What Would I Tell My Rookie Teacher Self?

Movies like “Back to the Future” are fun because you can go back in time, but you know that you will safely land at home. So if I starred in “Back to the Blackboard,” what advice would I give myself during my rookie year as a teacher?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help. The teachers on the left and right side of the hallway would love to offer help and advice. It is not a sign of weakness.

Know that it gets better. I remember grading a junior high math test and feeling tears roll down my cheeks as one student after another got a very low grade. It did get better. I did a better job of teaching, and the students seemed to respond to my effort.

Document as much as possible. I started teaching in the 80s, so emails were not a thing. Still, phone calls, letters, replies, and conference notes, if carefully recorded, would have saved me more than a few headaches. With today’s technology, archiving these items are easier but necessary.

Relationships matter more than rules. This does not mean that you disregard policies, but it does mean that the student knows you care. This concept is not easily learned, but it can be done. Correcting a student privately after class is so much better than a public scolding. Tell him you care.

Teaching is a marathon. As a runner, I was never exactly fast. My motto was “Start off slow and taper off.” But for some reason, my early years as a teacher seemed like a sprint. In the teaching world, having fast-twitch teaching muscles is not helpful. Slow down. Look at the big picture. As Franklin Covey would say, “Begin with the end in mind.”

I know there are more than five things I would tell my younger self, but knowing me, five is what I could handle.