Everybody makes mistakes. Even teachers. I made a bunch of mistakes as a first year teacher. Let me tell you about them so that you can avoid these teacher mistakes.
Not Setting Proper Boundaries as a Teacher
I no longer answer emails or work off the clock. I used to spend most nights working after hours, and even hired my cousins to grade a test for me. And like many teachers, I let this job take over my entire life with no semblance of a boundary whatsoever. It was not an example of my finest judgement.
Not Taking Enough Time for Self Care
I have a blog post about some things I did during distance learning to keep me sane. The boundary struggle came up a few times then too. But now I know that self care is super important! And I’m not talking about bubble baths and face masks, but instead, literally taking time to be myself.
Waiting Too Long to Make a Parent Contact
Contacting parents early is SUPER important. The sooner the family is on board with getting the kid on track, the easier things are in the long run. I know that there are a million and one things to do each day. Taking the time to call home about small things, seems like it can wait, but trust me! Things quickly and easily snowball into bigger problems. Get the family to realize that you are working FOR their student and want what’s best. Nip the issue in the bud before it gets crazy.
Focusing Too Much on Curriculum and Not Enough on the Kids
We teach children, not curriculum. It was really easy to get wrapped up in this. I have always treated my standards like a to do list. But that first year, especially when those standards weren’t organized, that was my first (and second and third) priority. I wanted those kids ready for the final exam and let everything else fall too low on the list.
Trying So Hard to Be Fair that the Kids Didn’t Get What They Needed
This comes to teachers over time. I now have an unlimited retake policy. I’m far more concerned now with the fact that kids are learning, and a lot less concerned about the speed. I used to care SO MUCH about the fairness aspect of unlimited testing. I was one of those people that thought “what about the kids who knew it the first time?” And now I think, “good for them, they don’t to take an EXTRA time to learn it. The time in class was enough.”
I Didn’t Delegate Anything to the Kids
I did EVERYTHING in my classroom, but I know better now. Now I let the kids help me out with a lot more than I used to. You can learn more about that here.
Waited Too Long to Quit
There is so much stuff that simply isn’t worth the time or effort in order to get it done. This was the feeling like my classroom had to be ready the first day. Everything needed to be laminated. Every activity had to be fun, with no worksheets. I tried to be perfect at nearly everything, and nothing came out anywhere close. Talk about teacher mistakes!
Most of These Problems Self Corrected
Once I started with the All Star Planning Method, nearly everything ironed itself out. There was so much less stress! I was able to distinguish “important” and “not important’.” There was finally time to relax and rest. I was able to spend more useful time with my students. My boundaries were certainly put in place. It felt good to have things in order.
It’s important to figure out what the root of your issue is. Mine was certainly having a grip on my plans. I had all of these issues, but couldn’t fix them until I addressed the root of my issues.
If you want to learn more about the All Star Planning Method, you can learn more here.
