When you walk into the classrooms of experienced teachers, you can tell. There’s something different about the way the room feels. It’s difficult to describe. My students would say “it hits different.”
On the surface, two classrooms look much alike: same furniture, same desks, same technology. The students are from the same area, and while one group can certainly have different needs than another, they’re pretty similar.
So what sets the experienced teacher apart?
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Instructional Choices
From the student perspective, experienced teachers are the ones who “get through.” An experienced teacher makes some kind of impact whether that’s personally or academically. In terms of instruction, an experienced teacher understands the importance of meaningful struggle, and she plans for it. An experienced teacher designs lessons where students feel uncomfortable, where they have to reach, and then she designs the moments or steps that help students succeed. Here’s how:
- First, experienced teachers make no assumptions about student abilities. They rely on formative data and student feedback to meet students where they are, not where they should be.
- Second, veteran teachers anticipate student struggles. Based on previous lessons and student interactions, experienced teachers know where students are going to hiccup. Instead of waiting for a student to fail, an experienced teacher plans for failure and puts resources within a students’ reach so they can move forward.
- Finally, an experienced teacher is always scaffolding instruction. She is constantly using small tools and moments to build students toward greater understanding. She doesn’t reserve or protect scaffolding but uses it from day one.
Experienced Teachers Protect their Time
The first few years of teaching are so hard because your processes for time management are not in place. Things that take a veteran teacher 5 minutes may take you 15. Part of that is learning how to manage your time effectively in a way that works for you. Beyond that, though, experienced teachers have mastered these three skills:
- First, they teach from bell to bell. Instructional time is precious, and experienced teachers know how to use bell work and sponge activities to capture every second.
- Second, experienced teachers know when to say “yes” and how to say “no.” In teaching, there is always an extra duty or supervision you can take on. Someone is always going to ask for just a few hours of extra work. Veteran teachers know when to say “yes” to those opportunities (if they’re of personal importance, for example) and how to gracefully say “no, thank you.” Even more importantly, experienced teachers say “no” more than they say “yes.” No teacher has ever run out of tasks to occupy her time, so protect it relentlessly.
- Finally, experienced teachers do not scroll Pinterest looking for lesson ideas for tomorrow. Veteran teachers have a system in place for filling the gaps: they know how to find new text and how to introduce them. Part of that comes from building a professional network to support you, but part of it also comes from a desire to be as efficient as possible.
Professional Choices
Experienced teachers also know the importance of professionalism and what it looks like. Veteran teachers have mastered these two skills:
- First, experienced teachers own their mistakes and move on. Not every lesson is going to be a winner, and an experienced teacher makes an objective assessment and moves on. If she needs to apologize, she does so and goes forward.
- Finally, experienced teachers draw boundaries around their personal life and protect them fiercely. Teaching is happy to consume every waking moment, so veteran teachers work hard to maintain a healthy, sustainable work-life balance. They aren’t martyrs or candles.
