I'll be a teacher next year and I need your advice

[Aaron]

Second what PF has said. I had a Year 9 group earlier this term and tbh I got the feeling they've been told / have got accustomed to the idea that they're just bad at maths. I remember a situation where I was absent (but still at school) and they were doing a test - came in mid-way through to see how things were going and had 3 of them sitting there doing nothing. I identified a group of boys that sat up the back and barely did anything.. I'd put in extra effort and gave them plenty of 1-on-1 encouragement because they needed it the most. Encouragement is critical - maths *in particular* is a discipline that is often quite negative in terms of thoughts/attitudes from students. "Well i'm either good at maths or i'm not"... the thing is, growth mindset says we can all get better if we work towards goals and believe we can do better. If we accept that we're crap at maths, then nothing is going to change. Same principles can be applied in any discipline. Even if they're small goals, we can all get better if the effort is applied. Nothing is fixed.

Of course, if (as a teacher), you neglect the students because your perception is that they don't want to learn.. then a) the job is not being done correctly and you should be sacked, and b) they are going to think you don't care or don't want to put in the effort needed to help them or even acknowledge them. Again, goes back to my previous post where I discuss perception and mental health. VERY important - these things are often not considered by teachers but they are very real. Everybody has a capacity to learn - it's our job as teachers to make the work relevant so that interest and engagement can be possible.

Just another thing: do not apply the same teaching principles to all of your classes. You'll find that when you teach, what works for one class will almost certainly not work for the other. It's about finding strategies etc. that works for the class you're teaching. VCE classes are much more structured in the sense that there's a study design, usually an accompanying textbook and usually a pre-defined schedule/planner that tells you what you have to do and when. For middle years (for the purpose of this post, this refers to 7-9 in particular), you have a ton more flexibility and therefore the same pedagogy does not necessarily work like it would at 11+12.

[PhoenixxFire]

- Extend your high achieving students by giving them tougher work to ensure they don't bored and complacent in class

Also, 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.

[EEEEEEP]

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!

Bad moments that really stick out to be:
- When teachers that allow kids to just do anything and cannot take control of the classroom (Utterly hated it and transferred out of the class)

Seriously, even though, there are disruptive kids, it doesn't mean they should take all the attention and make the class be behind by a few lessons. I know it totally isn't the teacher's fault, but I always transferred out of classes in future years if I had such classes like that.

*Obviously I know that some teachers just don't want to come off as too strict, but if it's been going on for a few lessons... seriously... escalate it*

- When teachers "just" refer to the textbook (and are not familiar with material)
I have known a few teachers through my years that just "refer to the textbook" and simply do not know their stuff. One experience sticks out, where a teacher ALWAYS had to refer to their textbook and even got their answers wrong quite a few times.

I'm not going to go on a high horse and say that I know best, but if certain teachers are getting answers wrong (and even causing students more confusion), it's pretty bad.

Now for the good 

Good moments that stick out:
- Teachers that cater to different levels
It feels great, when a teacher just, does not have to slow down content, to the students that struggle the most. It frustrates me most, when I am one of the "higher" achievers in the class and isn't bored in class. It feels as though the teacher understands the situation and doesn't just use a one size, fits all model.

- Teachers that have discipline from students
God, it's the best feeling when classes zip by just like that, without having, kids do the following, (distract teacher, push the teacher to their limits, make funny noises). The learning process is just so much easier.  Also, less headaches, wanting to bang my head on the table etc..

[owidjaja]

I've had numerous experiences with teachers, both old and young, good and "bad" (it's difficult to define a 'bad teacher' but the teacher a lot of people disliked the most was a math teacher I had last year who never had a clear direction in where she was going in terms of content and didn't even have hope for our class). Here are a few things I've observed:

- Be open to criticism from students, parents, colleagues. I knew teachers who got salty after Parent-Teacher Interviews and would rant to their class the next day
- Find a way to connect with your students and actually show that you care for the student's wellbeing. Your students should be comfortable enough to tell you if they're stressed or if they're struggling with something. My friend and I got really close to our physics teacher because not only did we talk a lot about gaming, historical events and heavy metal music, but we also ranted to him about a lot of personal issues.
- Also show some discipline. A lot of young teachers got trampled over, an example being a sub-Modern teacher I had in Term 1. It was unfortunate because he actually had the potential to be a good teacher but he was too lenient. I guess the challenge with teachers is finding the balance between discipline and nurturing.
- If there are any students that are struggling, (if possible) offer additional support like 1-on-1 sessions after school or holding tutorials/seminars for the class. Before half-yearlies and Trials, my year-coordinator shared with us a schedule on which teachers from different subjects would be staying after school. A week before HSC exams started, my school was holding seminars. Out of all of these seminars, I've never seen a teacher from the science department offer additional help since the Science Coordinator didn't want any of the science teachers to hold seminars, which isn't the greatest confidence booster for the class because it kinda feels like the teacher doesn't really care. (Note: I don't think it would be realistic to do this every single term, but it would be great to show some additional support to students).
- Be genuine with your students (I think this sounds a bit vague so let me elaborate). As a teacher, I would assume that you enjoy helping other students grow. Show that you're passionate about teaching. I had to deal with a lot of teachers who showed that they didn't care about their students. It was also obvious that if a student did well in their exams (whether they got a Band 6 or a good ATAR overall), they were like "without ME the student couldn't have gotten a Band 6/90+ ATAR" and then they use that to brag. A lot of teachers also like to brag how many students got a Band 6 in each cohort, which to me kinda shows that they don't really see us as students but more like CV boosters.

Good luck with your teaching career

[spectroscopy]

This may not be applicable and especially depends where you teach, but teaching your kids in the way they learn best is a huge one for me.

Me personally I get 0 benefit from hearing people talk, I need to read information. For most of my schooling though the teachers felt the need to keep everyone in the fkn room and just talk talk talk for ages which gave me the shits and I used to get distracted cos I just didnt take anything in and I would start talking/playing games.

However when I moved schools my school was an extreme example of freedom (probably an outlier school being a select entry where there were minimal behaviour concerns). I used to stay in class for the first 5 minutes where the teacher would update us on upcoming tests/homework/what we have to learn and then before they got cracking on the main 'teaching' component of the class myself and a few others would go study in an open space/breakout area and just read the material and progress through it. After the teacher was done 'teaching' the main class they would usually walk around and check up on the kids who had scattered outside the class and help with any questions then go back to the main class again and it worked REALLY well for me.

The subject I did shittest in (methods) was the one class where the teacher forced me to sit there and not leave all class, and all my 40+ classes I literally spent less than 10 minutes per class in the room for the entire period/double period and did my own thing. I dont know how applicable/achievable this will be for you but always try to remember that everyone learns differently. Some people like to read, some like to listen, some people like to DO things to learn, etc.

In essence, I think having your class as flexible as possible whilst maintaining control, and providing additional attention to people who need it as needed is the best way to approach it. Not sure how do able it is


Another one that would be great is to try and be a mentor to some kids. You obviously have limited time, but there will always be kids who have great potential but have no one to push them/work hard for/talk to about things. this is your greatest chance to make a change in someones life. I was getting pretty bad grades in high school and especially after I got hit with a huge medical thing right before VCE which carried on through year 11/12, and I really had sort of given up until eventually one of my teachers who I got along with put a lot into me.

It doesnt even have to be a lot of time necessarily  but just emotional investment and trying to push kids to do the right thing and caring about their outcomes can make a huge difference. Some people will not appreciate it, but I can honestly say there were so many times I really couldn't be bothered studying and then I thought about how disappointed this teacher would be in me if I did shit on the upcoming sac and I would spend that whole weekend studying extra hard and go from what wouldve been like 70% to a score in the high 90's. Also other things like issues at home/medical stuff I knew if I was just upfront about things with her I could make sure I had support needed to still do well (I was lucky as this teacher taught me for 2/5 subjects in VCE) and its basically the reason why I got into commerce

[Snickitty]

Haven't read the other messages so sorry if this advice is repeated (highly doubt it though )

Please pay attention to your quieter students, I know if you are teaching a large cohort its hard to pay attention to each individual, but this is something I struggled with personally and unfortunately, I believe it really has affected my overall academic performance throughout my entire schooling. I only really felt motivated towards the end of the year when I moved to a small town school for my last year - however, by then it was far too late. The reason I am such an avid user of ATAR notes is because I never felt comfortable to raise my hand and ask questions, I relied on myself and never sought advice from others. I know that to many people it will make no sense, but for me this was something that I was incapable of, due to my social anxiety. I was the type of student who would do the work but not understand it, (Watch out for these types, it is probable that we would enjoy school, if only we could understand. Help us to enjoy the subject, ensure their understanding of something before moving on, whether that be through tests or whatever) like biology for instance, I wrote notes in class but never fully understood how it all worked together in the grander scheme of things. Understanding this ultimately helped me finally understand the key concepts and terminology. Being a teacher of year 11 students is super important, as this is like their practice of what's to come in year 12. So I feel that it would be important to help your students become more receptive to the idea of learning and getting a study routine, ready for year 12. This is something that many students struggle with and I might be generalising by saying that people find school amazing when you can participate and get answers right. Unmotivated teachers were a consequence of my smaller school and I actually found myself really missing the teacher that demanded work from us every week, I'm not saying you have to be as harsh as this guy but please care about the learning of your students. I remember my year 11 English teacher saying that he wouldn't mark my essay because he had things to do as well. When you become a teacher you should prioritise your students to a degree, It doesn't have to be extensive and I understand that teachers can be extremely busy too, but those teachers who do offer their time are memorable and highly appreciated. And on a final note, be wary of over usage of kahoot. I think I was the only one who didn't enjoy that game at my school. It made me feel stupid when the teacher would call upon the one person who got the answer wrong. Please don't be that teacher.

Sorry for the large chunk of writing, and of course, this is simply my opinion and experience with school and teachers so you may choose to listen to some of my advice or none at all. Good luck with your teaching next year!

[brenden]

Loving these insights, fam - give me more, more, more!!!!!!!

[Poet]

Loving these insights, fam - give me more, more, more!!!!!!!

YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME?!!?!
jk
Umm well hello, I am probably just going to repeat a bunch of stuff other people have said (because tl;dr) but hopefully this is still somewhat helpful!

- Establish your dominance straight away. They’ll test you. I know because I’ve done it! You’ve probably done it, too First impressions are ridiculously important when you’re a new teacher, because word spreads quickly and eventually gets back to other teachers and your boss. Try and learn the student’s names and see if you can remember them off the bat – just be sure not to be fooled if some try to switch names…

- Don’t use dad jokes. Please. (Unless you want to be that one teacher)
^Your choice; Phoenixx you changed my mind >:-(

- Act professionally, but also like you really care. Pay attention to every student and treat them like people, especially in the older year levels. I’ve always hated being talked down to by teachers, and it’s pretty awful to feel like you’re doing something wrong to not gain a teacher’s respect.

- Be conscious of student’s backgrounds. Try not to listen if other teachers are gossiping about particular students; one of the most important things is to give every one of them a fresh slate in a fresh class. Some kids misbehave because they don’t feel like anyone cares if they do well or not. Make them believe in themselves, and take the time to properly listen to what they have to say.

- Seek out preferred methods of learning. Everyone has their own individual style, but there’s typically a style of teaching (group work, textbook, dynamic, individual, etc.) that the majority of the class really gets.

- Let them into your life a bit. Not all the way, just enough to show them you're human. The more your students realise that, the more they’ll come to you and be confident in their own abilities to learn from you. I think a lot of the time students subconsciously see their teachers as a different species. Not like them. Not capable of much emotion. They live at the school. You know. It’d be a good idea to bond with some of the boys over cricket or footy, or get to know some of the girls and their own interests. Remember and ask them about things you heard. And just genuinely care.

I’m sure they’ll love you as much as we do, Brendo. Good luck!!

[lacitam]

prepare your lessons beforehand, otherwise you'd look stupid and hesitate every 4 seconds

[Aaron]

prepare your lessons beforehand, otherwise you'd look stupid and hesitate every 4 seconds

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'.

If you manage to stick to a lesson plan in its entirety, you're doing something wrong.

I remember when I started teaching for the first time - I spent night after night doing detailed notes and preparing the sequence of every lesson (e.g. part 1 (20 mins) would be this, part 2 (30 mins) would be that... etc), and really I only ended up getting through the first part. Everybody learns differently and at different paces... so again, if you're sticking to your script.. something is going wrong.

Now that i've had nearly 18 months to figure out what the heck i'm doing, I do some general prep but I think you just need to accept that teaching is about adapting to the situation and going from the previous starting point. Nothing about teaching is fixed.

I think 'hesitation' is also human - especially for a graduate, this is to be expected. You're not going to be the most confident teacher out there. At times, you may feel like you're absolutely shit as a teacher because there are those with 10+ years of experience who can just let the class flow and do things naturally with minimal effort. I know i've certainly been in this situation before (and still do at times tbh) - and teaching is a fantastic profession to make mistakes and learn from them. A good school will have a fantastic induction and mentoring program... it is a requirement of all new teachers to work with a mentor to develop an inquiry project to move from provisional to full registration. I can't begin to tell you the amount of little mistakes I made, but I was fortunate to have a fantastic mentor in my first position. I can still recall the first phone call to a parent I made, regarding performance.... the 'firsts' are terrifying.

If you're a newly minted teacher and you aren't being supported or given opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them, you aren't at the right school and should find somewhere where you'll be supported.

[PhoenixxFire]

- 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)_/¯

[lacitam]

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'.

If you manage to stick to a lesson plan in its entirety, you're doing something wrong.

Hm, must have been experience for me then.
Majority of my teachers weren't the best because they just didn't prepare enough - I mean they 100% know what they're doing but just don't know how to convey it in a way where everyone understands.
The teachers you are talking about are ones that have experience teaching (therefore more likely to be better at off the cuff talks), it's quite rare to see a new teacher without any huge experience being good at this (though I don't have insight on whether this gentleman has had teaching experience)

[sweetiepi]

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. :')

(This is exciting though! Good luck! )

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.

[Aaron]

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.

Obviously if you pay for the textbook, you'd ideally be using it - but there are ways around it (even a translation from robotic textbook language to student-friendly language)... again, it's unacceptable but it's happening a lot more than it should.

You know, i'll be the first person to sook about the lack of job security and contracts.. but at least for me the idea of contract renewal puts a rocket up my ass every so often and reminds me that my job isn't locked in regardless of how good or crap I am. Motivates me to take risks, be bold, etc... whereas those on permanent positions more often than not are untouchable unless a thorough review process has been undertaken and there have been no visible signs of improvement.

i just realised this is probably the most active i've been in a thread on AN apart from mod boards and game threads... just shows you how much I love this profession.

[Bri MT]

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.

On this note, my 3/4 methods teacher didn't teach a single lesson from the textbook and was absolutely fantastic. We would get assigned problem from the textbook to work through but in class would be all about understanding the concepts and applying them to VCAA questions.

In my experience, the quickest ways to get students to not respect you were:
- only working from the textbook  ( teacher would just do sample problem from textbook on board then tell students to finsih chapter each lesson)
- even worse: having absolutely & blatantly no idea what you were doing and providing next to no guidance (telling us to just read the news and write down the title, date and author almost every lesson is not a valuable use of our time...  nor was that holiday planning "assignment"... misspelling simple words and telling us objectively incorrect information doesn't help either)
- repeatedly not keeping your word

Things that I appreciated from my English teachers (yr 7-10):
- When a student is doing well, giving them ways to improve even if they're already above the required level for that year
- Detailed debunking of common writing myths
- explaining an interpretation of the text rather than just "this is how the theme of ____ connects and what the author was trying to say"