Learn as you teach

Teaching, like many professions, requires a lot of on the job training and experience in order for one to be successful at it. One way to get this on the job training is to ask questions of your veteran colleagues, the difference between a three-year teacher and a first year teacher is immeasurable, I know that even as a paraprofessional. For class this week, we looked at a lot of tips and tricks from veteran teachers for new teachers so that they could be better prepared for their first year. One of the things that stuck out the most to me was the idea that you learn as you teach, which sounds like an oxymoron, but I think there's a lot of wisdom to that. You should own up to your mistakes, you should pay attention to the way you're teaching your lesson and see if the students are interested in what you have to say. Don't enter the classroom as a first year teacher thinking that you know everything you need to know about how to be a teacher. The biggest piece of advice that I learned from the readings this week was that you should never stop evolving. The world moves quickly, and so does technology, to be a better teacher you need to adapt and learn if you stay stuck in your old ways, you will never reach your full potential.

Comments

  1. Kara McElwrathApril 12, 2025 at 7:11 PM

    I always appreciate words of wisdom - and I especially appreciate these kinds of resources because they come from teachers - not from a textbook and not from someone who hasn't seen a classroom in years. Three quotes that really speak to me are:

    "Don't get sucked into the myth that somehow you're a martyr for accepting a teaching position...focus on the children at all times. This isn't the army and you weren't drafted."

    "Get to know your kids, and let them get to know you. You are a big part of their lives just as they are of yours. Feel their challenges, their sacrifices, their joys and their hurts."

    "Listen earnestly to anything your students want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff, they won't tell you the big stuff because to them all of it has always been big stuff."

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