(Chatham County's new teachers participate in "Musical Riddles!")Imagine this: you step behind a podium and look out at a sea of faces. Those faces are happy, excited, hopeful, and intent. They have a job to do, and they have come to do it. These are our newest colleagues, and they have reported for duty. I have had the opportunity this week to meet some of North Carolina's new teachers, and I am thrilled to have had that honor.
The teachers in the Alamance/Burlington school system are spending their first three days focusing on "Poets and Pirates," the theme for their Beginning Teacher Induction. For my presentation, I chose to focus on poetry and the way that teaching involves sharing "pieces of ourselves" just as poets share when they write. The new Alamance teachers endured my attempts at Dr. Seuss-i-ness, and I explained my five tips for teachers that were recently printed on Teacher Magazine online. They were a refreshing group, all smiles and energy, and the students of Alamance County will be lucky to have these new teachers.
Next I traveled to my home county of Orange to do a presentation on "The Professional Educator." I had an exciting plan, and I had a partner in crime (Jenny, my mentee from last year), but I just couldn't do it. Here's what we had planned: I was to walk in (late), on my cell phone, wearing jeans, flip flops, and a wrinkled t-shirt. While Jenny introduced herself and talked to the teachers about her first year, I had planned to be the frazzled presenter, disorganized and stressed out. After a few minutes, I would apologize for my dress, saying I had been working in my classroom (I don't have one of those this year) and then I would excuse myself to change clothes. I would return in a somewhat inappropriate dress, one more suited for "clubbing" than teaching. After a few more minutes I would slip out and return in appropriate professional dress, ready to get the reactions of the participants.
But...I just couldn't do it! Oh, I wore the jeans and wrinkled t-shirt. I chomped on gum like it was the last piece on earth. But about three minutes after I arrived, I had to confess to this roomful of shocked educators. I was just too scared that they would really think I was like that! I was shaking all over; I felt physically sick. I realized, after the fact, that being considered "professional" just means too much to me. So much that I can't even fake it.
So I explained the idea to the new teachers, excused myself to change clothes, and then returned to continue my presentation about dressing as a professional, marketing ourselves as professional educators, becoming involved in our professional organizations, and speaking positively about our profession. These new teachers were eager to learn everything they could so they asked provocative questions, and we had stimulating conversations.
The teachers in the Alamance/Burlington school system are spending their first three days focusing on "Poets and Pirates," the theme for their Beginning Teacher Induction. For my presentation, I chose to focus on poetry and the way that teaching involves sharing "pieces of ourselves" just as poets share when they write. The new Alamance teachers endured my attempts at Dr. Seuss-i-ness, and I explained my five tips for teachers that were recently printed on Teacher Magazine online. They were a refreshing group, all smiles and energy, and the students of Alamance County will be lucky to have these new teachers.
Next I traveled to my home county of Orange to do a presentation on "The Professional Educator." I had an exciting plan, and I had a partner in crime (Jenny, my mentee from last year), but I just couldn't do it. Here's what we had planned: I was to walk in (late), on my cell phone, wearing jeans, flip flops, and a wrinkled t-shirt. While Jenny introduced herself and talked to the teachers about her first year, I had planned to be the frazzled presenter, disorganized and stressed out. After a few minutes, I would apologize for my dress, saying I had been working in my classroom (I don't have one of those this year) and then I would excuse myself to change clothes. I would return in a somewhat inappropriate dress, one more suited for "clubbing" than teaching. After a few more minutes I would slip out and return in appropriate professional dress, ready to get the reactions of the participants.
But...I just couldn't do it! Oh, I wore the jeans and wrinkled t-shirt. I chomped on gum like it was the last piece on earth. But about three minutes after I arrived, I had to confess to this roomful of shocked educators. I was just too scared that they would really think I was like that! I was shaking all over; I felt physically sick. I realized, after the fact, that being considered "professional" just means too much to me. So much that I can't even fake it.
So I explained the idea to the new teachers, excused myself to change clothes, and then returned to continue my presentation about dressing as a professional, marketing ourselves as professional educators, becoming involved in our professional organizations, and speaking positively about our profession. These new teachers were eager to learn everything they could so they asked provocative questions, and we had stimulating conversations.
I was excited to return the next day to discuss Classroom Management. Many times student discipline is the most difficult skill for new teachers to acquire. As I have said before, some things just take experience. As I have learned along the way, many problems I have encountered in my career were problems that I had seen before...maybe the students had different names, but as years went by, I knew what had worked and what hadn't, and I "tweaked" as I learned. The new teachers in Orange County shared their classroom management experiences from their student teaching, and they were impressive as they wrote out their management plans. I can't wait to visit them in their classrooms!
I finished out the week with the Chatham County Schools' new teachers, and they were a delightful group of first time educators! I shared my Expressions for Excellence in Education and my First Day of School Motivational Dream Speech, and we threw a couple of "move around" activities into the mix. Something unexpected happened at the end, though. I was saying, as I do to every teacher group, that I would love to visit their classrooms this year since I won't have a class of my own. Before I knew it, I had gotten a little weepy, and I had taken a couple of Chatham County teachers along for the ride.
Now that the teacher workdays are coming up, and many "early birds" are already in the schools, I'm starting to fully understand that I will not have a classroom this year. So watch out, North Carolina teachers, I'm going to need some classrooms to visit so that I can "breathe in children." Hopefully, I'll be coming your way!
This is definitely the time of year that veteran educators like me get excited about the new energy in our schools. Welcome to teaching!
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