Tips for the Teacher

With no need of celebration, in 2012 I will officially have been a teacher in some capacity or another for ten years. Wow! Ten years! One-third of my life! I never thought I would do anything for a third of my life. Needless to say, I've picked up few things about how to conduct myself as a teacher, how to handle children in a positive yet authoritative way, and how get through the ups and downs that kids will put a teacher through. I love teaching kids in every way, and even though this horrible California economy is making it difficult to be a teacher, I can't picture myself doing anything else.

Mister Q's Top 20 Teacher-isms

1. Yelling only makes you loud, not heard.
2. Kids need to fall, it's how they learn to get back up.
3. Respect is better than friendship.
4. Admit your mistakes out loud.
5. Saying "Good job!" is not praise, it only steals a child's sense of pride and pleasure.
6. I would rather hear a child say "I did it!"
7. A teacher's smile goes a long way.
8. Observing children is better than intervening. You actually might learn something about children.
9. Kids are not vessels meant only to be filled.
10. Have a thick skin, kids will say mean and disrespectful things.
11. If you slow down, you might see a child do something he/she has never done before.
12. If you make a kid cry because of discipline, don't feel bad about it.
13. Stand your ground. Stand your ground. Stand your ground.
14. Don't justify your reasoning with "Because I said so!"
15. Sneezes, coughs, and burps are funny. Farts are hilarious.
16. Almost everything is new to a young child.
17. If a child does something wrong, it can often be attributed to inexperience.
18. Show a firm hand for reprimand, but a soft hand welcoming back to the clan.
19. Letting down your teacher guard makes you human and accessible. Kids love a soft mushy inside.
20. Patience, patience, and more patience.

If you feel like I missed anything, or you would like to add some of your own teacher-isms to the list please leave a comment.