Quote of the Week

Never say you are "just" a teacher. That's like saying Clark Kent is "just" Superman.

Monday, May 2, 2016

When it’s Your Time to Lead, by Juanita Howell, Math Teacher at Carroll Oakland

You have worked so hard to get to this point.  You have dreamed of having your own classroom and it is finally here. Then you suddenly realize…..What am I supposed to do now?  What have I gotten myself into?   We have all been there and no one said it was going to be easy.  Three things that have helped me were to plan, practice, and remember to have fun.  This is your dream and you can do this!

When it’s your time to lead, plan and over plan your lessons.  There is nothing worse than a classroom full of students staring at you with nothing to do. This can lead to behavior problems because of extra time. Make sure you have planned your lesson out in which you have plenty of activities to keep the students engaged and plenty of practice to evaluate the students.  Even have a backup plan for “just in case”. Things will happen and you have to be prepared.   Technology may not work, the copy machine may be down, or students are just grasping the concept easily and are ready to move on.  You never know and you have to make sure you are prepared for anything!

I have always heard that ‘practice makes perfect’ and I truly believe that.  After planning a great lesson, practice what you are going to say or do.  As you practice what the lesson will be like, this will helps you identify problems that will occur during the lesson. Make sure that there is variety of ways to present your lesson to accommodate the diverse learners.  Variation in your tone will help keep the students engaged.

When it is your time to lead, remember to have fun.  If you are having fun teaching the lesson, then there is a good chance that the students are having fun while learning.  Just because the students are having fun does not mean that the students are not learning.  This shows the students that you enjoy what you do.  I am not saying that it will always be all sunshine and rainbows.  I am saying that if you have a passion for what you do, then it will keep the bad days to a minimum.


Just remember, Love your students above all else and remember they are the reason we do what we do every day.  If we make the learning meaningful and fun for them then they will have the passion to keep going and not give up.  

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