tips for new teacher

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Home : 2002 : March : 28

tips for new teacher
By Julie

Even with advice, I am sure you will most likely have to "live" through some experiences to really understand what we are talking about. Here's one item that shook me when I started teaching:

Rude, demanding, disrespectful
parents.
During my first year of teaching, I thought I was doing a great job. However, there was a parent who just showed up at my door at the beginning of the school day one day. I smiled at her and cheerfully greeted her, but I was given a frown in return. I could then tell from her agressive stance and facial expression that she was poised for a fight. She got very nasty

with me. She didn't like the way I was treating her child. That confused me, because I hadn't been aware that I was treating her child any differently than I had treated other children when they misbehaved. She harassed me to the point where I was very upset. As a consequence, I spent the remainder of my morning trying to compose myself so that I could teach the children. I learned from that experience not to allow confrontational parents to confront me without an administrator or other staff member present. DO NOT ALLOW PARENTS TO HARASS YOU. ALWAYS MEET WITH IRATE PARENTS WITH ANOTHER STAFF MEMBER PRESENT WHO CAN BACK YOU UP AND PROVIDE SUPPORT.

Then there was another child who misbehaved so much in my class. He was rather large for a second grader, and he was bullyish. He was also overactive in my room, doing stuff like throwing the bean bag chair in my room. His mother came into the principal's office and DEMANDED that her child be removed from my classroom. Her little darling, simply put, had a "conflict" with me. Also, simply put, the child was a brat of the first caliber with no manners or respect for authority. Mom just plain chose to disregard this. The child was also very much behind academically. He could not write a sentence when I got him. He wouldn't even try. His only writing was gibberish which wasn't even words. The child's failure was my fault, in her version.

I am sure that others will have other advice, such as how to no do too much your first year (you tend to). But this is what I thought was important to focus upon.