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| New teachers: Keep a sense of humor at all times. |
Program standard 8.2 aims to prepare new
teachers so they "exemplify an understanding of professional responsibilities
and policies" as they grow and develop in their field. Aspiring educators
come from a wide variety of backgrounds, from young people who have wanted to
teach since childhood to working adults who pursue a career change after years
in another field. They do share common ground in one primary area, however: facing
the steep learning curve of actually teaching for the very
first time, and learning how to act professional as they face these challenges.
I find myself in the second camp, career-changers, and as I reflect on the
professional issues presented in our course, I appreciate the information
provided regarding appropriate behavior, abuse prevention, the value of parent
partnerships, and the important (albeit illusive) task of teacher collaboration,
among other topics. But most of all, I continue to think about the common struggles
new teachers face, wondering which areas will feel most difficult for me when I
begin next fall, and how I might seek solutions so I don’t burn out too quickly.
Dan Brown says, "Part of persevering in
this profession involves carrying a high threshold for bureaucratic blunders,
miscarriages of justice, untimely copy machine malfunctions, misguided
policies, betrayals of trust, and other epic travesties—as well as one’s own
mistakes" (2012, p. 27). I loved this wisdom when I read it two months
ago, and it continues to be my favorite treasure from this quarter. Adjusting
our expectations and the image we have of ourselves (bleeding-heart superheroes)
makes space for the realities of teaching: We will have some hard days. We will
have some terrible days. This is not the end of the world, this needn’t take us
by surprise, and this doesn’t mean our students cannot learn from us.
What separates a flailing new teacher from a
professional is the understanding that our teaching will
not be perfect no matter how hard we work. By soulfully expecting perfection,
new teachers are inevitably crushed by the weight of dismissive parents,
unhelpful colleagues, and disinterested students. The opportunity lies in
applying the tools gained in a course such as this one: Find a better way to
communicate with difficult parents (Is a language barrier making emails less
effective, perhaps?). Reach out to the colleagues who can be supportive (and
avoid the negative naysayers). Maintain healthy boundaries with students. Seek
the advice of a teaching coach to make boring curriculum come to life for kids,
and keep trying when the disillusionment hits hard come Christmas break (Moir, 2011).
Although I have not yet faced the first-year
teacher blues, I am trying to translate some of the pressure I feel as a parent
of two children (one preschooler, one newborn), with a spouse also in graduate
school, living in a foreign country, into coping strategies that will be useful
when I finally start to teach. I am seeking support from current teachers by
asking questions about early learning and the importance of play. I have sought
training on phonological awareness and grapho-motor development so as to build
partnerships with teachers in the community ahead of time. I'm trying to peel back the cultural onion of families in Hong Kong through play ground chats, so I can relate to parents in my future school better.
I am also working
hard to laugh about the things that simply do not go perfectly—letting go of
the ideal of homemade baby food may be perfect preparation for disappointing
bulletin boards. I know the season of my imperfect but best-I-can studenthood
will ultimately benefit my future kindergarten students. They will see a human
being who works hard to maintain professional standards as an educator, imparting a love of reading, writing, and all kinds of learning, calling any perfectly trimmed bulletin boards icing on the cake.
References
Brown, D. (2012). Now that I know. Educational Leadership, May 2012, 24-48.
Moir, E. (2011). Phases of first year teaching. Retrieved from: file:///Users/holizhar/Downloads/Moir%202011.pdf
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