With the start of the school year fast approaching, new articles appear every day with suggestions for new teachers. Even after several years of teaching, I still love reading these posts. There’s something inspirational about new teachers: the energy, the excitement, the fresh ideas!
But as I read each article, I wonder if every teacher (new or experienced) really needs string lights, washi tape, and fancy fonts. I love Flair pens, Mr. Sketch, and the smell of fresh crayons as much as anyone, but if truth be told, it’s not the accessories that make for a good teacher.
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3 Things You Don’t Need
1. A social media presence or color-coordinated classroom. I’m new to Instagram and blogging. But I’ve already seen how much pressure can come from these platforms. I look at other teachers’ classrooms and wonder how mine stacks up–and then I realize how silly that is. The online teacher world is one of community and collaboration, not competition and comparison. You do not need an Insta-worthy classroom to be a great teacher. Your social media presence will not change your students’ lives, but your actual classroom presence absolutely can and will.
2. Debt. #Backtoschool is a great time of the year, and I enjoy shopping for office supplies. I love a good sale on stickers, and I always wind up with new chart markers every year. However, teaching is not about commerce, so please do not feel like you have to make crazy Amazon hauls or buy dozens of books for your classroom library. Know your limits, your budget, your beliefs, and know that you are enough. Your smile, your kindness, and your patience are worth more to your students than any material item.
3. Drama. As a high school teacher, I see and hear a lot of drama from my students, but I hear just as much from other teachers. It can be very tempting to participate in work room gossip or shared space sass. I have given into gossip before, and the result is never satisfying. The strongest teachers invest in collaboration, community, and compassion.
5 Things Every Teacher Needs
5. Thank You Cards. Keep a pack of blank cards in your desk, and use them often! A quick note can make someone’s day or act as an expression of gratitude. Every time I’m in the @targetdollarspot, I pick up another pack of cards. At the end of every year, I’m shocked at how few cards I have left. Student gives you a gift? Write a thank you card. Co-worker covers your class so you can make an appointment? Send a thank you card! The secretary gets you a master key? Send a thank you note! Take the thank-you challenge here!
4. An empty shelf. Over the year, students will give you pictures and trinkets that you will want to display. By the end of the year, you’ll have a shelf full of stories, so even if you don’t have picturesque knick knacks to display, you’ll have something way better.
3. Procedures. Don’t wait until the first day of school to brainstorm classroom procedures. Choose the most important procedures and plan them out. When will you use them? How will you teach them? How will you practice them? Keep your procedures as straightforward as possible, and make them manageable. Learning involves creativity, but procedures provide the structure and safety in which creativity blossoms.
2. A support system. No great teacher toils in isolation, so find your support system and your bell wethers. This can be family members, friends, co-workers, yoga buddies, or beloved pets. Find people that will listen without judgement when you’ve had a rough day and who will celebrate every success (even and especially the small ones). Keep them close, and let them help you throughout the year. There’s no badge for going it alone.
The Most Important Thing a Teacher Needs
1. Passion. Love what you do. Love the students. And love the subjects. Love learning. My students often say things like “Well, if I don’t get the job I want after college, I can always become a teacher.” When that happens, I gently point out that teaching requires passion. Simply knowing the material is not enough: you also have to want to share that material with students and have to believe that who and what you’re teaching is going to make the world a better place.
These are my #teachertruths. What are yours?
Photos by Natasha Hall and Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
