new teacher – SciencEdLife

The acting of teaching

I have been the grumpiest, sternest version of myself with these students, but I have not abandoned them. The ability to access, draw out and present appropriate aspects of our selves to students, together with thoughtful lesson design, makes us more effective in our roles as teachers.

What teachers can do about feelings of isolation

Teaching is a strange combination of community and isolation. We work hard at establishing a welcoming community in our classroom for students because we know how important it is. We need to have the same for teachers as well. Here are six strategies that teachers with long careers have used to banish feelings of isolation on the job.

Classroom Community

When I was a brand-new teacher, I knew it was important to have my lessons planned carefully, and to learn my students’ names. Like most new teachers, I worked hard my first year developing curriculum and figuring out my classroom management strategies. I loved teaching biology to teenagers, I was fired up about inquiry teachingContinue reading “Classroom Community”

First steps

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince The day my teaching colleague and close friend found one of our new science teachers sobbing in her room after school was a turning point for me. Prior toContinue reading “First steps”