Fresh Meat

Is academic intelligence more valuable than life experience? From the perspective of a novice teacher, it seems that experience would outweigh any of the disconnected balderdash pressed upon students in an undergraduate teacher certification program. I know this all too well from first hand experience. Being a master in a specific content area does not mean that you are the master of teaching that content area. Yes, I can read, write and solve most mathematical equations that come my way, and in a perfect world where there are no time constraints, interruptions, distractions or impeding paperwork, my first year as a teacher would have gone as smooth, and possibly as tasty, as butter. Unfortunately Dewey and Piaget couldn't help me when my principal came in to my class and asked my students in Spanish if I did anything all day because their work was so poor. After exhausting all my energy and resources working 16 hour days trying to help my eighth grade students read and understand on at least a fifth grade level, I considered a career change. I can still rattle off the list of Bloom's Taxonomy and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, but that is not what a successful novice teacher makes.

Not every new teacher will have the same experience as I did. In fact, I can probably assure that most new teachers will never share that same experience throughout their entire career, but that doesn't mean that it won't be tough. Instead of writing an essay on what qualities a successful beginning teacher possesses, I'd like to present these characteristics in a list. Hindsight is 20/20.

1) They must be a master in their discipline, and depending on the grade level and department organization, it could be many disciplines. This means that they have to hold a solid understanding of all aspects of the content they are expected to teach, and if they don't, they can use logical reasoning to figure it out. I don't want to offend anyone, because we are all prone to making mistakes from time to time, but there is nothing worse than working with or being a student of a teacher that does not know what they are talking about. For example, if you plan to teach English (or any subject in America), you should be able to speak with correct grammar.

2) They must study the basic theories and schools of thought concerning how people learn. Teachers need to be able to understand why they teach in a particular way. They need to be aware of different learning strategies so that they can troubleshoot their lessons to see if they are not relaying their content effectively enough. They need to have a bank of resources and justifications for making classroom decisions. Usually after a brief overview of educational theory, this is where the colleges of education throw their pupils to the wolves to be eaten alive instead of preparing them further for the classroom experience. This knowledge is valuable to a certain extent, but it is necessary to apply it correctly in order to maximize it's value and importance.

3) Teachers need to know how to organize and keep records. Maybe I'm particular about this because I am your typical Type A personality combined with working in an Abbott District drowning in papers. Planning a lesson is a must and many new teachers decide to fly by the seat of their pants (which should be embarrassing for them because it's very noticeable!). From my experience, documenting and organizing paperwork concerning work and student related situations is a life and time saver. Plus, students and colleagues alike would appreciate someone who knows what is going on and can meet deadlines.

4) It is essential for new teachers to be well informed and equipped for handling student safety, discipline, and learning disabilities. Fire drill procedures at a new school, internet policies, electronics policies and other rules and regulations are important bits of information that they should be well versed in so when the first fire drill occurs, they aren't wandering around aimlessly. Disciplinary action is also another serious issue - new teachers should be aware of 'zero tolerance' procedures, the hierarchy of command (guidance counselor, SAC, Crisis Intervention, Nurse, etc.) They should be aware of how to send a child to the Pupil Resource/504 Committee, what kinds of interventions are acceptable to try and document, and the processes that coincide with having a student evaluated by the Child Study Team.

5) If all these qualities are in place, then the final two and probably most difficult for a new teacher to practice are time and classroom management. The idea behind my list is that if they already know their content, theories, organization style and school procedures for student safety and learning, then time and classroom management should be a piece of cake. If the new teacher practices organization and planning, their time management should go smoothly (of course not perfect, that takes years of experience!) Discipline issues are a major distraction and interruption to the learning environment in a classroom, but if a new teacher establishes a sense of organization and knowledge of how things work around the school, the student is more apt to take the teacher seriously. Professors of education rarely inform the newbies that students can smell fresh meat from a mile away! If all the appearances of an established teacher are in place, it will at least trick them or keep them at bay while you try to figure out how to slip out of the classroom unnoticed. (Just kidding, I would never recommend that no matter how many times it has crossed my mind.)

Experience is the best teacher. While this list encompasses what I feel would create success for a first year teacher, it is only appropriate within that context. It may take a novice teacher an entire year to figure out what works for them, but once they do, the following years can be spent on developing and honing their skills to become an even more effective teacher. With that being said, I believe the characteristics listed above would provide a new teacher with greater advantage for achieving success in the classroom.