Go Easy

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Home : 2002 : September : 8

Go Easy
By Jennifer

OK, Think back to your first year of teaching. You walked in, fresh out of college, thinking you knew what you needed to know to be the most successful, most innovative, most WOW-Er-IFFIC Teacher that your building has ever
seen.
Then, the kids walked in, and you fell on your face.
OK...I'm a first year, 1st grade teacher. I'm there. While I KNOW I'm not as bad as this guy sounds, I truly thought that teaching was going to be so easy, because I knew what I was doing. I WOWED my school where I student taught, they begged me to stay (I got married and couldnt), and I was WAY overconfident.
My mentor

teacher told me this weekend that my drama background came out during the interview (she sat in on it) because I really convinced her that I KNEW I was the best teacher in the world. Now, I'm starting week 4, and BOY do I have a lot to learn.

Here's the point: This guy will fall, he will realize that his management skills that he learned from a book cannot POSSIBLY compare to your years of experience, he will have a lesson where the kids simply stare incredulously at him when he is done teaching it, and then he will be horribly embarassed at his lack of perfection that he has bragged about. Then, he'll be where I am now...thinking that a little help from an experienced colleague would be a good idea. I'm lucky..my mentor has a great sense of humor (and LOTS of patience). Please do the same for him. Offer assistance, and be the first to help dust him off when he falls. It may kill you to be nice to him, but you will feel better about him by the end of the year and can work with him as a respected colleague this way.

Also, never discount the possibility that SOME of his ideas may be good...that fresh out of college idealism is a good thing to stay in touch with. (see - my confidence still hasn't been completely broken!)