Thank you for writing this incredible piece. I appreciate every single one of these. Not feeling pressured to teach like everyone else really resonates with me because it’s something I’ve struggled with throughout my career. It’s taken me many years to be confident in my pedagogy. I’m printing this out to keep near my plan book! I know there will be a time during the year when I’ll want these reminders.
Thank you so much Adrian. That means a lot coming from you! I love that this list also resonates with veteran educators as well. It is always helpful for all of us to be reminded why we are doing this, and what we should truly focus on beyond the curriculum. You have pointed out one of my favorite parts of the list. Find who you are as an educator, and be that person. There are so many amazing educators, but we are all different. Out students go from class to class. They need to see different personalities and styles of teaching. It would be boring if we all did it the same way.
Hi Jennifer, what a fantastic list. Thanks for sharing.
If you'd be willing to join me for an upcoming episode of the Teachers on Fire podcast, let me know! This content would be so valuable for my listeners.
Hi Tim, thank you so much for reading. And I appreciate the offer. I’d be honored to join you on your podcast (I’ve never actually been on a podcast, so it would be a great new experience for me.) can you give me a link to the podcast so I can familiarize myself with it. My goal in all of my articles is to help newer educators be brave and teach in a way that works. I’ve been at it 30 years, and it’s time to share all that I’ve learned.
I'll be starting my 25th year of teaching soon, and these are all great reminders. I really like to dramatically fall on the floor when a kid says something really amazing.
"Your students don't need another version of the teacher next door, they need the best version of you" is worth printing out for every new hire orientation. We think about this a lot in Islamic schools too, teachers often import a persona of what an "Islamic teacher" is supposed to look like instead of just being present and authentic with their students, and kids can tell the difference immediately. Presence before performance is really the whole game. On that note we put together a short devotional series built around small consistent moments of presence, Salat al-Azimiyyah, at foundationscribe.gumroad.com/l/sacred-practice-vol-3, if useful to any teacher building that same authenticity into their own daily rhythm. Genuinely one of the better lists I have read for new teachers.
Thank you so much for sharing that. I agree that this is a universal issue of educators trying to look and act the way they think they are supposed to. But successful teaching is all about authenticity. That’s what students respond to. Thank you again for reading and commenting.
I think about the one year I had an amazing class of second graders who were high performers and had involved parents. We got so much done including creative and fun events. I then think about the class of 6th graders I had who were difficult with two or three very disruptive students making it a very tough year. This list of 10 items should expand to 20 and more so a teacher can plan for the good years and the tough years. Keep the suggestions coming.
Thanks for the idea Rodger! I have so many more things I could have added to the list, but I had to narrow it down. Maybe I should make a sub list for those years when you have a more challenging class. Because we all have those classes… more often than not:)
When management only means what consequences we are already behind the 8 ball. When I am asked what the consequences are for certain things in my classroom, I have to really think…because preventative is so much better than reactive.
yes! could not agree more. That is what I want all educators to think about. If you build out the classroom correctly, you will not have to focus on consequences as much. It takes thought and work, but it is so worth it in the end.
i don't hear any of the details that make these ideas impactful. The stories that help us see and even complicate some of these somewhat general statements.
That’s a great point… and maybe you gave me an idea for another article:) as you said, there is always an outlier… always. And what those little conversations are like any human interaction even for adults. It’s about building relationships. I know I would rather be around someone who takes some interest in me or shows any genuine curiosity about me, than someone who just quickly says hello as they pass by. That is actually one of the most important parts of that list in my opinion. There’s a reason I put it at #1. Thanks for commenting, I’m always happy to look deeper at things I write about. Perhaps some of the items on the list could be an article in themselves with more explanation.
What type of details would be more helpful for you? My goal with these was to help educators think about these areas of their classroom that often get overlooked. Then, as you know, every educator has to make it their own. Perhaps there is absolutely no time before a class to let students in the room and have a casual chat… the point is then to think about how that idea or concept could be modified to find a place in the day to do that. Trust me, I could come up with a million ideas but the article would be 100 pages long. I was hoping that educators could take the idea and use it in a way that works for them and their classroom. But again, if you find more issues with the list than benefits, you can ignore the whole thing. (If there is a particular idea that you’d like more explanation or examples for, I’d be happy to elaborate.)
Hi, Thinking of the chats before class - I'm always interested in the kids who maybe don't talk in class, but will talk before, or after. What are they sharing? How might it change because you can remind them of it later in class, e.g. "didn't you tell me..." I love your example of the commas. I'm just always looking for the outlier, the kid who doesn't respond or seem to, and what they have to offer so I guess the only thing I'd say is important but not included in your list is the role of observation. Thanks for you reply.,
Great advice. This all applies to teaching Kindergarten too! I especially like number 4: let your students see you laugh. Laughing together also makes the day more joyful for everyone.
Thank you so much for saying it works for kindergarten too! I think it would apply as well, but I am certainly not an expert on kindergarten… I bow down to all of you for the hard work you do. I love laughing too with my students. It’s really important to have that balance for good student teacher relationships.
Great list! I like your reference to teaching commas/grammar--I do the same thing. Like you probably, I have a huge collection of old emails from students with grammar errors :) Bringing in real world examples is always more effective than exercises in a textbook. I do the same with rhetoric or other things related to language. Bringing in a news article or showing a video clip from the night before of a politician using flawed argumentation drives home a lesson much better than dry examples from a mass-produced resource. It requires more work on the teacher's part, but it also demonstrates that the teacher is aware of what's going on in the world and will pull teaching materials from anywhere and not just regurgitate the basics from a textbook. It shows the students the teacher actually cares about this stuff, and they should too.
Thank you so much! And yes, my emails are not only from students, they are from successful adults, leaders, doctors… it’s crazy. Bringing in the real world is such a great way to teach, but as you said it takes a lot of work to find ways to do that. But my students love it when I do.
Another great post! I really liked this point: “Before you teach a lesson, ask yourself one question: What do I love about this? If you can’t answer that question yet, keep looking”
Thank you for writing this incredible piece. I appreciate every single one of these. Not feeling pressured to teach like everyone else really resonates with me because it’s something I’ve struggled with throughout my career. It’s taken me many years to be confident in my pedagogy. I’m printing this out to keep near my plan book! I know there will be a time during the year when I’ll want these reminders.
Thank you so much Adrian. That means a lot coming from you! I love that this list also resonates with veteran educators as well. It is always helpful for all of us to be reminded why we are doing this, and what we should truly focus on beyond the curriculum. You have pointed out one of my favorite parts of the list. Find who you are as an educator, and be that person. There are so many amazing educators, but we are all different. Out students go from class to class. They need to see different personalities and styles of teaching. It would be boring if we all did it the same way.
Hi Jennifer, what a fantastic list. Thanks for sharing.
If you'd be willing to join me for an upcoming episode of the Teachers on Fire podcast, let me know! This content would be so valuable for my listeners.
Hi Tim, thank you so much for reading. And I appreciate the offer. I’d be honored to join you on your podcast (I’ve never actually been on a podcast, so it would be a great new experience for me.) can you give me a link to the podcast so I can familiarize myself with it. My goal in all of my articles is to help newer educators be brave and teach in a way that works. I’ve been at it 30 years, and it’s time to share all that I’ve learned.
Sounds good. I’ll DM you with more info. 👍🏼
Very excited to listen to this when it comes out!
Thanks, Marcus! I'm grateful for your support.
I'll be starting my 25th year of teaching soon, and these are all great reminders. I really like to dramatically fall on the floor when a kid says something really amazing.
Haha I love that!!! I agree… we all need to be reminded about what’s really important in our classroom.
"Your students don't need another version of the teacher next door, they need the best version of you" is worth printing out for every new hire orientation. We think about this a lot in Islamic schools too, teachers often import a persona of what an "Islamic teacher" is supposed to look like instead of just being present and authentic with their students, and kids can tell the difference immediately. Presence before performance is really the whole game. On that note we put together a short devotional series built around small consistent moments of presence, Salat al-Azimiyyah, at foundationscribe.gumroad.com/l/sacred-practice-vol-3, if useful to any teacher building that same authenticity into their own daily rhythm. Genuinely one of the better lists I have read for new teachers.
Thank you so much for sharing that. I agree that this is a universal issue of educators trying to look and act the way they think they are supposed to. But successful teaching is all about authenticity. That’s what students respond to. Thank you again for reading and commenting.
I think about the one year I had an amazing class of second graders who were high performers and had involved parents. We got so much done including creative and fun events. I then think about the class of 6th graders I had who were difficult with two or three very disruptive students making it a very tough year. This list of 10 items should expand to 20 and more so a teacher can plan for the good years and the tough years. Keep the suggestions coming.
Thanks for the idea Rodger! I have so many more things I could have added to the list, but I had to narrow it down. Maybe I should make a sub list for those years when you have a more challenging class. Because we all have those classes… more often than not:)
When management only means what consequences we are already behind the 8 ball. When I am asked what the consequences are for certain things in my classroom, I have to really think…because preventative is so much better than reactive.
yes! could not agree more. That is what I want all educators to think about. If you build out the classroom correctly, you will not have to focus on consequences as much. It takes thought and work, but it is so worth it in the end.
Very well done . 👍
Thank you so much!
#3 is my favorite! Also the easiest to do :)
I agree!! But you’d be surprised that it’s not easy for everyone… which is part of the problem in education.
This 35 year, now retired, teacher says KUDOS for your list! I have seen too many fledgling teachers who need a list like this.
i don't hear any of the details that make these ideas impactful. The stories that help us see and even complicate some of these somewhat general statements.
That’s a great point… and maybe you gave me an idea for another article:) as you said, there is always an outlier… always. And what those little conversations are like any human interaction even for adults. It’s about building relationships. I know I would rather be around someone who takes some interest in me or shows any genuine curiosity about me, than someone who just quickly says hello as they pass by. That is actually one of the most important parts of that list in my opinion. There’s a reason I put it at #1. Thanks for commenting, I’m always happy to look deeper at things I write about. Perhaps some of the items on the list could be an article in themselves with more explanation.
What type of details would be more helpful for you? My goal with these was to help educators think about these areas of their classroom that often get overlooked. Then, as you know, every educator has to make it their own. Perhaps there is absolutely no time before a class to let students in the room and have a casual chat… the point is then to think about how that idea or concept could be modified to find a place in the day to do that. Trust me, I could come up with a million ideas but the article would be 100 pages long. I was hoping that educators could take the idea and use it in a way that works for them and their classroom. But again, if you find more issues with the list than benefits, you can ignore the whole thing. (If there is a particular idea that you’d like more explanation or examples for, I’d be happy to elaborate.)
Hi, Thinking of the chats before class - I'm always interested in the kids who maybe don't talk in class, but will talk before, or after. What are they sharing? How might it change because you can remind them of it later in class, e.g. "didn't you tell me..." I love your example of the commas. I'm just always looking for the outlier, the kid who doesn't respond or seem to, and what they have to offer so I guess the only thing I'd say is important but not included in your list is the role of observation. Thanks for you reply.,
Great advice. This all applies to teaching Kindergarten too! I especially like number 4: let your students see you laugh. Laughing together also makes the day more joyful for everyone.
Thank you so much for saying it works for kindergarten too! I think it would apply as well, but I am certainly not an expert on kindergarten… I bow down to all of you for the hard work you do. I love laughing too with my students. It’s really important to have that balance for good student teacher relationships.
Great list! I like your reference to teaching commas/grammar--I do the same thing. Like you probably, I have a huge collection of old emails from students with grammar errors :) Bringing in real world examples is always more effective than exercises in a textbook. I do the same with rhetoric or other things related to language. Bringing in a news article or showing a video clip from the night before of a politician using flawed argumentation drives home a lesson much better than dry examples from a mass-produced resource. It requires more work on the teacher's part, but it also demonstrates that the teacher is aware of what's going on in the world and will pull teaching materials from anywhere and not just regurgitate the basics from a textbook. It shows the students the teacher actually cares about this stuff, and they should too.
Thank you so much! And yes, my emails are not only from students, they are from successful adults, leaders, doctors… it’s crazy. Bringing in the real world is such a great way to teach, but as you said it takes a lot of work to find ways to do that. But my students love it when I do.
Another great post! I really liked this point: “Before you teach a lesson, ask yourself one question: What do I love about this? If you can’t answer that question yet, keep looking”
Thank you so much for reading! As always, I really value you opinion:))