15 THINGS EVERY NEW TEACHER SHOULD KNOW

There are certain things I wish I knew as a new teacher. I remember shaking the first day I was asked to teach, I didn’t want the class to go wrong but I had no idea of what to do.

Teaching is fun and energising but can go wrong if you don’t know these things I will be listing below.

YOU’RE SPECIAL – It’s not everyday one gets the opportunity to teach a class of angels but here you are, grabbing this rare opportunity to impact our great leaders of tomorrow. You’re indeed special.
YOUR STUDENTS ARE SPECIAL – This is where it gets exciting. Every child is different and unique. They’re different from each other and you need to know that when teaching them.
TEACH A CHILD NOT CHILDREN – Strange right? Children are different and because of that you’ll have to study the child and know what works best for him.
BE FLEXIBLE – You don’t have to cram textbook methods. Look around you and work with what you have. You can also use songs, dramas, pictures, videos to explain a lesson to your students.
LOVE YOUR STUDENTS – It’s easier for a child to learn when they can see that you love and Care for them. When this happens they are ready to go extra miles for you.
JOIN A COMMUNITY OF TEACHERS – Joining a community of teachers would help you learn and improve quickly since you’ll get to see what others are doing in their classroom.
BE PATIENT, DON’T GIVE UP ON A CHILD – You need to understand that the learning pace of each child differs and as such you need to be patient with them. No matter how slow at learning you believe a child is, do not give up on that child but rather keep sourcing for strategies that would help the child improve.
STUDENTS HAVE OPINION – You don’t always have to force your opinion on your students. You should learn to hear them out. Allow them air their opinions too.
SET RULES – I know were supposed to be nice to our students but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be rules and consequences. Have your students list the rules and set consequences for each defaulted rule and also don’t forget to follow through with the consequences laid down. Remember, the consequences shouldn’t be one that would cause the child pain.
PRAISE AND PASS COMPLIMENTS – Normalize praising your students. Pass compliments about their uniforms, bags, earrings and the likes. When positive reinforcement is used, the desired behaviour is repeated.
IT’S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES – Don’t be too hard on yourself whenever you make a mistake. Ensure you learn from that mistake and come back better.
OUTDOOR LEARNING – Just like you’re advised to think outside the box, you can also teach outside the classroom. Outdoor lessons are fun and should be used most times instead of the classroom
REMEMBER YOUR STUDENTS ARE ALWAYS WATCHING – Children can see through adults and this makes them a good judge of character. So before you ask your students to imbibe certain behaviors ensure they’re behaviours that you already possess.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO TEACH ALWAYS – There are tons of activities you can get your students involved in. Play games, sing, dance, organise spelling bee, talk shows.
CONTROL YOUR ANGER – Your students will get you angry but you need to know how to manage your classroom effectively and control your anger. Don’t talk when angry rather smile and count from 10 backwards.