Beginnings: The Teacher
You’ve said yes. You’ve been handed a key. You have a list of names and a starting date. Now what?
Before you lies a grand adventure: relationships to develop, minds to stretch, material to cover, and a classroom for it to happen within. There will be days you feel accomplished and days you wish to never repeat. There will be questions and decisions and perplexing challenges, alongside the success of learning and understanding. This is the world of teaching.
But where do you start? It’s not enough to open the classroom door at bell time on the first day of school with no preparation. That should happen only in teacher nightmares. Here are some areas to prepare.
Prepare your Heart.
Seek the Lord diligently. Ask for wisdom and direction. Pray for the coming school year – for yourself, for your students, for their parents, and for the general working of the school. Pray for humility and a love for those you will interact with. Criticism, both positive and negative, will come. And unless you are a very bad teacher, thanks and praise will also come. Humility will serve you well in both. Cultivate a servant heart and attitude. Prepare your heart for the Lord’s use.
Prepare your Mind.
Know who you will teach, what you will teach, and how you will teach.
If possible, get to know your students a bit before the first day of school. At the least, learn from other teachers who’ve worked with them. It is good to know that Susie finds school difficult but works hard to do her best. It is good to know that when Johnny clowns around, he’s probably unsure of himself or frustrated with his work. It’s good to know that Timmy likes to daydream, that Betty struggles with perfectionism, and that Emily does her work quickly and correctly. It is important to know that Ben has diabetes and that Sally is allergic to peanuts. It can also be helpful to know which children struggle with playground behavior or which are prone to mischief. However, hold this knowledge carefully. Use it to understand and help the child, not as a prejudice against the child.
Know what you are to teach. What subjects will you teach? How much of the books are you expected to complete? Develop a plan to make that happen. Many workbooks and textbooks today are nicely scoped out into lessons, so you know what to do each day. But you need a schedule to keep you on track – a daily schedule and a weekly schedule. You need to know the big picture of the subjects you will teach. Is your history about the world or the United States? What part of God’s creation does your science book cover? What do your students need to learn in math and language? To understand the big picture of each course, read the introduction in the teacher guide. Skim through the textbooks, work a few math and language lessons. Get a feel for how the material is set up. Does math require a lot of hands-on materials and teacher guided practice? Will students need to write and compose in language? Is science set up to be taught with experimentation? Understand where you are going with each subject.
Know how you will teach and run your classroom. A teacher needs to be in charge of their domain, and you will need a plan to do so. Does your school have a recommended classroom management plan, or do you need to start from scratch? A good plan considers these things: what rules and procedures are needed, how those rules and procedures will be taught and implemented, and how those rules and procedures will be enforced. Classroom management is a topic in itself. There are many resources available, including on The Dock. Sometimes resources seem to contradict each other. Where do you start? Start with last year’s teacher if possible. Find out what worked for them and how they implemented it. Discuss your ideas with your administrator or an experienced teacher. A few basics to keep in mind are that rules must have consequences; rules should be kept at a minimum but broad enough to cover a wide variety of conduct; procedures are how you want things to run and should be taught and practiced; consequences need to be consistent; and if you don’t have a plan in mind, life in the classroom will take on a mind of its own. Prepare your mind to teach the material and take charge of your classroom.
Prepare your Space.
Many beginning teachers focus on their classroom. It is a tangible place to begin but not all important. If your classroom exhibits order and welcome, you’ve met the requirements to begin school. What are a few details that need to be ready when school starts?
Make sure you have the textbooks and workbooks the students will need, and the material you need to teach those textbooks and workbooks (such as teacher guides and answer keys). Make sure you have the needed supplies. Do you have markers for the white board? Does your clock have a battery? Is the projector in working order?
Set up the room’s furniture. Organize the student desks and create a seating plan. Plan easy access to bookshelves with needed resources. Decide where the teacher’s desk will go. Label hooks, storage cubbies, and lunchbox shelves with student names.
Remove and store tests and quizzes from workbooks if necessary. Fill out the record books. Organize flashcards and resource material. Organize and file any paperwork.
Put up a welcoming bulletin board or two. Display a list of your rules in a visible area. If there are charts or posters needed for learning (such as an alphabet chart or history timeline), make sure they are in place. Put the students’ names somewhere – on the hall wall outside the door, on the bulletin board – somewhere that students can see their name and feel welcomed to class on the first day. Prepare your classroom to demonstrate order and welcome.
Remember, you are not in this alone. Teaching school is also not about you but about service. Prepare your heart, your mind, and your space and then step out in faith. Enter the world of teaching. It’s a good place to be.
