Part of what makes schools such dynamic places is that they’re full of people! People who have talents, strengths, challenges, special areas of expertise, and interests and passions outside of school. Though there’s not a lot of time to connect with staff, it is an important thing to do. Here’s why:
- To avoid feeling isolated
- To get insights into your new position
- To learn the highlights of policies and procedures
- To become familiar with the personalities in your building
- To make connections, network, and find your tribe
Who can help me with…?
Your building is full of human resources! There will always be someone who can help you, but how will you find out who those humans are? Every school has experts in certain areas that you wouldn’t necessarily know from their job title. Over time you will discover who are the...
Your building is full of human resources! There will always be someone who can help you, but how will you find out who those humans are? Every school has experts in certain areas that you wouldn’t necessarily know from their job title. Over time you will discover who are the...
- informal historians in your building
- classroom management masters
- curriculum experts
- assessment gurus
- technology masters
- classroom design and organization pros
- people to give you feedback
- people to make you laugh
- Administrative Assistants/Secretaries
- Custodial Staff
- Team Leader or Department Head
- IT Staff
Unspoken Norms
What is the real purpose of…?
Every school has unspoken norms, but finding out what they are and how they affect your experience as a new staff member isn’t something you’ll find in your handbook. You will need to ask other, more seasoned staff members, questions about:
What is the real purpose of…?
Every school has unspoken norms, but finding out what they are and how they affect your experience as a new staff member isn’t something you’ll find in your handbook. You will need to ask other, more seasoned staff members, questions about:
- Lunch - Is it just to eat and socialize, or is it an informal place to discuss other issues? If you miss eating lunch with the group, will you miss important information on students, schedules, and curriculum?
- Staff meetings - Are they an opportunity for sharing and professional development or a platform for complaints? Is attendance mandatory? Are suggestions welcomed or is it best to sit quietly until the meeting is over?
- Having conversations at work...
- In the beginning, talk less and listen more
- Get to know the personalities and their roles (formal and informal)
- Observe body language
- Don’t engage in gossip
- Be mindful of what you say to whom
- In the beginning, talk less and listen more
Stress Management
Teaching is a stressful job. Besides your own stress, all of your students, coworkers, parents and basically everyone you will encounter is also dealing with some level of stress. Some stress is healthy; it helps keep people on task and pushes them to higher expectations. However, what can you do when the stress level has shifted into the unhealthy, unhelpful realm?
First, you must keep in mind that the toxic stress of others is not within your control. Repeat these words to yourself until you believe in them wholeheartedly. This is an informative video that explains toxic stress and the brain’s response to it.
There are strategies to support stressed students and to help you manage your own stress.
Next, you need to understand where your stress comes from and how to handle it. There are two main causes of a teacher’s stress: students and everything else.
Students
Students are the reason we are here, and they are a joy. They can also present us with certain challenges. Undoubtedly students will test the limits with a new teacher. They will want to know what they can ‘get away with.’ In addition to the expected limit testing and boundary pushing, many of your students are living with toxic stress — you may want to watch the video that explains toxic stress again — which affects their school performance and behavior: mainly self-regulation and the ability to form positive relationships. It is not possible or appropriate for you to know all the details of every student’s personal situation, but you can learn strategies to support students and to keep yourself calm as you predict, head off and diffuse tense situations.
Everything Else
In addition to students, you have an enormous amount of other responsibilities: planning and instruction, assessment, record-keeping, professional development, building duties and procedures, policy to understand, staff dynamics, extra and co-curricular responsibilities, expectations from administration, committee work, state mandates, meetings, etc. Your planning period will be chewed up pretty quickly, so it is important to set boundaries and know your limits to avoid adding to your own stress levels.
This two-minute video addresses teacher stress.
To avoid getting overwhelmed:
One more great (and short) video on this topic!
Teaching is a stressful job. Besides your own stress, all of your students, coworkers, parents and basically everyone you will encounter is also dealing with some level of stress. Some stress is healthy; it helps keep people on task and pushes them to higher expectations. However, what can you do when the stress level has shifted into the unhealthy, unhelpful realm?
First, you must keep in mind that the toxic stress of others is not within your control. Repeat these words to yourself until you believe in them wholeheartedly. This is an informative video that explains toxic stress and the brain’s response to it.
There are strategies to support stressed students and to help you manage your own stress.
- Know your triggers and how you respond
- Get to know your students
- Remain calm so your higher mind can function
- Find humor
- Learn about ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) from the CDC or from this informative site.
Next, you need to understand where your stress comes from and how to handle it. There are two main causes of a teacher’s stress: students and everything else.
Students
Students are the reason we are here, and they are a joy. They can also present us with certain challenges. Undoubtedly students will test the limits with a new teacher. They will want to know what they can ‘get away with.’ In addition to the expected limit testing and boundary pushing, many of your students are living with toxic stress — you may want to watch the video that explains toxic stress again — which affects their school performance and behavior: mainly self-regulation and the ability to form positive relationships. It is not possible or appropriate for you to know all the details of every student’s personal situation, but you can learn strategies to support students and to keep yourself calm as you predict, head off and diffuse tense situations.
Everything Else
In addition to students, you have an enormous amount of other responsibilities: planning and instruction, assessment, record-keeping, professional development, building duties and procedures, policy to understand, staff dynamics, extra and co-curricular responsibilities, expectations from administration, committee work, state mandates, meetings, etc. Your planning period will be chewed up pretty quickly, so it is important to set boundaries and know your limits to avoid adding to your own stress levels.
This two-minute video addresses teacher stress.
To avoid getting overwhelmed:
- Learn to say no and mean it
- Ruthlessly prioritize
- Set a schedule
- Remember to ask for help
- Don’t beat yourself up when you forget to do any of the above suggestions —- you’re only human-like everyone else!
One more great (and short) video on this topic!
Self-Reflection
How do I know it’s working? Are they learning? How do I know everyone’s needs are being addressed?
These questions are the ones that might keep us up at night. Some days we know we miss the mark with our students: a lesson flops or veers off the rails, behaviors were a distraction, or the students just didn’t get it. Not every lesson will be perfect and that’s OK! What is important is that we’re learning from what doesn’t work. If you have a terrible lesson, ask someone who is more experienced for feedback. Here are some ideas to cultivate a reflective teaching practice:
Practical Tips for Cultivating a Learning Relationship with Students (J. Orlando/Faculty Focus) - feedback from students
Fostering Reflection (L. Danielson/Educational Leadership) - various methods, with sources
The Importance of Reflection (T. Sanders/ United Federation of Teachers) - dialogue with a colleague
Five Reasons Why You Should Seek Your Own Student Feedback (J. Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy)
How do I know it’s working? Are they learning? How do I know everyone’s needs are being addressed?
These questions are the ones that might keep us up at night. Some days we know we miss the mark with our students: a lesson flops or veers off the rails, behaviors were a distraction, or the students just didn’t get it. Not every lesson will be perfect and that’s OK! What is important is that we’re learning from what doesn’t work. If you have a terrible lesson, ask someone who is more experienced for feedback. Here are some ideas to cultivate a reflective teaching practice:
- Find a friend - Have a conversation with a trusted colleague with whom you can be totally honest. The goal is for this conversation to offer you new perspective on your own practice.
- Observe a colleague - Classroom observations are a great tool for self-reflection. It’s amazing to watch an experienced colleague in action because you’ll see how they do things differently than you.
- Observe yourself - Yikes! It’s scary but true. Videotaping is a powerful tool to learn about your own teaching.
- Ask your students for feedback - Design a form for written feedback or just have an open discussion. You can learn as much from your students as they will learn from you.
- Keep a journal - If writing is a good way for you to process, start a teaching journal!
Practical Tips for Cultivating a Learning Relationship with Students (J. Orlando/Faculty Focus) - feedback from students
Fostering Reflection (L. Danielson/Educational Leadership) - various methods, with sources
The Importance of Reflection (T. Sanders/ United Federation of Teachers) - dialogue with a colleague
Five Reasons Why You Should Seek Your Own Student Feedback (J. Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy)