A new school year begins, and as students take their seats in the classroom, their first assignment is to write about what they did during their summer vacation.
By now, the summer vacation essay is a cliché, but if teachers were given the same assignment, they might admit that they spent the summer reflecting on the successes and challenges of the previous year and making resolutions to revise some of their practices and plans.
As you think about your goals for the next 10 months, consider this advice for a successful school year, which we have compiled from teachers representing a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
Get Organized
Teachers lead busy lives full of deadlines, meetings, and assignments. To keep track of all her responsibilities, Amy Dyer, an English teacher at Pat Neff Middle School in San Antonio, Tex., says that organization is essential.
Once a disorganized new teacher, Dyer was rescued by her mentor, who recommended she use three tools: a weekly planner, colored sticky notes, and manila file folders.
The planner helps Dyer keep track of the many meetings she attends throughout the year. "I take it with me everywhere," Dyer says. "You'd be surprised how many times I'm given dates to remember when I'm in the teachers' lounge or in the library." The colored sticky notes help remind Dyer when paperwork needs to be turned in. "And now that I automatically file my lessons in the manila folders, I can keep up with the great ideas that worked and easily find them for next year."
Because everyone has different organizational styles and preferences, you should find a system that works for you and stick with it, Dyer suggests.
Be Consistent
Just as a personal organizational style is important, teachers need to establish their own classroom management style and system as soon as students enter the classroom. An important classroom management component is consistency, according to Dyer.
As a new teacher six years ago, Dyer made the mistake of thinking her consistent niceness would maintain discipline. She quickly learned that "you can't make exceptions for every student and be fair."
Now Dyer advises teachers to make their social and academic expectations clear and reinforce them throughout the year. "I've adopted my mother's saying, `I'm not here for a popularity contest. Follow the rules or accept the consequences.'" One of her former students often said, "Miss Dyer, so young, but so mean." "I have learned to accept such phrases from 6th graders as compliments," laughs Dyer.
Ignore Naysayers
Another lesson for educators from all backgrounds and levels of experience to remember is to ignore cynics—even those who are fellow teachers. Dyer remembers that one of the worst mistakes she made as a first-year teacher was listening to "one of the teachers on my team who was aptly nicknamed `The Prophet of Doom.'" Before school started, this teacher looked at the class lists and described all the students who she thought were troublemakers. "This, of course, included 95 percent of our students," says Dyer. "Needless to say, I was a wreck by the end of the day."
Students are not perfect, reminds Dyer. "Their parents are not sending the bad ones to schools and keeping the good ones for themselves." Now Dyer no longer listens to bad reports about students she has never even met. "This allows me to treat each student fairly from the beginning."
Nurture Staff Relationships
A congenial professional atmosphere helps both new and experienced teachers remain positive about education and their students and grow professionally. For that reason, Stuart C. Dods, chair of the math department at Garden City High School in New York, nurtures an environment of trust and mutual respect.
"Research indicates that new faculty and veteran staff integrate best when they relate on both a professional and informal basis," notes Dods. To that end, he organizes several department social gatherings and TGIF afternoons each year.
Dods also makes a point of providing opportunities for teachers to observe one another in the classroom. "The exchange of ideas, instructional methods, and curriculum concerns are beneficial to all teachers, no matter where they fall on the experience continuum," he says.
Get a Life
When teachers first enter the profession, they quickly realize that teaching is not a nine-to-five job. For their own sanity and perspective, teachers must remember to maintain a life outside of school, recommends Chris Flynn, who teaches English at Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, S.C.
After feeling drained from the pressures of meeting students' needs during her first year of teaching, Flynn took the advice of her family and friends and began to participate in activities outside of school. Making time for exercise, church, and swing-dancing helped her retain peace of mind.
Nevertheless, Flynn soon discovered that born teachers find classroom inspiration everywhere: She used her new dancing skills "to model demonstration speeches by teaching my new-found hobby."
As a new school year begins, Flynn recommends that teachers remember the reason they entered the profession: the children. "When I tell people I'm a teacher, I receive two reactions: I am either committed or should be committed." Although she can't deny the truth of either statement, Flynn believes "there is no more important job on this earth."