In a recent post, Nora H asked:
I was wondering simply what your biggest piece of advice would be for new/beginning educators?
Before I answer this question, it’s important to name that no one teacher has the same journey into this work. With the myriad identities, entryways, and circumstances, everyone has to adapt whatever advice is given to their own situation. However, over the course of my teaching, some patterns emerged in conversations with others:
- The first year is relatively difficult for everyone.
- It’s difficult (though not impossible) to do it all by yourself.
- It’s probably better when new teachers have had experiences as the “adult” in the room before they’re the main one.
- The more veteran you get as a teacher, the more likely you are to critique who you were the first year.
That last one is appropriate. We often see prior versions of our teacher-selves and think of all the flaws in them. Even those of us who appreciated our first teacher-self understand the ways we could have been better.
In my book This Is Not A Test, I recount how one of the veteran teachers said I was doing a yeoman’s job. I came to learn that “yeoman’s job” meant “good in the midst of difficult circumstances.” I can’t tell if I made it look easy or if I had a valid connection with the students. From September until March of that school year, I did relatively well. Of course, I also revealed in the book how I cried to my befuddled administration. I was a blubbering mess, and didn’t think I would come back to teaching. Looking back, I gave so much to my teaching that I had no way of replenishing that well.
But the one thing I did well: I wrote it down.
On Writing It Down
As a new teacher, I had an advantage that some of my peers didn’t: I had already built a writing habit. I wrote poems as a burgeoning poet, and kept multiple journals for everything else. I also had an anonymous blog for years before starting this blog. In my graduate classes, I rarely worried about getting to a “word count” because I knew the goal would come. I worried more about what I wanted to say.
Most importantly, I kept the schedule.
It didn’t matter if I had a great day or a difficult week, I reflected on it and wrote something down. Sometimes, it was the same note (“Jose, you need to do better with timing.”). Other times, it was a quick observation (“Oh so seating charts don’t work with this group.”). Every so often, it was something random (“For next time, lock up your scissors before your day off.”). If the idea led to a blog post, I shared it with the world. Because I had already been accustomed to public vulnerability, it became easier to accept feedback, even from folks I didn’t want to hear from.
When you look up the term “being your own worst critic,” my picture comes up often.
The critiques sometimes bordered on self-flagellation, not to be confused with flatulation (yes, middle school teacher forever). I beat myself up for mistakes, even to this day. Some of my mistakes are so old, the students who the mistakes affected have their own children. For new teachers, every mistake feels like the end of the world. Maybe the angst lasts for a couple of days. Often, it lasts for a few weeks.
Even among those mistakes, having a reflective practice helps new teachers settle us recognize where our feelings sit.
The Reflective New Teacher
Akin to so many conversations happening about artificial intelligence and mechanized writing processes, if it’s not authentic to you, don’t do it. Also, in no way am I imploring people to start a blog, podcast, or newsletter divulging banalities of the day. (If that’s your thing, I won’t knock your hustle.) I strongly believe that reflection as part of your work is healthy even when it feels murky. We’re in a world that pushes us to act and produce. Then, when results don’t show up the way we want, we’re supposed to jump back into action and try again.
I’m a fan of urgency. I’m a bigger fan of thinking through scenarios before acting on something. But it’s hard to do without understanding what worked and what didn’t in a given class, lesson, or unit.
Becoming a better teacher, as with anything, isn’t just about how much time you’ve spent in the work. It’s also about developing the layers that constitute good teaching: a strong identity as the foundation, a cohesive and comprehensive approach to how you do your work, a proactive and reactive dance when plans meet the students. Akin to how athletes watch game tape or bloggers leave their work open for comments, teachers could benefit from having thoughtful support and coaching. But it starts with some form of metacognition.
Some Things To Consider
It doesn’t have to look one way. Here’s a list:
- sticky notes on a lesson plan that went well (or didn’t)
- social notes (yes, microblogging on Bluesky or Threads (not X) if you have the appetite for it)
- using a good pencil/pen and notebook and finding a 30-minute window either right after your last class or on the way home (my favorite)
- finding some accountability partners (hopefully not a non-teacher friend) to talk through things
30% of my growth as a teacher was probably due to some metacognitive practice. I was fortunate to have the support of a few mentors provided by the NYC Teaching Fellows program, and some great folks within the school who supported my growth. I also shared a similar background with my students who I cared deeply about, even the ones that needed a little more support.
But a reflective process is akin to letting your food marinate in a rich sauce or cooling off a solid dessert.
Experience isn’t just about the time spent, but also the effort we put into the process. If it helps to settle on one question (“What was your big win this week?” “Which child(ren) pushed you to do better this week?” “What objective needed more time?”), then good. Whatever that looks like, get into a routine. It doesn’t have to be perfect every time, either. Even this blog has some stuff that made me cringe.
But that’s part of teaching. “The mess makes us best.” OK, but at least I wrote it down.
Jose, who’s curious about how many of you are reflective in your practice …
The post Write It Down Somewhere [Some Advice For New Teachers] appeared first on The Jose Vilson.
