One of the biggest things I've learned throughout my first year has been that kids are KIDS - and that means they are going to act like kids. As in, they are going to have shorter attention spans, not like everything they have to do at school, be a little squirrely, make bad decisions, and will say things they don't mean - and that's OKAY and expected. Once I started accepting that, I started to feel so much better about my teaching and that I wasn't failing them if they weren't acting like adults.
I’m currently a high school student (I hope to teach high school English someday) and I don’t think 6 can be stressed enough, especially with the state of the world right now. I’ll never forget how my English teacher sat down with us during our first class after the insurrection in January and helped us unpack everything and let us know that he was there for us if we wanted to talk about it. In my opinion, a lot of our generation has become pretty unfazed when it comes to major events like a mass shooting, because they’ve been happening most of our lives, so I think it’s really important to stress how stuff like this isn’t normal and help us unpack it. Just some thoughts :). Love your videos!
Thank you so so much for sharing and speaking on this! That's a crucial insight into the younger generations that we serve as teachers. I know for me, growing up with tragedies like the Virginia Tech shooting and so many other horrible things, it was paralyzing at times. Beginning my student teaching placements around the time of the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School, the fears I had as a student evolved into having to force myself to come to terms with the role I would need to play in protecting my students each time I walked into the classroom. It's terrifying and for students now, like you said, its become pretty much life long. I'm so thankful that you had a teacher that opened up space for you all to process and acknowledge the grief, fatigue, and all else that comes through tragedy. It breaks my heart to think about students being inundated with and forced to bear witness to so much while also being denied the time and safety to process and find healing. Everyone processes trauma and grief in their own ways, but that option should always be open for anyone who needs it. Most of all I want to say that if you do decide to become a teacher, not only will you excel through the content as you are a phenomenal writer, but I also know that you will create environments for your students that foster this kind of radical empathy that propels us toward change. Your comment means the world to me! Wishing you all the best
Great tips. I would also like to add, if you are in an alternative cert program, your priority is getting certified. Ive seen too many teachers stress over lesson plans, grading papers, updating the gradebook, etc, but put their cert program stuff on the back burner. Which brings me to another tip, TRY to leave work at work. Good luck 😜
Iam glad I saw this comment bc I have been stressing over this I started the alternative route bc I have a BA in PSYCH and now got a position as 5th grade bilingual teacher iam so scared ! As iam not even certified yet and worried about that it’s a lot of stress I can’t event start training before I pass the required praxis core exams here in NJ but how are they throwing me into a classroom with any knowledge or student teaching ? Lol literally I can’t sleep everyday I wake up worried after I took this job
I was going to say you’re so articulate, but then remembered you’re an English teacher! 😂 I’m 2 years into my marketing job (I have a BA in English!) and the pull toward education has been sooo strong lately - regardless of the negative comments I’ve heard around teaching. Not sure if it’s teaching or advising/counseling I’m interested in.. but I, too, LOVED my major 🩷
Hi! I’m currently working on my BA in English and was curious about your experience getting into marketing. Did you have to get any certifications or extra training to do your job?
Haha thank you so much!! Yay English major buddies!! I love that! I think it's so smart to look at all of the possibilities because there really are so many different career paths even just in the education sphere! Advising and counseling would be soooo rewarding I bet! I'm rooting for you in whatever you end up exploring, keep me posted on your journey!
Such great advice, thank you! I'm student teaching right now and am suuuuch an introvert. I worry about how teaching as an introvert will be since there can be a lot of social time. It would be so helpful to hear about your experience as an introverted teacher sometime! :)
OMG I feel you! BUT also know that you can totally do this! Some helpful things I found were eating lunch in my room with my music on, taking a walk even just to the water fountain during my planning, in between classes before the bell rang I always liked to greet my students at the door but I found sometimes it even helps to stand out there the first few minutes or so and then head to my desk/around the room before the bell finally rang. Little moments to yourself to recharge throughout the day are a must even though they can be a bit hard to find!
Oh man, I'm so glad I found this channel. I'll be student teaching next year and I can't express enough how grateful I am for the new teachers that are pioneering their way in education post-Covid. It's scary thinking about what is to come, especially hearing experiences from veteran teachers online about how this year is the worst it's ever been for them... but knowing that there are people like you who are out there, figuring it out despite everything and with such a positive perspective--It gives me hope and a sense of peace for what I'm about to get myself into. Thanks for doing you, and thanks for making the job feel less scary. I hope you keep posting videos so we can keep figuring it out together 🙏
This just made my heart SO happy!! I'm so excited for you, you're going to be amazing!! There's so much uncertainty and so many changes all the time but one thing that's always brought me a lot of peace and comfort is that progress tends to move in a positive direction. I've seen so many teachers speaking up and out about conditions and treatment and fighting for the support that we and our students need and deserve. As long as you've got a good support team of teachers and strong admin that looks out for their community, you're golden!
I am a Chinese teacher planning to get a teacher credential and teach math in usa high school.Thx for all ur advices.I’ve watched all ur videos so many times.Hope u will update more frequently.Can’t wait to see ur next video
OMG so exciting!!! Oh I'm so glad! It's definitely nerve-racking waiting for the first year to start, or at least it was for me, but I know you're going to be amazing and your kids are going to absolutely love you! You've got this!!!
As a journalism major heading into University can I be a English teacher? Right now in college I'm double majoring in English and Journalism. Once I get to the university I'll see if I can double major in English.
How do you find the line between finding your own way of doing things and assimilating into what the school/admin expects? I teach at a private school and there’s much more rigidity than I’m used to and I end up shooting my self in the foot accidentally more often than I’d like.
I hear you on that! I think for me I really had to secure a strong sense of boundaries and what I want my career to look like. Who do I want to be with the kids and the community? Does my admin support that vision? I was so so lucky to have an amazing admin support system that made all the difference in allowing me to grow. With that said though it's definitely not always so straightforward like "oh this isn't a good fit I should quit" like we have bills to pay and such so if you're in a place where you feel you want to stay and find ways to make meaningful changes where your kids need you, I'd say again find that line within yourself and really visualize it clearly, then find ways either through discussions in class or books you choose (english teacher) or the posters you put up or any subtle thing that you can work in kids absorb everything they're sponges in the most magical way! They'll pick up on what you do for them and the messages you want to send! You've got this!
