You can do it

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Home : 2003 : January : 24

You can do it
By Cathy

NB, I have been teaching for 10 years and I still second guess myself from time to time. After school each day, on the long drive home I think about what I could have done better and how I could have interacted with more
kids on a more personal level. It is a tough habit for me to break. When I spoke to a close friend about it, she put things into a positive light. It is the really good teachers who constantly worry about whether they're doing a good job. They work so hard every day to ensure that they are motivating and challenging their students. They never get too self-satisfied. I work with so

many teachers who haven't done anything different in years. They are satisfied with what they're doing and that's good enough for them. I'm not so sure in some cases that it's good enough for the kids, but I try not to be judgemental. They could also judge me since I have a lot of room for improvement. Keep your spirits up. Keep doing the good job that you're doing. You have been put into that classroom for a reason. Those lower students may just need your fresh new outlook, your caring and your genuine desire to give them your best. Things will fall into place as long as you keep doing what you know is best for the kids. Try not to compare your students to the other first graders. Compare them to themselves at an earlier point in the year. Every few months, I have my students look through their work folders and they oooh and aaah over the changes they have made in themselves when it comes to their work. That is progress. If they constantly compared themselves to the other students in our grade, they might never measure up. As for receiving feedback, my suggestion is this: Find a colleague whose teaching style is one you admire. Talk to him or her about your concerns. Ask this person if they could come in and observe you a few times. Ask for any advice they have for improvement. If a new teacher asked me to do this, I would consider it such an honor to help. I wish I had done this years ago when I was feeling the exact same way you are right now. Good luck and God bless. Cathy