-Be cautious of calling out students to discuss their opinions because some get anxiety over this but I think you would be able to get a general idea of who does or doesn't. Had a sub teacher who thought it was beneficial to pick names but class just hated it.Hmmm. I initially had this view too when I started teaching and was 100% against the idea, but over time I have realised sometimes it is necessary to do this to ensure kids are paying attention. I don't think anybody likes having to speak infront of the class but again it's about the teacher building that rapport and warm environment, where all opinions are respected. Obviously if the same people are being picked on for no good reason, then that's a completely different issue that needs to be addressed. But in a general sense that is the teacher's responsibility - to build that environment where it's OK to take risks and get answers wrong.. because that's how we learn.
- Extend your high achieving students by giving them tougher work to ensure they don't bored and complacent in classAlso, it doesn't have to just be work. Just ask their opinion. It's not necessarily just giving them harder homework or whatever, but if someone's interested in a topic then just ask them about it even if it's not particularly relevant. My outdoor ed teacher and I had a very interesting conversation about the drought relief that's going to farmers, but not going to preventing climate change (the real issue causing the droughts). It was only sort of relevant to the content, but it was things like that that actually made the class engaging.
- Understand that different students learn and handle their education in different ways. This can be considered controversial, but personally I think a teacher should allow a student that wants to take responsibility for their own learning (and has shown the capacity and willingness to do so) freedom to use their class time how they wish to. Personally, this year I have been a very self directed person. I stayed weeks ahead of class and self taught myself for most of my subjects. Therefore it was extremely more beneficial for me to do whatever I wanted to do in class (same subject based, of course) rather follow the teacher's powerpoints or teachings. Most of my teachers were fine with this as I did fine in SACs but I have had teachers that outright ban such behaviour.Potentially not relevant given you're teaching english, but I second this. My math teacher this year was basically just like 'keep doing what you're doing, it's obviously working' and I was basically just putting my headphones in and working through he questions during class, not listening to his explanations of things.
Hey everyone.
Next year, I'll be a teacher!
Tell me about the moments that really stick out to you - good and bad. I'd love to hear them, hopefully you can benefit my future students!
Loving these insights, fam - give me more, more, more!!!!!!!YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME?!!?!
prepare your lessons beforehand, otherwise you'd look stupid and hesitate every 4 seconds
- Don’t use dad jokes. Please. (Unless you want to be that one teacher)This just made me realise that pretty much all of the teachers I like use dad jokes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Don't agree with this - some of the best lessons i've taught are ones that I haven't prepped for much. Teaching is a very dynamic occupation (I would even class teaching as a vocation, really) - the best lesson plans often have to be significantly modified part-way through. Thinking on your feet is a core requirement of teaching - the teachers who can't do that are the ones that 'hesitate'.Hm, must have been experience for me then.
If you manage to stick to a lesson plan in its entirety, you're doing something wrong.
This just made me realise that pretty much all of the teachers I like use dad jokes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯+1 for dad jokes. I personally love them, but it depends on the person. :)
Caleb basically stole what I was going to say, but whatever you do, please don't do what one of my old maths teachers did and read textbooks copied onto word. That year in maths was a huge snorefest. :')Stuff like this makes me very angry. This is not teaching.... and quite often than not these are VCE teachers who have gotten very comfortable in their own ways (usually old-er teachers who have been doing the same thing year in year out). This year I taught VCE Maths for the first time and textbook should really be the bare minimum. I created CAS guides and notes for my students in addition to worked examples, worksheets etc. so like, there is so much you as a teacher can do to embed creativity, just because there's a study design and it's senior, doesn't mean you still can't change things up.
Stuff like this makes me very angry. This is not teaching.... and quite often than not these are VCE teachers who have gotten very comfortable in their own ways (usually old-er teachers who have been doing the same thing year in year out). This year I taught VCE Maths for the first time and textbook should really be the bare minimum. I created CAS guides and notes for my students in addition to worked examples, worksheets etc. so like, there is so much you as a teacher can do to embed creativity, just because there's a study design and it's senior, doesn't mean you still can't change things up.
This year I taught VCE Maths for the first time and textbook should really be the bare minimum. I created CAS guides and notes for my students in addition to worked examples, worksheets etc. so like, there is so much you as a teacher can do to embed creativity
So, a hostage is in a bunker. The 5 is the number of guards outside. You need to take them out first with a \(-\)...
Then, you get into the bunker and get rid of the 3 in there with a bit of division...
Been reading through this thread again... I start school in less than three weeks!
Would love more feedback from anyone out there with some insights!!
I enjoyed Year 8 prac but HATED theory. I remember selecting my electives for Year 9 and didn’t even think about continuing Visual Arts because that’s how much I loathed theory. I wasn’t as good as the other girls in my class and I literally couldn’t comprehend contemporary art at all. But then a miracle lesson happened. The works of Christo and Jeanne Claude blew my mind. At first when you first showed their works, I frankly thought they were shit. Like complete shit. Then you began describing the work. Fabric. Blanket. Cover. Then you began elaborating more. All the artists do is cover specific landscapes. And of course you gave the answer to the question I had in my head; why? The artists gives us an opportunity to view the world in a different way through art. And then I knew I had to continue Visual Arts in Year 9. This is the best decision I have ever made in my life.
Student #1: Don't be late
Bea: Stop worrying
Student #2: Stop worrying
Student #3: check the time of your exam
Student #4: keep those adjectives flowing
Student #5: Don't use as many adjectives
Student #6: another few marks in that Section 2 and you'll cream it
Student #7: look closely at the question
Student #8: you've been improving so much, make this your best
Student #9: write BIGGER
Student #10: keep relating back to the question
Nearly forgot to post in this thread but I'll post now!Incredible, ty
Out of my 13 years of primary and secondary education, I would have to say that my Visual Arts teachers from Years 8/9 to 12 were the best ones I've had and here's why. I'll specifically talk about one teacher- I'll call her Susan in this thread. To add context, I've had Susan for Year 8 to 12 (my other teacher I had from Year 9 to 12) and she's the only teacher at my school I've had every year. Not even my homeroom teacher was consistent.
Susan wasn't just a teacher- she was a mentor, a friend and a leader. Not exactly a mother but more like an aunt- you guys aren't 100% related but she put in so much effort that she felt like she was your mother. She always had our backs in Visual Arts and even in our personal lives.
What made Susan stand out from the rest of my teachers- was her innate passion for art. It is so damn important for a teacher to be passionate about their subject/s because that will certainly brush onto the students and they will be more motivated to work harder and try their best. Susan just knew every bit and piece of her art knowledge. Even when she had presentations in class- most teachers would have a huge chunk of text on the screen. Susan didn't- she just had a picture of the artwork on screen and the information would just come out of her mouth. Just like that. No text reference. That's because she really knew her shit and had a clear passion for it. The way she articulated the information was so easy to understand and as mentioned- that's because she really knew her shit therefore making it easier for her to explain everything and was ready to answer any question from us.personal anecdote break lolI was planning to drop Visual Arts at the end of Year 8 (since in Year 9 VA was only available as an elective). My stubbornness refused to know why a post modern work had so much meaning. I thought it was complete bullshit. I loved the practical side of Visual Arts but hated the theoretical part. I wanted to like the theory part but just didn't know how. The day of when our Year 9 elective preferences were due at the end of the day, we had Visual Arts before lunch time. At this point in time, I had History Elective and French as my preferences. I really wanted to give art theory another chance because I knew how much it would suck if I just let go of art completely because I hated theory. I sat there in class and let my stubbornness leave my body and try to appreciate art theory. Susan talked about this post-modern artwork. I thought 'bloody bullshit'. But I let myself be open minded during that class. (For context look up the works of Jeanne Claude and Christo on google or something). Down below is an excerpt from my thank you letter to Susan the day of my graduation in 2017.
And I agree- it was the best decision I have ever made. As soon as the class ended, I ran back to the student office and immediately changed my elective preference to Visual Arts. Her passionate for the arts has influenced me so much that it consistently became my best subject throughout high school. You might think- art is an easy subject. And to that I say- bloody bullshit. It's not. The fact that my decision to swap electives at the last minute was yes- spontaneous but in a good way. I now love art theory (to the point where I prefer it more than prac actually). I now even study a creative arts degree for my tertiary studies. I can't imagine doing some commerce or engineering degree- so to that I am forever grateful for that one art theory class back in Year 8 (2013) that's changed my life. Thank you Susan.
Another thing- there's a difference between a good teacher and a GREAT teacher. A good teacher would simply- mark your practice essays, stay after class for a bit to explain something further, taught really well. A teacher could stop there. But no- they can always move up one level and become a GREAT teacher. A great teacher is one who knows their students well enough to cater to their personal and academic needs. A great teacher is one who will approach you one on one rather than generalising the entire class. A great teacher is one who will treat you like a friend rather than a student apart of their job.
Susan took her time throughout the year to know our needs and personalised/customised some artists and art theory information that were beneficial to our art works (as part of our major work- ongoing artwork that we had to consistently work on throughout year 12). She knew the perfect artists and the perfect mediums for us to use. Susan would consistently make jokes and roast us to break that teacher/student boundary and turn it into a mentor/mentee and friend/friend relationship. I even remember we got sent an email from Susan and our art teacher, the day before our HSC arts exam. Most of my teachers for my other subjects sent out general 'good luck' emails. That was nice of them but it was just Susan and our other art teacher personalised our good luck email with advice specific for everyone. To add context, I will add below what they wrote down (I will put Student # instead of their names for the sake of my classmates privacy)
Even though their individual advice for everyone in the class was short and sweet- but the fact that they gave us advice that catered specifically for each and everyone of us, shows that they really knew us.
It sucks that Susan has decided to leave my school this year because that would mean that the current Year 12 students and the years below would never experience her amazingness. I believe it's important for every student to experience what I had experience because teachers aren't just teachers- they're leaders and role models. What they say and teach can change someone's life. They have this ridiculous amount of power to influence the next generation of leaders and it's important to use that for the better.
TL;DR Have a clear passion and know your students personally (if possible!) and know that you are invested in their future. Don't just look at your job as a teacher as just a job. Look at it being the leader for this generation and inspiring the leaders of our future.
(apologies if there are any typos!)
Hows teaching been going so far? :)Pretty fantastically! I'm seriously loving it. It's exhausting... I can barely stop myself falling asleep right now, I've been lying in bed since I got home hahaha. But it's just brilliant. I feel motivated knowing the importance of the work and my students have been surprisingly fantastic. I have a Year 11 VCE English class, the Year 10 advanced English class, a Year 11 VCAL literacy class, and I'm helping out a group of year 12s after school once a week, so that's exciting, too.
You are the best!no u r 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
Nearly at the end of my first semester teaching, and getting so much from it... Year 12 is heating up. Winter's here, Year 12s have SACs and internal exams flying at them and I think people are starting to realise that the end is coming and the game's for real.
I think a lot of relationships are getting there at this time, probably 5 months into meeting students I feel like we're getting mutual understandings of each other that makes working together much easier and more comfortable. Bloody hell, being back at a school reminds me just how fucking tough Year 12 is... I don't envy those of you that are there right now! Keep at it, the slog is worth it in the end.
Thanks everyone for your responses to this thread. I feel like I'm finding my feet well as a teacher and keep a lot of these things in mind.
Nearly at the end of my first semester teaching, and getting so much from it... Year 12 is heating up. Winter's here, Year 12s have SACs and internal exams flying at them and I think people are starting to realise that the end is coming and the game's for real.
I think a lot of relationships are getting there at this time, probably 5 months into meeting students I feel like we're getting mutual understandings of each other that makes working together much easier and more comfortable. Bloody hell, being back at a school reminds me just how fucking tough Year 12 is... I don't envy those of you that are there right now! Keep at it, the slog is worth it in the end.
Thanks everyone for your responses to this thread. I feel like I'm finding my feet well as a teacher and keep a lot of these things in mind.
Well done brenden.
I was in your exact position 4 years ago (I'm in the middle of my 5th year teaching, albeit I'm a maths teacher), and I always wondered how to approach things.
I find that I don't view teaching as a "job" or as "work" but as a chance to showcase how awesome maths is and that it can be a lot of fun. I know that Methods and Specialist are tough and can be a massive slog at times, but the key is to be persistent and keep on top of things, and always ask for help, no matter how small or hard the question is. I'm sure English would be similar.
Well done again. It's a rewarding profession, you might find yourself up until 2 in the morning some nights trying to get through a mountain of paperwork/exam writing etc, but the knowledge that students will find the resources helpful is priceless :)
If you're not in it for a salary than please be committed and empathetic. Thank you!
From what I've heard teachers usually have pretty crap salaries for the amount of work they do, including outside of normal school hours, so doubt they're in it for the $$$.
It sounds as though your students are lucky to have you. 👍 Thanks for sharing this.
From what I've heard teachers usually have pretty crap salaries for the amount of work they do, including outside of normal school hours, so doubt they're in it for the $$$.