As expected from any newbie teacher, I was absolutely inexperienced and clueless about what teaching was. My perceptions about the profession on day one were as given under:
- I am supposed to teach through a textbook. Give questions and answers and generate good results.
- I will be getting sufficient holidays so I can spend enough time with my family.
- Throughout my life I will be teaching students and then retire at an appropriate age.
- I have to listen to an abide the senior teachers in the school until I become a senior myself.
I am expected to reach school on time and leave school when it is off. This means that my work gets over when I reach home. Within a few days, all of the above crashed like glass and I had set new goals and boundaries for myself in the Profession.
The memories of my initial thoughts were crystal clear and they rushed back to me at one go. I didn't even think of editing them before publishing them. During the initial couple of days, I never thought of:
- Growing on the professional ladder
- Having an aim to reach a position
- Teacher student relationship and its impact on learning
- Experimenting and innovating to teach in a better manner.
- Creating and leaving an impact on society.
On my third day when I entered the school campus as a teacher, revolutionary thoughts swept me away in a storm. It was like a new professional side of me was exposed after layers of misperception got eroded away by interacting with some veterans of the profession. I still remember someone cleared the concept and functioning of a Director and a principal. That was really a very naive and vulnerable me in the profession.
Then started a fruitful and meaningful journey which is filled with memories and experiences. I am proud of them and really like living with them again and again. So while I was reminiscing and introspecting I came up with these points which will be very useful to every teacher who enters this profession.
Managing Time:
As I was too inspired to work as a teacher, when I joined the profession, I was totally focused on working. There was too much that I wanted to do and so the time seemed very little. Also, my organisation skills were not so well developed. It is very important to manage time between your profession and passion. To do lists help a lot in this regards. Writing about long term and short term goals also help in organizing tasks and managing time.
Limited Research:
Educators research for teaching ideas and ideas for worksheets.
But Google overwhelms you with options and you get carried away because of the vastness and magnitude. I used to spend a lot of time researching because it helped me to come up with new and creative ideas. I used to download images and articles in bulk for current and future use.
Mostly those articles were never read because of a shortage of time or forgetfulness. If you do not put an idea to use, it gets wasted. So I believe limiting research time on the internet is very important. One should know the extent of research that is required for a given project or task at hand. Otherwise, we waste time.
Sticking to a to-do List Before Hitting the Internet:
This is the best advice that I have given myself and have been following it in the past years.
The Internet can turn into a bottomless crevice if you are not careful.
Internet is a great tool to be used by the teacher but remembers it is not the only tool.
A lot of planning and then implementation is required in teaching. So spending a lot of time on the internet does not really help in this profession. Prepare a list before you switch on the internet. Complete the tasks and switch them off.
It prevents you from falling pretty to digital fatigue and reduces your screen time.
Writing and Editing Skills:
I was a creative person and was inclined towards writing. But the quantum of written work was very less. I wrote a 500 words article in a month or so. Now I write almost 2000 words everyday. Editing goes hand in hand with writing full stop in those days I almost never edited what I wrote thinking that my thoughts and words fit perfectly like jigsaw pieces. Every educator must write at least one thousand words everyday and edit those articles also.
These can be published in the form of blogs, articles on LinkedIn or medium.com or answers two questions on quora.com.
High Level of Energy:
It is always good to stay on a high horse. On some days I used to be highly motivated and hence my energy level would be high. But on some other days I would drag myself to work trying to find motivation. Remember: Action does not follow motivation. Motivation follows action. Keep doing your work and keep yourself in motion. Motivation will always be there behind you.
Rewards of Networking:
When we work in an organization, we generally tend to get along with our colleagues. Contacts beyond that are very rare. Networking means connecting with new people and maintaining a connection until it develops into a good relationship. Most of us do connect with different people but regularity in maintaining the relationship goes missing.
Good networking skills results in : good opportunities, good friends, popularizing your skills, spreading and gaining knowledge.
Public Speaking and Communication Skills:
A teacher needs to be a very fluent and confident speaker. Teaching in a classroom is different from speaking on stage. Every educator must develop his or her own public speaking skills.
Public speaking has become one of the most sought after skills in the professional world. With people turning more towards videos now public speaking has taken a firm ground. Everyone who enters any profession must be an expert and a confident person as far as speaking in public is concerned.
Exercise and Meditation:
Exercise and meditation are a priority. Exercise keeps you physically active and meditation helps you to stay mentally agile. Even if one is missing it will be difficult to maintain a balance in professional life. Everyday 40-minute exercise routine is a must. There are too many options available online. But it is better to stick to a specific exercise routine. Each exercise should be done in sets of 10s 20s or 30s or whatever you are comfortable with. Some stretching exercises are equally good and beneficial. They are less stressful physically. So if you want to start something simple you can do so with Surya namaskar.
Meditation calms the mind. The flow of thoughts become very natural during meditation. I read a quote somewhere and it immediately resonated with my thoughts-
“If the ocean can calm itself then why not you. Both have water and salt mixed in their bodies.”
With exercise and meditation focus stays on the path and professional growth becomes easier.
Healthy Diet:
For most of us food intake takes a backseat when work is concerned. If you have not organised your time well, then you think of skipping meals to complete work.
One should also be mindful while eating food. Research proves that the nutrients are absorbed well by the body if we are mindful of the food we eat. During my career I have seen educator's coming to school without breakfast.
The two hours of the morning in a school are a very important time. They are also full of activity which requires everyone to be on their toes. Prayer and assembly time is generally packed with a lot of things happening on stage and off stage. Students also turn up to school without eating anything and quite a few fall down unconscious. We are all aware of this happening in the school. If the teacher arrives with food in the stomach he/she can take care of the children and handle them better. If a teacher comes to school with an empty stomach her only focus is to find time to eat something. So make it a golden rule to never leave the house without putting something stuffy in your stomach.
Learning Disabilities and Behaviour Issues:
A large chunk of learning is achieved by understanding the psychology of the students. There are many concerns among the students related to learning disabilities and behavior issues. Research papers and blogs are available on the internet. Every teacher must read these to understand the issues and concerns revolving around children. I often say that behavior is a reflection of the anxiety that the child is feeling or going through. Behaviour changes or improves when the troubling issue is tackled or dealt with properly.
Experience teaches us a lot but awareness equips you with tools to deal with the situation. Knowing the psychological concerns of the children will help the teachers to control the threatening triggers which cause behavior problems. Teaching and learning are more of a psychological process. Hence teachers must self educate themselves on these topics. The school counselor is also of great help. Case studies of issues with children and how teachers dealt with them are also available on the Internet and they can throw light on many aspects.
Caution: Do not try to see the problems which you have read among your students. Take expert advice before jumping to a conclusion.
Be a Good Listener:
Some of the educators are in a hyperactive mode expressing an ‘I Know It all attitude'. It is good to be well versed about the needs of the profession. But nothing can be compared to practical experience. The people who are already in the organisation are thoroughbreds as far as the working of the organisation is concerned
These veterans of the profession often giveaway titbits related to the profession and they must be considered as useful handy hints. To understand the value of these gems one needs to be a good listener. There are many advantages of being a good listener. You become aware of certain systems which are an integral part of the organisation. There are deadlines for many of these systems. There are submissions to be done. you will be able to foresee all of these and be better prepared to deliver the submission on time.
The Art of Saying NO:
If you set your priorities you will know which projects you should take as a leader and where you should act as an assistant. Everything cannot be done by a person.
Apart from individual work, a teacher is expected to assist and be part of group projects. Group projects between staff members need collaboration and coordination. Hence it requires time and creativity. So it is always advisable to join in projects which cover your areas of interest and say a subtle NO to the ones which are out of your interest area.
Define Limits as far as Self Learning is Concerned:
'Learning is a lifelong journey' This statement has been viral since the pandemic started. Everyone is running after certification programs and trying to score a point above everyone else. Too much learning does not result into proper actions and hence the result is not a productive one. It is good to take up a skill or two but not more than that.
Find ways to implement the knowledge that you already have. Experiment with ideas.
Perform, then fail, then learn from your failure and perform again
Take honest and crucial feedback upon the work that you are doing. Do not be afraid of the criticism that you receive. Pick up the points which are relevant and push yourself on the path again
These are some of the points which I have picked after a thoughtful deliberation. They can add a lot of value to the educators who are aiming to start their professional career as a school teacher.
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