Tuesday Teaching Tips & Tricks #2

Hi Friends!

It is time for yet again another addition of my Tuesday Teaching Tips & Tricks. Please enjoy and feel free to comment or share this post.

Today's Tip & Trick

Making Lasting Bonds

The best way to get a sense of a school’s culture is to observe other teachers in their classroom and create a lasting mentor/mentoree bond. When I went around to visit other classrooms as a first year teacher, I wrote down a lot of small things they did that I thought worked in my room. I suggest writing down routines, incentives, reward systems and classroom management of the teacher(s) you observe. Please keep in mind that there are a TON of things teachers do. Do not feel that you should do everything another teacher does. In fact, you really don't have to incorporate anything unless you really feel it will work for your room. 

Seeing other teachers in action not only allows you to see what type of culture they have in their room, it also gives you an idea of what teachers you can go to for advice. Finding teachers with a unique but similar teaching style to your own will help. I found it very difficult to work with any teacher whose teaching style was drastically different than mine. In those cases, it was difficult for either of us to make suggestions. You need to have an equal understanding of what goes on in each others classrooms so you can build off one another and share ideas.  

You can also ask those fellow teachers to sit in on your class and provide you with feedback. If possible, request a mentor or a grade level partner, or identify a fellow teacher in your department who you can go to for advice. If there is anything I have learned from teaching, it is to really find someone you can trust and make a bond with. Whether this is your mentor teacher or just another person working in your school. Making a lasting bond with another teacher will provide you with someone that you will always feel comfortable talking to and asking for advice. If you do not make a bond with another teacher, life in your school will be difficult!