It is Teacher Appreciation Week! As a future educator, I find this week inspiring! It reminds me of all the fantastic educators who helped shape me into the person I am today!
I had elementary school teachers who helped me realize I can be anything I want to be! They helped me develop my passion for learning! In elementary school, learning new things can be so much fun. I remember one time my class had a water balloon battle to reenact the Civil War! It was great to have a teacher who made learning fun! In middle school, I had teachers who taught me more than just the standards! I had teachers who taught valuable life lessons! I had teachers who believed in me when I did not believe in myself! I had band directors and instructors who became family and helped me through my roller coaster of a life!
This week reminds me that teachers are more than just teachers. They are mentors and friends. The teachers I have had are perfect role models! I hope to make an impact on my future students the way they impacted me! In this article, I am sharing advice from some amazing teachers I know!
"Never call a question stupid.."
Giphy"Education is about building foundations, and every student does so at a different pace. Never call a question stupid, never discourage communication, and never humiliate a student for not picking things up the first time. Patience and clear communication must rule the classroom."
- James King
2. "Take care of yourself.."
Giphy"The demands of teaching are great. You are the core of your classroom. Take good care of yourself, and don't let the stress overwhelm you."
-Kathy Albright Crank
3. "Get the junk done, and then get back to the kids!"
Giphy"I'd say, do what is right for kids. Sometimes you'll have seemingly pointless tasks and forms to fill out—get it done and then get back to the kids. All that stuff can be really consuming and overwhelming—but it's not the point of school. Get the junk done, and then get back to the kids!"
-Jeb Arp
4. "You don't see what goes on at home."
Giphy"I probably don't count because i'm a sub, but my biggest piece of advice is that you don't see what goes on at home. If a student constantly has their head down or doesn't respond well to loud noises, there could be a reason for that you're not seeing. If a student is absent a lot, there could be things going on at home. Just know that you're not an expert on their lives so do the best you can to give them a quality education, but cut them some slack if they're having a bad day, especially the younger kids."
-Sarah Ozment
(Subs do count)
5. "...care about them"
Giphy"Students don't care what you know until they know you care about them"
-Carolyn Rowland
6. "... never be afraid to ask for advice!"
Giphy"Coming from an instructor's view, never be afraid to ask for advice! We all need help at some point! So, lean on the people who have been where you are!"
-Scott Carter
7. "do what you feel is best for your students."
Giphy"Always do what you feel is best for your students. It means making hard decisions sometimes but it's always worth it."
-Stacy Salmon Dean
8. " the student that gives you the most grief might be the kid you help."
Giphy"It's not an easy job and it doesn't pay well but you'll have impacted many lives in more ways then one. Cherish the good moments, hold your head up high because the student that gives you the most grief might be the kid you help."
-Christy Powell
9. "Students will affect you just as much as you affect them."
Giphy"As you know, you won't ever be rich being a teacher, but you'll get to meet some extraordinary people and have life-changing experiences. The students will affect you just as much as you affect them. You won't like them all, but you'll force yourself to love them. And some of them will impact you in a way you'll never forget. Just be there for them. To many of them, you will be much more than just a teacher."
-Adam Daniel
10. "Don't do it unless you love people."
Giphy"Don't do it unless you love people. Teaching is very much a people profession, and antisocial teachers are very hard to learn from."
-Chris Parker
11. "Learn to be flexible."
Giphy"Learn to be flexible if you want to keep your sanity. I have often spent hours planning awesome lessons just to have my day flipped upside down with something unexpected. I have also had to throw my plans away in the middle of class because I made a connection to my students as individuals that showed me there was a better way to reach them. "
and
"Always have a backup plan."
-Laura Windom
12. "Be a lifelong learner."
Giphy"Be a lifelong learner. Not just Learn everything that you can about creating a positive classroom environment and and social emotional learning.to further your education (which I suggest that you do so that you can afford to be a teacher), but read, travel, pursue your hobbies, and explore new interests. The more knowledge and experiences that you have to share with your students the better.
Learn everything that you can about using instructional technology. I don't think I need to explain why.
Learn everything that you can about creating a positive classroom environment and and social emotional learning. Be Flexible!"
-Karen Powell
13. "A great teacher is in it for the love of the kids."
Giphy"My advice would be: To be a great teacher, you have to love kids FIRST. A passion for music, literature, history, math, etc. isn't enough. A great teacher is in it for the love of their kids."
-Melanie Daniel
14. Don't forget about parents! They know their kids better than anyone! Below is some advice from caring parents!
Giphy"one thing as a parent I'd like to see is more patience when explaining lessons. If a student needs help, try not to put a "cap" on how many times is too many to help them understand and solve problems etc."
-Corey Staney
"As a mom of 5 I'd definitely say not everyone learns the same way or at the same pace. I feel like you have to adjust to yourself (or compromise your ways occasionally) to make connections with whomever you're educating because without your willingness to do so is only going to make the process of learning more stressful on you both."
-Navi Mason
Make sure to thank a teacher this week!
