Want to Become a Better Teacher? Put Your Students Before the Content

Want to Become a Better Teacher? Put Your Students Before the Content

Jennifer Casa-Todd is currently a teacher-librarian, a former literacy
consultant and English teacher, and the author of Social LEADia: Moving
Students from Digital Citizenship to Digital Leadership. She uses technology
and social media to learn and share learning, empower and celebrate others,
and make a positive impact on others:

The first thing I would say is to remember to put students before content. I
had subscribed to the idea that the integrity of my subject was the most
important thing in the world. I rarely got to know kids, except if it
connected to a book or story we were reading. I learned quickly how much more
fulfilling my course could be when it was anchored on their interests and
passions.

I began the first days of school with diagnostic assessments which helped me
determine their skills but did very little to establish community and get to
know my students. When I changed this practice, there was a definite shift in
the culture of my classroom. One thing I shifted to was to have kids create a
Bitmoji scene, asking them what makes them unique. Teachers created these for
their students, but I thought it would be a cool way to help me get insight
into their writing and their digital literacy skills, but I was also able to
get to know my students, and they were able to get to know each other. I
invite them to add their favorite things, a playlist of their favorite songs,
how they learn, etc. … We would then share with one another.

The second most important lesson I learned is to be intentional about
assessment: what you assign and evaluate. I remember bringing home piles of
essays and assignments to grade, giving kids so much busywork and then feeling
like I needed to evaluate it all. I was exhausted, so were the kids, and the
assignments themselves ended up being worth so little.

The more I allowed for peer and self-assessment, the easier it was for me to
evaluate the final product. Self-assessment allowed for students to set their
own goals and reflect on their learning, while peer assessment helps students
refine criticism skills and improve their work. The time I spend explicitly
teaching and scaffolding how to self- and peer assess is definitely worth it
in the end. I write more about peer feedback here.

Thirdly, I learned that the more involved your students are in the routines
and practices of the classroom, the more effectively your classroom will run
and the more you will enjoy teaching. For example, I used to kill myself
trying to find a fun and challenging riddle of the day or quote of the day;
when I shifted the practice to having students do this, the result was not
only less work for me but more engaging for them. I also always made sure to
have a tech expert helping me support other students in the classroom, while
allowing a student who may not have been the most academic to shine and lead
in the classroom.

Posting to social media? Why not have a public relations rotation in which
students could consolidate the learning in the classroom by creating a social
media post (which they would compose and you as the adult actually post); this
helps kids learn about digital citizenship, tone, purpose, and audience
without them actually being on social media themselves.

I would definitely tell my first-year teacher self that positive things happen
when you relinquish control and give some to your students.

When I obtained my teacher certification 20 years ago, I loved being a student
and learning. I couldn’t wait to share that passion with my students. I was
young, idealistic, hard-working, and eager to be the best teacher possible.
But I was overwhelmed. I felt I needed to incorporate the best teaching
practices into my instruction each day and I didn’t know how to do that. It
was hard when all the “shoulds” I needed in my lessons seemed in conflict with
each other. For example, I needed to give students choice to give them a sense
of agency in the classroom, but I shouldn’t give too much choice otherwise I
would be seen as a pushover and my students would think they were in control
of the class. Here is the advice I would have given myself back then:

Give it time – Don’t rush your growth and development as a teacher. Trust that
you can and will figure out how to be the best teacher possible, but it will
take more experience. Don’t overthink it, but give yourself time to live and
grow into being a teacher.

I made so many mistakes when I started out teaching. Now, I understand that
was OK. It is part of the process of figuring out how to be a teacher.
Teaching is not like solving a math problem. You cannot plug in the variables
and get out exactly what you expected. Teaching is too fluid, multifaceted,
and complex. It takes trial and error in the classroom to figure it all out.
Time for reflection, introspection, honesty, and humility is critical to this
process.

Don’t try and do it all – Do what feels right for who you are. Not every
strategy will work for you. Pick and choose what works for you. Tweak
strategies so they feel natural and reflect who you are as a person.

In the beginning, I tried to copy other teachers I admired by being a strict
disciplinarian, but that did not work. Teaching that way did not feed my soul
or seem authentic. I began to incorporate who I was into my teaching style,
and that made a huge difference to my sense of competency. You don’t have to
use every strategy in every lesson. A few best practices regularly implemented
lead to effective instruction. Good strategies work because they are high
impact. Teachers cannot ruin learning for their students with one bad lesson.
There is no such thing as perfection in this job because there is no end
point. Your skills are—and should be—constantly expanding and developing.

You WILL learn not to take student behavior personally – A bad day will not
always lead you to crying on your way home. You will not always see student
misbehavior as a reflection of you and your skill as a teacher but as a way to
learn new information about who this student is and what they are going
through. You will be able to come in the next day and continue to create a
positive relationship with this student.

The negative reactions of parents, students, and colleagues to my choices in
the classroom earlier in my career felt personal and extremely upsetting. They
would cause me to question myself, triggering my self-doubt and insecurities.
But, in time, these situations were not so upsetting. I acquired the
experience and outlook necessary to put these events in perspective and gained
the confidence to know that I can work through it.

It would be important for my brand-new teacher self to hear this so I would
not have spent the first years of my teaching career constantly anxious and
filled with self-doubt. I would have been able to enjoy the process. And it
would have saved me from many sleepless nights filled with worry and dread.

Irina McGrath, Ph.D., is an assistant principal at Newcomer Academy in the
Jefferson County public schools in Louisville, Ky. She is a co-creator of the
ELL2.0 Google site and enjoys creating and sharing resources to support
English-learners and teachers of ELs. Irina is also a co-director of the
Louisville Writing Project (LWP) and a University of Louisville and Indiana
University Southeast adjunct professor:

Looking back on my career as an educator, there are several things I wish I
knew when I first started teaching in a large and diverse urban district. As a
new teacher, I channeled fundamental lessons from my college courses—such as
the importance of relationships in the classroom, building a community that
encourages risk taking and supports creativity, setting reasonable
expectations for student academic success, and stimulating student
engagement—however, as I quickly realized, there was much more to learn in the
role than what was taught in college.

For instance, I did not know the extent to which emotions affect everything
that happens in school. Throughout the day, students experience emotions
toward each other and their teachers; toward topics discussed in class and
classroom activities that involve writing and reading, listening, and
speaking. For example, students who experienced limited success with writing
and do not view themselves as writers, might feel anxious about the upcoming
essay and set themselves for a less successful experience compared with
students who enjoy writing. Topics discussed in class can also evoke strong
emotions in students—from excitement and indifference to boredom and
frustration—based on their level of interest and subsequent desire to engage
with the subject.

As teachers, we must skillfully navigate our students’ emotions and channel
them in ways that support their academic and social growth. One way to
successfully do that is by getting to know your students via a simple activity
called Classroom Scrapbook. In this activity, each student is given one page
to decorate with photos, stickers, and drawings that help describe who they
are and what their history is in a visual manner. They can also create
collages or stand-alone drawings as the visual component of the project. Next,
they craft a letter to their teacher that continues that narrative with a
deeper discussion on things they wish their teachers knew about them like
their dreams, challenges they face, happy or sad memories.

Another thing I learned as a teacher is that students struggle with retaining
information because the human brain is “wired to forget.” Over the years, I
discovered strategies to help students remember, and one of them is to present
information multiple times using multiple formats such as videos, podcasts,
practice tests, and more. Another one stems from the fact that students love
listening to stories, and, as a result, it has been found that teaching
materials as if you are telling a story and engaging emotions can lead to
better retention and recall. Additionally, teaching students specific
strategies such as reading aloud, creating flashcards or mnemonics, and
reviewing before bedtime can help with memory and recall.

As an experienced educator, it is remarkable to see how much I have learned in
addition to my basic teacher education in college years ago. The examples I
have provided are only a small insight into the growth I have experienced in
the 20 years I have spent in education as a teacher, instructional coach, and
an administrator, and I expect that I will continue to discover new and
effective ways I can impact my students and help them achieve their dreams.

Susie Katt is the K-2 mathematics coordinator in Lincoln, Neb. Latrenda
Knighten is the elementary math-curriculum content trainer in Baton Rouge, La.
Georgina Rivera currently serves as a school administrator for the Bristol
public schools in Connecticut . John SanGiovanni works as a mathematics
coordinator in Howard County, Md., leading curriculum development, digital
mathematics education, assessment, and professional learning:

#1 Know and love your students and families

The first piece of advice seems so simple. Know your students. Love your
students. With standards to teach, meetings to attend, and assignments to
grade, getting to know (we mean really know) your students can get lost. To
avoid this, begin the school year by getting to know your students’ identities
and also sharing yours. One simple way to do this is to have students write “
I am …” statements on sentence strips where they include their culture,
hobbies, and any roles they may have. When each student shares their “I am”’
statement, you get to know about your students, and they learn about one
another. When you share your own statement, your students also get to know
about you and see how everyone in the classroom is connected. Revisiting
activities like this to continue to learn about your students throughout the
school year is when students truly feel loved!

As first-year teachers, you may feel intimidated or unsure of how to best
connect with families. We know we did! When you take the time to ask families
about their children, they feel loved! One way to get to know your families is
to survey them by asking questions about family traditions, values, and
important characteristics about their child. Family surveys help us connect
with families and learn about the students in our classrooms. The act of
reaching out is an important act of love for each and every student and their
family!

#2 Find joy in your work every day

Let your students know you love what you do! Show the passion for teaching and
learning that first encouraged you to become a teacher. Sure, there’s pressure
to get students to perform, but learning doesn’t come from dread and
obligation. It comes from excitement and laughter. Your excitement and passion
will make the difference in the outcome of your daily lessons. As a result of
your excitement for learning, your students will also get excited about their
learning! Focusing on your love for teaching will help to fill your days with
student learning and joy!

There may be days you find yourself thinking about the lesson that didn’t go
well or the parent meeting that could have gone better. Don’t dwell on these
things, as they can wear you down. Rather, look for the little things that
bring joy to your day. It may be as simple as cherishing a student’s smile
when they solve a two-step problem or watching them tackle a multiplication
problem using a new representation taught just the day before. Take time at
the end of each day to reflect on the accomplishments of your students and
remind yourself that you had a hand in helping them be successful!

#3 Commit to getting good at one thing at a time

“Teaching is my superpower” is a popular phrase; however, as a new teacher,
it’s important to remember to leave the superhero tactics behind. Great
teachers know getting good at everything in the first year is an impossible
task, so they focus on getting better at one new teaching practice at a time.
They are committed to improvement and are OK when things don’t work out! Yet
they are never satisfied until they achieve their goal and never try to learn
all there is to learn at once. Our final piece of advice is commit to getting
good by working on one practice at a time.

The best way to begin is to narrow your focus and identify which teaching
practices work well and which need adjusting for your students. For example,
every math lesson begins with a well-planned opening, time for students to
grapple with rigorous tasks, and a closing. Focus on learning how to
incorporate resources and strategies which include these components: Allow
your students to think, talk about math, and make sense of math concepts on
their own. To get better, engage in regular reflections (individually and with
your students) and use your findings to make intentional and informed changes.
Focusing on one teaching practice at a time and getting really good will help
both you and your students feel successful at the end of that first year!