Always keep an extra pair of hose in your purse and check for runs every time before you walk into the classroom

And that your buttons are closed, that your slip isn't sticking out, that you are wearing the same pair of shoes on both feet, that your skirt isn't dirty, that you're wearing nursing pads if you're a nursing mom, and that the zipper of your skirt is centered exactly in the back and not a bit twisted to the side..... LOL

But yes, I do have an extra pair of hose in my briefcase which in my over 15 years of teaching I've used once when I got splashed up by mud in bad weather on the way to school.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 2:03 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

I didn't think that even needed to be said. There's no such thing as actions of an entire class which can be blamed on a few. If the entire class did something wrong (which is rare btw, it's usually a majority of the class but not every single kid), they all need to rectify it regardless of who initiated.