NEW & Burned-OUT Teachers

Birge-Bytes:  New words for the 21st.Century
(1)"Blamestorming": Sitting in a group and discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed....and WHO was responsible!
(2)"Beepilepsy": A brief seizure people have sometimes when their beeper goes off in vibrator mode.Symptoms: physical spasms, goofy facial expressions and interruption of speech in mid-sentence.
(3)"Sitcoms": What yuppies turn into when they have children and one has to stop working to watch the kids. Stands for: Single income, Two children and Oppressive Mortgage.
(4)"MousePotato": The online, wired generation's answer to "couchpotato!"

"Gift to New Teachers from Mrs.Birge"

Why are you teaching?! 

#1) For the PAYCHECK? We know that is not it...with two degrees I could have made more in many other areas.

#2) For the Holidays off and the SUMMER??? You will find you desperately NEED that time  for a second job or Research/Planning or just plain recharging your batteries so you remain patient & flexible.

(#3) Because EVERYONE in your family was a teacher since Lincoln?!

                                OR

#1) You KNOW you can make a difference in one or MANY lives.

#2) You KNOW that unless we educate and RID the world of INTOLERANCE,HATE & IGNORANCE we are on a collision course that will leave the world unfit to pass on to anyone let alone our children.

#3)YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO BE RELEVANT AND BETTER IN SOME WAY BY YOUR BEING HERE.

                 Two "Myths" of Teaching

From the complaints of my colleagues for 27 years comes the first "Myth"

"WE ARE TEACHERS; NOT ENTERTAINERS /CELEBRITIES!"

Get OVER it...my "newbies". We ARE competing with a much more exciting world than our classroom. We need to "SELL" them on the information we are teaching them. We do this by:

 (A)ENTHUSIASM!!!

If YOU appear bored with what you are saying, you better believe they will be even MORE so! 

(B) PREPARATION!!!!

Always have a "B" plan ready! Flexibility is a KEY trait to cultivate.

Always cover your (tail,butt,etc.) by Documentation!! 

Do Not appear "flustered" and unsure of your lesson!(They can "smell

fear" real quick)If you arrive at your class right before the bell they see

you as worse than almost TARDY;they see you as unconcerned.The lesson needs to start AT the bell...your materials need to be there/Counted/Xeroxed/"ready to go". Teenagers are QUICK to spot

a "phony"....a "wannabe" Teenager...doing school "over" with CONTROL this time! You can also be considered COOL by them if you earn their respect by being professional & caring.

(C) DEMONSTRATE MORE!!!

I used mini-lectures, role-playing, visual materials, Relevant Audios &

demonstration of TERMS. unless you make it RELEVANT to their lives

it don't soak in as well.

(D) VISUALS!!!

I ONLY showed "movies with actors" once or twice a term and only if it FIT what I was currently teaching about. I ALWAYS watched it WITH them to show I was not "babysitting" and doing something else to keep them quiet.(They know this,too!)

I used videos to show them the REAL PEOPLE (not actors)the REAL

DISORDERS and demonstrations of their Vocabulary that day.

If it seems important for YOU to watch and important to their GRADE

they will actually pay attention!:) Taking NOTES of the audio is a LAST

resort thing to do because it "punishes" the students that do watch...so use sparingly & give credit for EFFORT on the notes...one or two notes just don't cut it for a grade here. EFFORT was always rewarded in my class and they knew that.

(The Other Myth I Heard complained about:)

"THEY DON'T RESPECT ME"....(there is a reason)

I AM THEIR TEACHER! I AM OLDER THAN THEM!!"(won't work!ha)

Get OVER it!(again) This was true at one time!(For ME in the 50's!)

It is no longer relevant to today's students for the most part,anyway.

My next post will address school as it WAS(1900's)

HERE IS HOW TO GAIN STUDENT RESPECT IN THE 21ST.CENTURY......

(1) You need to be yourself with your own style.Teenagers spot the

"wannabe" teachers fast & actually make fun of them about their behavior or dress.They have a lot of friends..YOU need to be a "cool"

adult that is Fair with them and genuine...someone missing from their lives perhaps that they need and don't have. Teenagers are "trying on" all sorts of personalities right now so are sensitive if you try to be something you are not.

(2)You need to see them as they ARE RIGHT NOW...not like you WISH

they were or WILL BECOME LATER.

(3)If you make a mistake...OWN UP to it...it will not diminish you but make you "human" in their eyes. If you do NOT know the answer to a question,tell them that! Don't be afraid of questions!!! Ask them to "help" you find the right answer or you will get back to them....and DO SO! 

DO NOT LIE to them or lose their trust.

SUGGESTIONS

Look for the Beauty and Potential in EACH student you teach...it is there....just harder to find in SOME!

Let them know with CLARITY what they have to do in your class and how you would like it done....grades and behavior.

Give them good feedback on their progress as they go...& access to their current grade in your class.(your convenience & terms)

Never use punishment or threats without consistency & fairness.

Avoid unnecessary "Busy-Work"! They know when it doesn't count and it is cruel to leave this kind with a Sub!

TROUBLE-MAKERS: try to "locate" the potential troublemakers the first 2 weeks...just a little dot by their name on the rolls(pencil so it can be erased later) DO NOT SHOW AGITATION!!!They feed on attention.

At the start...you MAY have to pretend to them you are o.k. with them BUT as soon as possible...get them to HELP you in someway to feel important in front of the class. Get them ON YOUR SIDE rather than a Confrontation which they are trying for! If you CONFRONT a possible trouble-maker with sarcasm or insults they feel COMPELLED to attack back or lose face to an authority figure.

GOLDEN RULE: What I used for 27 years that really works!!

You don't need to have your Class Rules Syllabus look like an Amendment to the Constitution!  I told them "I will Treat them exactly how they Treat me! Sound familiar??? It works.

DO NOT FORGET: 

When you were their age

Relate to how THEY view life whenever possible

Be kind to them & EXPECT that back from them

They are "unfinished Masterpieces" at a difficult time

Look them square in the eyes when they talk to you; CARE.

BE YOURSELF...IF YOU DON'T....NONE OF THIS WORKS!

Mrs.B