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Friday, May 25, 2012

Your ETA: Crash and Burn or Clear For Landing

None of us ever want to be late to work.  A few of us like to be so early that the security guard has to open the door. Most of us however like to be comfortably punctual, enough to enjoy a leisurely stroll to our class and not a heart-pumping sweat-inducing 'see I made it before the bell but now I'm in cardiac arrest and need a shower' sprint. We all know school starts early (and when friends are late for a 9 o'clock punch-in we all feel a little elitist disdain, do we not).  But your arrival time says an awful lot about you, unfortunately, to the Higher Ups.

A librarian friend of mine recently told me that her principal - who loiters at the school's main entrance to greet both faculty and students every morning - confirmed this.  He claims that your ETA to school puts you in a category as identified by Administration: those who arrive before 7 a.m., those who arrive around 7 a.m., those who arrive at 7:15, 7:30, and those who just barely squeak by at the 7:40 deadline.

We can conclude that earlier is better.  It suggests dedication and a serious commitment to preparation.  We tend to think the earlier you are, the more you have to do, the more responsibility you are claiming, the more professionally motivated, and therefore the more valuable the employee.

Is the converse also true? The later you are, the less you can accomplish, the more casually you view responsibility, the less dedicated, the less valuable the employee.  This is true for any engagement for which we have an appointment: a job, a class, a doctor's visit, a lunch date, collecting your child from summer camp.  The earlier you are, the more respect you will get.  The later you are, the more irresponsible you are.

Take this from someone who has been diagnosed with Chronic Tardiness (I'm currently in counseling).  People simply view you differently.  If you are late, you are dubbed disorganized. No one will question your control if you are early. And as a New Teacher, you want to make a big impression.  Don't let it be while you're screeching into the parking lot on Monday morning.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

When a student says... something about another teacher

No matter what students think of you, they will at some point or another make comments about another teacher.  Beware the temptation to raise an eyebrow, sit back, and pretend to be a therapist.  Even if you connect with a student and may even sympathize with what they are about to say, my advice is to shut it down. Immediately.
If the students are talking about someone else while in your class, they most definitely talk about you while in other classes.  This is a pencil-in-the-other-hand scenario: would you want another teacher encouraging talk about you? Or entertaining it?  As teachers we want to present a united front to our students.  We need to show them we are a team - not that students are the enemy, they are more like our fans.  Fans don't like conflict on their team.  It sure is juicy, but we like to see teammates working hand in hand, cooperating with each other, the slap on the shoulder type of camaraderie.  Gossip can undermine your respect for that teacher, and it will start to show.
So the minute they try to entice you with a snippet of gossip, act as disinterested as you possibly can.*  Change the subject.  I have said many times, very simply, "I don't want to hear about another teacher" and move on.  If for some reason you feel the need to respond at all, make a noncommittal, innocuous statement, such as "I'm sorry that happened" or "Let's focus on the positive" and leave it alone.  There are two sides to every story.
So let's give our fans something to cheer about, and nothing to chew on.  Those students will leave you after June comes around, but that teacher will most likely stay put for a chunk of your career.

*This obviously excludes a legitimate complaint, such as reporting inappropriate conduct between a teacher and student.  This post is referring to things like "Mr. Smith never checks our homework," or "Mrs. Johnson is late to every class."

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Top Ten Things You Need to Know But No One Has Told You

10. Every student will have a cell phone, on their person, powered on, during class, no matter what the policy is

9. Exactly how 'decorated' does your classroom need to be?

8. Do teachers have to wait in line in the cafeteria? 

7. What if you need an emergency bathroom break during class?

6. What to do if a student writes you romantic notes

5. How to keep your rear end from jiggling when you erase the board

4. Which secretary to ask for things, and which to stay away from

3. When to approach your department head about a problem with another teacher, and when to suffer in silence

2. Your Facebook and your students DO NOT MIX

1. You will have favorite students, but you must pretend you do not

When a student says... Can we do something fun today?

They file in as ordinary as always, and you are gearing up for the lesson: tidying, locating papers, taking attendance, having a mild panic attack, what have you.  A student plops down in her seat and before class even begins she says, "Can we do something fun today?"

And this runs through your mind: Something fun? Really? I stay up late and spend way more time than I'm paid for to find interesting, engaging activities for your young minds to thrive on every day. I cut paper. I use markers. I go through index cards like they're toilet paper trying to organize 'fun' things for you all every day. Every. Day.  And this is the thanks I get?

This phenomenon might come from a place of exasperation, boredom, insensitivity, or it may be a completely insignificant comment altogether.  Who knows? Perhaps we should ask one day. But maybe they don't even know.
There are two facts which we all must face if we shall live on in such trying conditions (read: sarcasm):

Numero Uno: Students, no matter their grade level, will always want to learn by having fun.  Note that I did not say, 'will always want to play games' because that is not the case.  Although they may not admit it, students want to be stimulated, they just don't want to know they are being stimulated.  They want it to be sneaky.  They want to be able to exercise their minds and use them; this is why meaningless games of Hang Man and Seven Up does not always pacify them.

Numero Dos: Alas, 'tis but too true. Learning is NOT always fun.  Perhaps its the way I was raised but I think this is more the rule than the exception.  Don't get me wrong, the old days of a teacher standing at the front of the room and talking at the class should be over.  But think of some of the most important things you've learned - did you learn them in a fun environment? How to talk? How to walk? How to do CPR? How to say "I'm sorry"? How to accept discipline in a mature way, call your insurance company, know when you're being taken advantage of, buy a car, etc?   Did you do any of those things while laughing hysterically, having a party, or throwing confetti in the air? Probably not.

Life lessons are not always learned in a fun way.  But that doesn't mean that we as teachers should not try to put a new spin on things in our day-to-day classes.  We keep trying.  And when a student asks, "Can we do something fun today?" maybe we'll be able to say, You know what, I'd like that.