Tip 86: Planning
Stay on top of planning. Once you fall behind, it is very difficult to catch up. I think what separates great teachers from average teachers is their ability to plan and to stay on top of their administrative work. We have to document everything our students do; we have to plan our classes and we’ve got to present it to the school and to the department, so it is very important for us as teachers to have our planning set and also to keep up with all the work we do. You do not want to go into a classroom unprepared, so you should have your lesson planning, weekly planning, and planning for the term in place.
You should also have your grading done, what activities will you do, and get your resources for all these things planned out in advance. So, it is tough if you have to walk into class and pull a lesson out of nowhere. It is very difficult to make sure that your planning is correct, and it’s ready for whenever you have your classes. Also, constantly rework your planning to make sure that it’s optimal for your students. Try out new activities. Look at what worked and what didn’t work and prepare for the future. That, in short, is what planning involves for a teacher.
Tip 87: Write it Down
Document everything. Make sure you are organized and record notable events that take place in class. You’ve got your planning, but you’ve also got your grading. You’ve got your student information and have to write everything that happens involving your students and activities.
Make a note of misbehavior in class so that you can talk to other teachers, or perhaps with the parents.
Also, dot down the good moments in class and those activities that worked well. The same if something didn’t really quite work out the way you intended. Make a note so that you will remember to fix it in the future.
It is up to us as teachers to document everything, because sometimes even a small detail can have an effect on your class in the future, or if somebody asks about it and with so much going on in class, it is very easy to forget things.
Have your filing in order so it’s easy for you to write down something about a student, about class behavior, or something about your planning.
It is also very important for updating your schedules and whatever is happening at school.
Remember, we do not work in a void. There are so many things happening outside of our classrooms. Plus, we have our personal lives too, so make sure that you write everything and document it where you can easily access it.
Tip 88: Support Network
Create a support network of other teachers at school, but also friends and family to rely on outside of school. Teaching is a daunting job, but we can cope if we have support groups of other teachers, parents, and friends that we can ask for advice and backing.
We can build a nice partnership to work and do things together. A good school has a united front of teachers and those teachers have support networks that can help them.
So too at home, where they’ve got a support network of friends and family that they can rely on when something goes wrong and need some help, or maybe feel mentally worn out, or upset about something that has happened. So, it’s very good and necessary to have some friends that can cheer you up and that you can talk to. Do not isolate yourself and don’t feel embarrassed or too proud to ask for help from your support groups. Those relationships will help you improve as a teacher and is good for your mental well-being and also for your career.
