Five P's for a Successful Teaching Career No beating around the bush. Here are my five P's to having success in the classroom throughout your teaching career: 1. Pride 2. Planning 3. Preparation 4. Passion 5. Perseverance Part II: Planning and Preparation Though closely related, planning and preparation are not the same. In the planning stage, you create your roadmap for success and in the preparation stage, you develop the necessary tools to carry out the plan. It may be tempting to skip much of the planning and jump right into the preparation phase to save time. Try not to fall into this trap. A carefully laid out plan will help you avoid pitfalls, increase your productivity, and keep you on course to reach your goals. The advice of Margaret Thatcher comes to mind: “Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.” (See Tip 74: Ready-Set-Teach!). A wedding reception provides a good analogy. Can you think of anything people put more time into planning? It’s such an important day and they all want it to go off without a hitch. Where and when will you hold it, who will you invite, and what will you serve? These are just a few of the things you’ll need to consider. Seating, flowers, invitations, entertainment, photography…the list goes on and on. Next comes the preparation stage, where you physically put your plan into action. You will need to select or create your own invitations, meet with the florist, examine the layout of the hall, plan your décor, and sample the cuisine. Certainly the menu is planned in advance, but then the food must be prepared. In teaching, the development of a course is a planning process that lays out units of study complete with topics to be covered, timelines, methods of presentation, types of evaluation, and resources available to achieve desired outcomes. The creation of actual lessons and evaluation instruments, such as tests, assignments and presentations, are part of the preparation phase. These are the tools teachers use to deliver the curriculum or "work the plan." Good planning allows for flexibility and you should always be open to grasping the teachable moment. (See Tip 51: Ready-Set-Teach!). On occasion, we’ve all shown up to teach less prepared than we would have liked. Sometimes we get away with it and sometimes the results are disastrous. (See Tip 48: Ready-Set-Teach!). Students are very observant and if you’re off your game just a little, they are sure to notice. I used to do as much planning as possible during the summer, and once my plans were laid out I would delve into preparing my lessons. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll need a good vacation—some down time to recharge your batteries and get caught up on projects you may have neglected during the school year. However you choose to go about it, both planning and preparing are time well spent. With Ready-Set-Teach! I’ve done a great deal of the planning and preparation you can use to effectively manage your classroom. Click on the link below and buy your copy of Ready-Set-Teach! today.
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Five P's for a Successful Teaching Career No beating around the bush. Here are my five P's to having success in the classroom throughout your teaching career: 1. Pride 2. Planning 3. Preparation 4. Passion 5. Perseverance Part I: Take Pride in Your Profession Today, I want to speak to you about what I believe is a most important issue for any teacher at any level--taking pride in your profession. Experienced educators have witnessed the growing demands and expectations placed on teachers and the ever-increasing amounts of criticism. Teachers are an easy target for many of society's ills and it's common to feel as if there is a bullseye on your chest. Though you may find it difficult to ignore, stay focused on meeting the needs of your students. Always be proud of the job you are doing. Never fall prey to disparaging remarks of those outside the teaching profession. Take comfort and inspiration from the words of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a Roman philosopher and politician: "What nobler employment, or more valuable to the state, than that of a man who instructs the rising generation." (See Tip 74: Ready-Set-Teach!). Post these words where you will see them every day. They will help to sustain you through many challenges. Good teachers are worth their weight in gold and a great teachers are priceless. Let students and parents know that you enjoy and are proud of what you do. Post your credentials for all to see. "Display framed copies of your degrees and certificates including those from your ongoing professional development. This not only speaks to your credibility, but to your commitment to being a lifelong learner." (See Tip 2: Ready-Set-Teach!). Never for a moment believe that what you do isn't important. Continue to touch the lives of your students every day—and affect them profoundly. Let everyone you meet know that you are proud to be a teacher and that your students are doing great things. (See Tip 59: Ready-Set-Teach!). |
Jim Gomes' Blog
Jim is the founder of J-Go LEARN Inc. and author of "Ready-Set-Teach! 101 Tips for Classroom Success." CategoriesArchives
December 2015
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