Published: July 28, 2008

Teaching Secrets: Five Tips for the New Teacher

As the average birth year of our school faculty begins to dip below the year I began teaching, it becomes apparent that I am what some would consider an "experienced teacher." That and my tendency to repeat myself. It occurred to me not long ago that there are expressions I use over and over when giving advice to beginning teachers. Here, in no particular order, are some possibly useful maxims from Ms. Rigsbee’s Guide to the Teaching Life.

1. Hit the floor running and breathe when you leave.

I have always been one of the first teachers to pull into the parking lot in the mornings. Getting to work a good 20 to 30 minutes before the "official" start time is necessary for me. First of all, it gives me time to think quietly about my day. Also, it alleviates the problem of standing in line at a copy machine (or finding a jammed copy machine that was left blinking wildly by a teacher who didn't attempt to fix it). After the copies are made, the agenda and goals are on the board, and the room is ready, there's time for nice adult conversations (there may not be another opportunity until after school) and opportunities for relationship...