tips - TBD Teacher

5 Tips for Surviving Week One as a (New) Teacher

08.10.2023 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

Tip #1: Find Yourself a Mentor

It’s been a “minute” since I have written on my blog. It’s funny how my goal last year was to write on my blog each day or at least once a week. Such a dreamer! So what brings me back? This week, I spoke with one of my friends, a couple of times, who is a brand new teacher to middle school. It reminded me that although the new school year is exciting, it also isn’t easy for new teachers. Sometimes, as veterans, we forget all of those unanswered questions that come up daily for new teachers. So my first piece of advice is to find your “person” that you can talk to without judgement. Don’t hesitate to ask those burning questions that will help you to sleep better at night. Everyone needs a mentor!

Tip #2: Design Your Discipline

I wrote about discipline on my blog awhile ago with some tips that might be helpful, so I won’t go into a lot of detail. You can find it here: https://judiholst.com/5-tips-on-designing-your-discipline/. I remember the days when kids would come in and sit down silently on the first day of school. It was eerie and freaked me out! If you teach secondary school, you know that this isn’t the case. But have heart. You see in the secondary grades, I picture some of my students like peacocks. They walk in, strut their feathers, watch to see who is paying attention, and then establish their dominance. It almost makes me giggle to watch them.

Here’s the thing, though. Watch for these kids. Get them on your side EARLY! Give them things to do for you. Put them in charge. Have them hand out things for you. If you pass something out that will require a trash can later, send that student around to collect the trash. We BOTH know that students aren’t going to get up and throw it away themselves. The peacocks will be the ones, later in the year, that have your back and the other kids will listen to them. Some people may see it as rewarding their behavior, I see it as creating an ally.

Tip #3: Think Positive Intent on Emails From Parents

It’s the first day, and you already get an email from a parent. Your heart starts beating quickly, and you already have thoughts of being fired. You can already picture the parent banging on your principal’s door with their complaint. You are absolutely positive it isn’t an email about how much the child loves your class. Heck, the child hasn’t even gone home yet.

Here is what I want you to do when you read that email. Read the email in the voice of Mary Poppins. Seriously, try it! Don’t read in it in our normal sarcastic “here is the email that talks about everything I’ve done wrong.” Instead, read it in a cheery voice. You see, most parents have positive intent when writing the email. They just have a question that they want answered. Although some people aren’t very good at expressing their thoughts in a positive way, and it hurts your soul, keep in mind that they just want what is best for their child. It usually doesn’t have anything to do with you personally.

Tip #4: Don’t Apologize

While we are on the subject of emails, here is a rule that I have learned along the way. Don’t apologize in your email response, unless you truly did something wrong. It took you hours, or even a day, to get back to the parent? Don’t apologize. Teachers are busy people. You had to speak to the child outside of the room because of behavior? Don’t apologize. I have watched a lot of videos on how to be a leader in business, and this was a tip that was mentioned frequently. Now if you messed up and you need to own it, that is a different story. You are part of a team when it comes to teaching. You, the parent, and the child make up that team. Respond in that manner…as a teammate.

Tip #5: Plan for Back-To-School Night

In our school, Back-to-School Night happens the second week of school. You feel just like you are getting your groove, and then you have to put in TWO 12-13 hour days. It comes up on you quickly. This was always my least favorite day and made me want to crawl out the window. The parents are lovely, it isn’t about that. It just put me out of my comfort zone.

So what do you do for this night? First of all, start taking some pictures of the students in your class now! If you are doing a slideshow for that night, parents always like to see real photos, especially if their child is in the photo. Now think about what you would want to know that night. At our school, the parents follow their child’s schedule and switch classes every 8-10 minutes. So, we have to give the same spiel 6 times, and fast!

Here is what I would want to know: What does a typical class period (or day – for elementary) look like for my child? If I was a fly on the wall, what would I see them doing? As I walk through a typical class period with the parents, this also gives me time to tell them the “why” of what I am doing each day. Why did I start with an attendance question? Why did I play a quick warm-up game to practice a skill? Why did I do a short mini lesson? Why won’t they have a content grade right away because of the pre-assessment? Why don’t I know which speeches the kids were giving each semester? (This was because the students voted on their projects each semester.). It’s a win-win situation for me and the parents. I’m not sure they cared that I went to San Diego State or played softball in high school. That can go on my website for the school. Keep it more “student-oriented” and less about you.

Teacher Hot Line:

When I think about how much a new teacher has to learn, I almost think I should create a teacher hotline. But teachers are broke, so I don’t see anyone paying me for my advice, and having that as a career. Ha. That being said, if you have things that you wonder about as a new teacher, feel free to send me your questions, and I will use them for future blog posts.

Final Extra Credit Tip:

Have faith in yourself! You’ve got this. Good luck this year. Your students are lucky to be in your class.

5 Tips on Designing Your Discipline

08.14.2022 by Judi Holst // 1 Comment

Let’s just start off by saying that I don’t like the word “discipline.” So why is it in my title? When teachers are at their wit’s end, they will google, “discipline.” It was also the most asked about topic when I was coaching new teachers. To me, it should be called, “Designing Your Procedures,” but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Here are my top five tips!

I don’t pretend to be the Master of Discipline. There are many days when I want to poke my eye out with my middle schoolers. In fact, last year, I sat down at my desk one day, when the kids just wouldn’t calm down; I told them I was done, and they would be lucky if I was there tomorrow. One kid was brave enough to ask if I was serious, and I just looked at him. The class was silent for the rest of the period. I’m not proud of that moment, but I was also want you to know that even “seasoned” teachers have their moments.

Tip #1: Kids Need to Move and Talk

When you design your lesson plan for the day, figure out how to have kids moving or talking (even if it’s just for a minute) at least every 10-15 minutes. After I do my attendance question for the day, I usually give them a couple of minutes to get up, find someone to talk to, and continue with different answers for the attendance question. This first week or two, I make them get up (I tell them they need to get the blood flowing to their brains), and ask everyone their name if they don’t know them.

I also play a 5-10 minute warm-up game almost daily that requires them to stand up and do something. Other teachers might do a brain break in the middle of the class period. The games usually have them practice a skill that has to do with public speaking, but it is also creating a positive culture in the classroom because they are meeting new people. Stay tuned this year for more ideas of how to work these into your classroom, not matter the content nor the age.

If I just taught a mini lesson, I have them get up, find someone across the room, and go over what they just learned. Make sure that everyone gets up!

Tip #2: Find Your Leaders

In the book The Baller Teacher Playbook: How to Empower Students, Increase Engagement, and Create the Culture You Want in Your Classroom by Tyler Tarver (which I recommend), he uses the phrase:

Leaders for bad can be leaders for good.

I work on finding the leaders during the first week of school. I figure out who those kids are that are going to give me a hard time and make them my new besties. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. I choose them to watch the class if I have to leave for a moment. I choose them to lead an activity. I also “volun-tell” them to help me demonstrate an activity on stage. Sometimes these kids just need to realize that their leadership skills can be put to good, instead of bad.

Learn about their interests outside of school. I keep a cheat sheet from the survey that kids fill out at the beginning of the year that asks their interests, and I stand outside the door when kids are coming in. It takes two seconds to ask that one student about their soccer game last weekend, or how their new baby brother is doing. You might get a weird look at first, but in the meantime, you are letting them know you care about them as a person.

An Example From Last Year

Let me give you an example. Last year, I had a group of boys that basically ran my room in this one class. They created this group with a name, we’ll call them the “Magicals,” and after a few weeks, most of the kids wanted to be a part of their group. They are all great kids, one-on-one, but as a group they could be rowdy. I deployed my mission of making them my besties. I went along with some of their jokes and antics when appropriate, and I didn’t try to run them down. At one point, they initiated me into their group of “Magicals” by doing a weird dance, and I just laughed. It could have gone completely the opposite direction if I had yelled at them to sit down.

That isn’t to say that you can let them run the room. However, as leaders, the other kids will look up to them. In middle school, friends and peers rule the world. Once you get those leaders on your side, the rest of the year becomes much easier.

Tip #3: Create a Way to Get the Attention of the Class

I don’t know about you, but I tend to tune people out when they yell at me, especially if they are trying to get the attention of a group of people. This isn’t a new idea in teaching, but I think some people forget how easy it is to get the attention in your class or a group.

I have seen creative call backs from teachers on YouTube or Tik Tok, but I tried that one year, and it didn’t stick for me. Instead, I learned a clapback from one of our social studies teachers at our school. I basically do a rhythmic clap, and the class claps it right back to me. This is their clue to freeze and be quiet. I keep doing this until I have 100% of everyone’s attention. I don’t have to teach it to them, they automatically do it when I practice it the first time.

Another procedure I use in class is to play music as the kids are walking into class. Not only does it create a mood, but they also learn that when I turn the music off, it is their clue to close the electronics, stop talking, and wait for me to start class. If only they would stand and giving me a standing ovation each time, like they do on American Idol. Future goals?

Tip #4: Choose Your Battles

This tip is the trickiest because it is the most difficult. Why do teachers get angry at a student or the whole class? It is usually because we feel like we are failing at whatever we are trying to accomplish. The other reason is we become embarrassed and feel like we can’t handle our own classrooms. What if someone else finds out?

It took me awhile to accomplish this tip, and I’m still not perfect. However, it is a helpful reminder. You won’t change every kid, and you won’t have a perfect classroom. There, I said it. You can let go of that goal now.

In middle school, these crazy kids like to test you. They’re teenagers, right? That being said, you can’t lose the battle, which is why you have to choose wisely. (Our administration went over this with us our first week, and it really stuck with me.)

Don’t Always Send Them Out or to the Office

There will be times that a curse word slips out of a kid. Don’t send them to the office, unless it was a name directed at you or another student. What? You have never let a curse word slip during class?

There will be times that a student will have so much energy that they spill their drink on your carpet or drop their Cheetos all over the floor. Don’t embarrass them. Just point them the way to cleaning it up.

There will be times that kids won’t stop talking. Clap it out. If a student is still rude, don’t embarrass them in front of the class. You will lose. Kids will save face no matter what, even if they know it will get them in bigger trouble. Ask them to step outside for a moment, and then talk to them one-on-one. Explain to them that you really like having them in class, but you can’t keep them in there when it affects the learning of others. I give them a choice. “You can stay out here and fill out this discipline form, or you can come back into class.” They always choose to come back into class. I usually end my “talking” with them by saying, “I still love you, and this doesn’t affect how I feel about you. I just need you to do better. Don’t disappoint me.”

Tip #5: Choose What Works For YOU and Ask For Help!

There is not one type of procedure or discipline strategy that works for every teacher or every classroom. You have to be willing to try new things and figure out what works for you. You should also know that there isn’t a teacher out there with perfect discipline. If there is, I would love to meet them and pick their brain. It’s okay to share your struggles with other teachers. Ask for advice. Have someone come in and observe you to see what they notice. It’s okay to ask for help! I hope this helps you to have a great school year.

Tip: Find Your Purpose, Your Reason and Your Fun

08.06.2022 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

Do you ever think about your purpose, your reason, and your fun when it comes to your job?

A while ago, I had a principal that told us not to answer the question of, “What do you do?” with “I’m a teacher or I teach 8th grade.” She told us to think about our purpose. What do we DO? This lesson always make me think about my role as a teacher in the beginning of the school year.

What is your PURPOSE?

I started answering this question with, “I help teenagers to gain more confidence in themselves and in public speaking.” When you set your purpose, it helps you to stay driven in your job. When I taught 8th grade language arts, my purpose wasn’t to help kids learn to read and write. Surprising? I know.

I felt my purpose was to help kids LIKE to read and write. This isn’t always easy in middle school, and I figured it was important before they reached high school. Of course they learned skills along the way, but nothing made me feel better than when a student, who normally hated to read, would tell me they actually liked the books that I picked out for them. Or when a student would work hard on their Nanowrimo book and end up publishing it on Amazon; I knew they realized that writing can be fun. Here’s a past blog post about Nanowrimo.

My best friend in CA decided to start her own cooking business in which she makes delicious homemade meals, freezes them, and then delivers them to her customers. I know if I asked her what her purpose is for her business, it wouldn’t be to make dinner for people. I think her answer would be to make people happy.

So, what is your PURPOSE in your job?

What is your REASON?

I believe for most teachers, the reason they are in that school building, day in and day out, is because of the kids. The kids are the reason we show up each day. It definitely isn’t for the money! As you start this new school year, pay more attention to your reason.

This summer, I started coaching four kids on their public speaking skills. The kids created their own product for Destination Imagination, and it was such a hit that they turned it into a real business that is going global! (Side note: If you have kids that ski, you will want to check out their product called the Ski Pack. It was made for kids, by kids! It is like a backpack that lets your kids carry their own skis and poles, but it folds up small enough to fit in your pocket. Cool, right? You can buy your own pack for your kids at this website: https://www.puremountainfun.com/). Make sure you check it out when you are done reading this blog post, of course!

Back to these amazing kids. Since their company is taking off, they are going to present at a conference in Boston this November, and they need to be ready with strong presentation skills. This is where I come in; I am helping them learn to be more confident and poised. It is because of these kids that I was reminded of my reason while starting this school year. I am lucky enough to have a job where I know it will make a difference in the lives of each student in my class. At the beginning of the year, I make a promise to them that they will be better speakers and more confident than they are on day 1 of my class. They are my reason!

What is your FUN?

These past two years, I admit, I forgot what it was like to have fun at work. I went to work, taught my classes, ate lunch in my classroom, and went home. I have decided that I need to find my fun again. This week, I ate lunch with my friends, and I had a blast by going axe throwing at Primal Axe House (I highly recommend this place), with my colleagues. I laughed so much, even though I was terrible at in the beginning, and it felt good to just have fun with the people at my work.

How are you going to create your own fun for yourself and for your students?

This week, the staff played an icebreaker game called “Dude, More Dude.” You can find the cards for it on Amazon here. Our admin wanted to remind us that we are one big family that supports each other.

Basically, you get these cards that have different characters on them. Mine was a pirate. (That was funny since my classroom is decorated in a pirate theme.) You walk up to another person and say “Dude” as if you were that character. I struggled because the pirate was tough without using actions or extra words. If the other person has your same character, you join up to start forming a family and find more members.

I could see using this in class to form table groups. You would have to make sure there are only four of each character (or multiples of four), if you have table groups of four. I think the students would like this unique way of forming groups.

Take a moment

My teaching tip for this week is to take a moment to think through these three questions for your own job. What is your purpose? What is your reason? What is your fun? As a teacher who highly believes in self-reflection, it may just help you to take that first step in being more prepared for the school year.

An Update: Stay Safe Returning to School

09.07.2020 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

It’s been a month since I wrote my blog post about safe tips for returning to school. (If you want to check out my previous blog post, you can find it here.) It’s also been a month since I have returned to the school building. I thought I would revisit my tips to let you know which ones were realistic, or not, and to share what I have learned so far. I know many of you are just returning to the classroom, so I hope this helps.

Before we get started, you should know that we started back in the hybrid model. This means that kids are separated into two cohorts. Cohort A is there on Mondays and Wednesdays, Cohort B is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we have virtual classes at home every Friday. Students also had the choice to do 100% virtual learning.

TIP #1: FIND A CLEAN, ISOLATED AREA FOR YOUR BELONGINGS

I thought I wouldn’t carry a purse anymore, but that didn’t go well. I was constantly switching from my backpack to a purse. Instead, I keep my purse in my desk, and my backpack sits under a table behind my desk.

TIP #2: LEAVE THE BUILDING WITHOUT TOUCHING SURFACES

I still stick to the this tip as much as possible. However, I do keep hand sanitizer in my car, so I use that as soon as I get in the car. I have heard that keeping hand sanitizer in a hot car isn’t a good idea, though.

TIP #3: KEEP YOUR CAR DECONTAMINATED

This lasted about one day. I am the only one that uses my car, usually, so I do put my backpack on the backseat, but I don’t put anything in a trunk or way in the back like I had planned.

TIP #4: CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES

You would think I have a major disease each time I walk in the house, if you watched my husband. However, I can understand his feelings. I do change my clothes right when I get home, I wash my face, and I put my clothes in a separate closet or hamper until the weekend. I also put my purse and backpack on a chair that no one uses. I keep everything in there until the following morning.

TIP #5: HAVE A SAFE WATER BOTTLE

Boy, did I have high hopes when I thought I could drink a gallon of water a day! Who was I kidding that I would actually have time to go to the bathroom that many times? I am glad I bought a gallon water bottle, though, and I keep refilling the water bottle I keep on the desk throughout the day. It felt funny using a huge water bottle every time I wanted a sip of water. A colleague bought this instead, and I would recommend it.

TIP #6: KEEP FACIAL WIPES AT WORK

I have used my facial wipes once or twice during the day, but it’s especially nice right after work. I feel like I am scrubbing the day off of my face.

TIP #7: YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHOWER

I don’t shower when I get home. It’s takes all of my energy to just change my clothes and wash my face. Ha.

TIP #8: IT’S OKAY TO HAVE A RE-USABLE LUNCH BAG

I heavily recommend an insulated lunch bag, if you normally don’t use one. This always keeps my food cold, and I can just keep it behind my desk. That way, it isn’t in the refrigerator with everyone’s bags. I also keep my hand sanitizer in there, so it’s easily accessible each time I eat lunch.

If you really want to get fancy and keep things cold, you could even get one by Yeti.

TIP #9: WIPE DOWN THE INSIDE OF YOUR CAR IF OTHERS ARE USING IT

I have yet to do this. Enough said.

FINAL TIP: FIND YOUR FRIENDS

I would not have survived the start of the year if it wasn’t for my friends at work. The first weeks back were filled with, “But how do I…” In fact, that still happens on a daily basis. There were constant conversations about how to set up our rooms, do we clean desks between classes, how do we grade assignments that students have completed at home, etc.

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE LEARNED:

LEARNING #1: SMALL CLASSES DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I don’t know if I am just lucky this semester, or if the kids are so thankful to be back, but they are on their best behavior. They have been wonderful about their masks too. Some could find a mask that fits their face better, though. Those masks that are too tight against their mouth makes them sound very muffled. Those that are too loose tend to fall down more easily. That being said, I LOVE being in class with my students right now.

Here’s the thing. Even though I only see my students in person twice a week, I feel like I know them better than when there are 30 kids in there at one time. We have time to chat and get to know each other. They know each other’s names because they only have so many to learn. Friendships are starting to flourish, and we are already starting to feel like a family, even at the secondary level. They cheer each other on and there is a positive energy in each class.

LEARNING #2: FIND A MASK THAT IS COMFORTABLE

I have found that the non-surgical paper masks are the most comfortable to wear for long periods. They also seem to fit the kids best and you can understand them better. The prices have really come down, so if you want just the basic ones, you can find a good deal. Otherwise, they also come in colors, if you want to get fancy.

Luckily, I also had a parent of a past student make me some masks as well. When the paper masks start to burn behind my ear, I use the masks that she made since they wrap around the back of my head, instead of behind the ears.

LEARNING #3: YOU WILL CONSTANTLY REMIND KIDS TO SOCIAL DISTANCE

You will have to constantly remind the kids to keep social distancing, especially if they are middle schoolers. I think they automatically have magnets on their bodies. If we didn’t have the smaller class sizes, we wouldn’t be able to social distance. Period. The kids have figured out how to social distance on stage and in groups. Since some of my classes have a pretty small cohort or two, the girls are learning that it is okay to talk to the guys, and vice-versa. The 6th graders shoot daggers through my forehead each time I tell them that, though.

LEARNING #4: GOOGLE CLASSROOM AND COHORTS

Since I teach six classes, a big decision to make was whether to set up my Google Classroom groups by cohort or keep them together in one period. I decided to divide them up by cohort, which means I have twelve cohort groups in Google Classroom. I did this so it was easier to post assignments for the group at home, without confusing those in class. I’m not sure this was the best idea. It also means that EdPuzzle assignments would be divided up by class, and it takes more time to post when I use Flipgrid. Doing it this way definitely has its pros and cons.

LEARNING #5: GET A GOOD AIR FILTER IF YOU CAN

Just hearing the sound of a good air filter makes me feel safer. Plus, it blows out cool, fresh air, so when anyone needs to cool off their face from their mask, you can see one of us standing in front of the air filter. If you teach choir, drama, or band/orchestra, push your district to supply one for you. It is for the safety of everyone. If not, maybe try setting up a Go Fund Me account and see if others will donate to your cause. Here is the one I have in my room. It is actually on sale on Amazon right now. I like it because it has a light that shows the HEPA filter is still strong and working.

LEARNING #6: TELL YOUR STUDENTS TO DRINK WATER

On the very first day, I asked the students if they now felt funny drinking water because they have to move their mask to do so. Most of them raised their hands. I told them that they HAVE to drink water to survive the day. I felt funny the first day back to work with just teachers. I came home with a terrible headache because I was dehydrated. I showed them the best way to drink water, since they are sitting in seats that are socially distanced, and I took away the feeling of uneasiness.

LEARNING #7: BE PREPARED TO BE EXHAUSTED

They say there is no tired like the beginning of the school year tired. However, add that on to all of the extra planning, grading, and breathing through a mask for 8 hours, and you will now really know tired. Find ways to take care of yourself. I’m lucky that my husband takes care of so much around our house because I am extra exhausted at the end of the day. I warned him that this year will be like no other for me. I’m a very lucky woman that he understands.

LAST LEARNING: BE OKAY WITH JUST DOING OKAY

To be honest, I’m still working on this one. I won’t even tell you how many hours I worked this weekend, but I know I will get in my groove soon. Parents appreciate what you are doing for their kids. Stay off social media, and don’t read more into those that are loudest. Know that you are doing your best…for right now. It won’t always be this way, and you can’t teach the way you used to before March. Just know…”You got it, dude.”