Top 10 Secrets & Lies from The Teacher Locker Series
4 Min Read • Inspiration
Welcome to the Teacher Locker Series where we are unlocking secrets and revealing the perfect combination of resources to have an effective and successful start to the new school year.
Let’s take a look at what’s inside the Teacher Locker this week:
Secrets & Lies From Teacher Locker Series
We are getting ready for Back to School so we have planned a FREE Workshop tomorrow that will detail how to implement these secrets and avoid these lies from the first day of school. So let’s get you started by opening the door to my
Top 10 Secrets & Lies
We teach various subjects… LIE
We teach children first.
Secret #10: Teach the Child
It is so important, as we enter a new school year, that we take the time to build relationships and trust. Especially when teaching high school. These relationships will help us to make decisions based on the children’s needs allowing us to teach the child first.
Teach like your teachers taught you… LIE
Our world changes, so must our practice.
Secret #9: Don’t Repeat History
Just because you were taught one way, doesn’t mean everyone learns that same way. Additionally, the way you taught last year, might not work with your new set of students. Once you have built strong relationships with students, you can begin to teach them the way they need to be taught.
Don’t ask for help, it makes you look weak... LIE
Teaching is the one profession where asking for help is a strength.
Secret #8: Build a Village
There is strength in numbers. Ask for help and ask often. Build a team of support. Find fellow teachers who share the same philosophies and work together because all of your students “live” in that same school village, and it takes the whole village to reach the children.
Use the pre-packaged curriculum… LIE
All curriculum must be tailored to fit your students.
Secret #7: There’s No Prescription
You cannot create a prescription for learning. Be ready to modify everything. You may find great resources, or someone will pass on a great lesson, but don’t be fooled. No resource can be turn-keyed without modification, not even the ones you used last year. You must modify everything to make it your own and even more importantly you must tailor it to meet the needs of your students.
Success means all students pass their tests and go to college... LIE
We cannot push our personal biases upon our children.
Secret #6: Break the Box
We all enter the profession with personal biases. We don’t mean to, but they exist. Determine your biases, acknowledge them, and then let them go. As you build relationships with your new set of students try to learn their beliefs and values and then teach to those. We must step outside our personal box because the definition of success is different for everyone.
You have to act like a teacher... LIE
There is no “right” way to “act” as a teacher.
Secret #5: Just be You
Teachers sometimes try to conform to a “teacher personality.” This facade will make your job harder. Embrace yourself and be genuine and real in the classroom from day one. Your students will appreciate it and in turn, they will trust you more.
You can save them... LIE
You can’t save them all, but you can find people to help.
Secret #4: Catch & Release
You will believe that you can save them all, but that is impossible. This doesn’t mean give up, we never stop trying, but recognize when you are just “not their person,” and then find someone who is.
Failure is not an option... LIE
You will fail, and it is OK.
Secret #3: The Failure Option
You will fail, and you will fail big, we all do. But it is OK. Everything takes practice, so embrace each failure as an opportunity to grow. Don’t beat yourself up over it; learn from it, and move on. All greatness takes much practice.
You must have done something... LIE
Don’t take anything personally, chances are it has nothing to do with you.
Secret #2: It’s Not Personal
You can’t take anything personally in this profession, so start growing your thick skin. Your students deal with many things on a daily basis, so their reactions are often due to outside circumstances, not you. Think about it, their world consists of 50% school and 50% home, so if one thing goes wrong, that’s half their world that is upside down. So don’t take anything personally.
Teach… LIE
Don’t teach… Reach!
Secret #1: Stop Teaching
The word teach, by definition, means to impart knowledge. This promotes passive learning as students sit and listen to you, the teacher. Instead, reach your students by creating an environment that promotes active learning and student ownership. The more the students drive their education, the more they learn.
