Surviving the First Five Years of Teaching

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Surviving the First Five Years of Teaching

• or How I Learned to Love My Job

Jim Linsell
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The Approach
Know what youre getting into
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Balancing a Teacher Shortage and Teacher Attrition
30 to 50 of new teachers leave the profession
during the first five years of teaching.
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For full chart see www.edweek.org/sreports/qc00/ta
bles/salary-t1.htm
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FOCUS ON TEACHING
Michigan Virtual Universitys Collabortorium
Presentation to the State Board of
Education Kellogg Center, MSU
September 20, 2001
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Most rewarding aspects of teaching

• Being a part of something greater than yourself.
• Making a positive impact on a persons future.
• Seeing the light come on.
• Receiving unconditional love from students.
• Working and learning with other teachers.

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Least rewarding aspects of teaching

• Often not treated or regarded as a professional.
• Lack of time and resources.
• Lack of broader public understanding and support
  of public schools.
• Our curriculum cup is overflowing. Less is best!!
• We often work solo--we don't have the opportunity
  often enough to interact with our colleagues.

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Starting the climb

• What it means to become a professional
• Norms of the institution
• Being part of the school culture
• But I dont want to be an adult!

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Norms of the Institution of SCHOOL

• Come early, leave late.
• Be yourself, but look sharp.
• Its not all about you its the kids that
  matter.
• Market and promote others.
• Data formal and informal - demonstrate
  effectiveness.

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Being Part of Your School Culture

• Being a team player means
• A good teaching partner is
• Social relationships matter because

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If being a kid means

• Being an adventurous thinker,
• Taking risks,
• Learning new things,
• Making new relationships,
• Playing hard and working hard

Then dont ever grow up.
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The Slippery Road of Teacher Evaluation

• So what if your job depends on itmake it work
  for you.

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Getting to Know Your Principal
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Know the Goals

• Your goals
• Your students needs
• Your principal and
• schools goals
• Your districts goals

And then align them.
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Make the goals for your teaching go with
theoretical frameworks.

• Teaching for Understanding
• Learning Theory
• Brain-based Learning
• Current Research

Ms. Theory
Subscribe to and READ journals. www.google.com
Mr. Practice
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Be ProactiveAsk for the Feedback.

• Warm Feedback

• Cool Feedback

Things youre doing well, that work, that are
well received.
Things to add to your repertoire. Goals for next
year. We all have them.
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Take Time for Reflection
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Classroom ManagementKeeps You on the Path

• Signal and wait for attention.
• A few understandable rules.
• Train routines and procedures.
• Communicate often positives and goals with
  parents.
• Stay neutral and calm.
• Maintain students dignity.
• Document.

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More Management Tips

• Give kids lots of feedback both formal and
  informal.
• Use behavior plans and a team approach to
  reinforcing good behavior on a school-wide basis.
• Anticipate stressful days for kids (or you) and
  plan calming kinds of activities.
• Seek help from colleagues and principal.
• Keep a on your face and keep at it. It never
  ends

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Develop a File of Behavior Plans

• 1. Find generic plans and study their components
  
• Simple and observable goals
• Easy and straight-forward record keeping
• Clear rewards and consequences
• Good parent buy-in
• All stakeholders are kept informed.
• 2. Ask other teachers for their behavior plans
  and keep them on file.

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Make Plans for Children with Special Needs
We must move From deficits to STRENGTHS. From
labels to INDIVIDUAL TRAITS. From overprotection
to INDEPENDENCE. From separateness to
INCLUSIVENESS. From the IEP to A PLACE IN THE
COMMUNITY. Jacque ThompsonMichigan Department
of Education Special Education Director Council
for Exceptional Children Conference, May, 2002  
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Accommodation techniques can include

• shortening assignments,
• extending timelines,
• breaking big projects into smaller steps,
• study partners or small groups

• writing alternate test or quiz forms with
  accompanying study sheets,
• writing with a computer,
• or scribing.

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When you give 110, its the 10 thats
memorable.

• Find a niche and fill it.
• Sponsor a club
• Run a contest.
• Do a service learning project.
• Get the kids some media coverage.

Your little extras may also evolve into what is
most intrinsically satisfying to you.
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Take time for yourself
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Fitness is a part of professionalism
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In the endits the connections between people
and ideas that will get you to the top.
Good teachers possess a capacity for
connectednessamong themselves, their subjects
and their studentsThese connections are held not
in their methods but in their hearts the place
where intellect, emotion, spirit, and will
converge. Parker Palmer, The Courage
to Teach
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Thank-you. Jim Linsell www2.tcaps.net/csh/linsel
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