Teacher Talk

It’s Teacher Talk Tuesday today!  🙂  

Advice for new teachers . . . (your poor things!)

1.  Save some of your paycheck for yourself.  Don’t pour it all into your classroom.  🙂

2.  Become good friends with the secretary and the custodian.  Do you bake?  Bring them a treat!  Do you stop by Starbucks or It’s a Grind in the morning?  Bring them a coffee or tea!  I’m not saying every day – I’m just saying it always comes in handy to have them on your side.  Wink wink.  Nudge nudge.

3.  Be quiet.  Listen.  Observe.  You don’t have to be opinionated in the beginning (although you should have opinions but just hold onto them in the beginning).    

4.  Beg, borrow, and steal ask your teammates for help AND THEN give credit where credit is due!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

5.  I have found that another teacher and myself can say the EXACT SAME SENTENCE to a parent but we can get two different reactions.  It’s all in the delivery, people.  Smile.  Cock your head a little.  Start off with “I’m sorry.”  AS IN “I’m really sorry, but your child just can’t throw chairs in our room.”  Then nod a little for emphasis.  Put on a little sad face like you WISH their child could throw chairs in your classroom but it’s just school policy this year.  Maybe next year.  It’s always good to have parents on your side.  And even though you told them the truth, you said it nicely.  Now they’re most likely going to work with you.  And give you gift cards.  For massages.  (this is real life experience!)

I think that’s about it for my advice.  Other than my first teaching partner saved my life and I vowed to help out all new teachers after that.  Pay it forward!  That’s why I love this blogging business.  It’s incredible how much we share and support each other.  

Now it’s your turn!  What are you waiting for?  Link up with Blog Hoppin and GET TO IT!  🙂

Before I sign off, I just wanted to address a few of your comments from Meet the Teacher Monday.  First, thank you so much for all of your kind words.  Everyone out there in Blogland is soooooo nice — I can’t stand it!!!  🙂  Second, my heart condition is called Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy and I found out about it because I was having lots of heart palpitations, dizziness, tunnel vision, and shortness of breath.  But I had these symptoms on and off for about 10 years during and after exercise so I attributed it to a really good work out!  Then later, as it got worse, I started having the symptoms while doing nothing (watching reality TV or reading a book).  And the symptoms became more frequent.  I finally decided to go in after having an “episode” that lasted for about 4 hours and I really thought I might be having a heart attack.  Up until then, the symptoms were just plain annoying.  Instead of thinking, “Oh no – am I having a heart attack?  Am I going to die?  Is this it?  Should I call 911?” (yes, insert DRAMA QUEEN here), I would think, “Dang it.  I need to dry my hair.  I have a list of things to do.  I do not have time to lay down on the bed for 15 minutes and wait for this to pass.  This is so irritating.”  (insert IDIOTIC PRINCESS here)  Long story short, I am glad God finally gave me my wake up call.  Once I saw my primary care physician and had an irregular EKG, the rest went extremely fast.  Within about two weeks, I was diagnosed and in the hospital having an angiogram.  The last year and a half has been more about finding the right medicine that works for me and the right doses.  We play with it a lot because medicine is an art, not a science.  There is no cure but the medicine has helped me a lot and I just pray my body continues to respond.  I am grateful to God every day because not only did He protect me in so many ways, but I have grown closer to Him because of it.  The hubby and I go to church every Sunday (or Saturday depending on our mood), joined a small group bible study, and do daily devotionals.  Everything happens for a reason, right???  And that’s my story!!!!  I am leaving out lots of little details but I’ll spare you!  Unless you want them . . . in which case, email me!! 🙂

Thank you again for all of your kind words and support!!!  You guys rock!