Tips For New Teachers
On teaching:
- You haven't practiced enough. Drill it again. Don't feel sorry for the kids. The slow ones need more time.
- At the beginning of the year, you'll teach for 20 minutes and feel exhausted. But believe that by the end of the year, or perhaps the semester, you'll hear the bell and say "Where did the period go?!". I suggest that you work closer with the Chinese English teachers at the beginning of the year, ask them to review last year's vocabulary if you run out of time, or lead a game of Heads-up 7up. One of my memories from the beginning of the year is Roger taking over when I ran out of steam, letting groups of kids come up to sing songs they had learned the year before.
- Even if you're the teacher, you have to play fair. You'll be playing a lot of games, play by the rules you state. If you can think of a system to keep track of turns, better.
- Discipline problem? Don't be afraid to use your Chinese teacher to translate some harsh words for the offender. Just make sure you've gone the usual routes first (proximity, a warning glance, a quick word). If the problem persists, take him to the office and tag-team with your Chinese partner. When the homeroom teacher sees you chewing the student out in the office, they will probably join in.
- Set a schedule but be creative. Kids easily lose attention and want new things, but they also learn from consistency. You'll have to find the balance between coming up with new activities to hold their attention and doing the same time-tested activities that they can learn from. As they get older, even having a consistent schedule of testing and homework will be more important. It will also help you to plan out your year.
- Read what the kids learned last year. Skim over what they learned in 1st grade. They will know certain command phrases like "stand up" and "sit down", "put your (homework) away" and "put your hand up". It's important to expand their vocabulary, but working through the pre-established channels will ease communication.
- Stay in the classrooms on Friday afternoons. This is a private school, and the parents are spending big bucks to send their kids to this school. They will want feedback about how their kids are doing, to see their kids speaking English with somebody, or at least to see who is teaching their kids. If you're not the outgoing type, break out a game after the initial crazy rush and play with the kids. In 1st grade I started the year with a version of tic-tac-toe, then moved onto UNO without the wild cards (UNO is the ultimate cross-culture game: numbers and colors! what could be easier?).
- First grade teachers: use stickers liberally at the beginning of the year. Those kids crying in the hall on Monday? They're sad. Put a sticker on their cheek, on their forehead; make them feel as loved as they are at home. Stickers can communicate that.
On choosing a grade:
- The higher grades are more structured and require more time spent grading homework. If you want deep intellectual conversations with your students or want to explore areas of English beyond "What's this? It's a pencil", then an older grade would be more appropriate for you.
- If you're into fun and games, crafts, being a mother (even guys can be mothers!), the lower grades would welcome you. First grade has the added task of teaching the kids social behavior, though most of that task will be absorbed by homeroom teachers and a general helping of stickers. Positive reinforcement!
- Middle grades are tough because you have to start cracking down in English and teaching spelling, but the kids are also flowering into their adult selves.