50 Things Every First Year Teacher Should Know New Teachers by Joel Wagner - September 2, 2012August 6, 20173 The first year teacher is often a very lonely and isolated person. They often feel like everyone else has everything already figured out, and they are the only one struggling. That is not the case. In fact, so many of us are in survival mode and dealing with our own issues that we forget to help the first year teachers out. Below is a list of 50 things I picked up in my first 10 years of teaching that can hopefully help you through some of those lonely times. I am in my 11th year of teaching now. Where did the time go? One of the top search results that sends people to this blog is "First Year Teacher" so I thought that
10 Years of Teaching: A Reflection Inspiration by Joel Wagner - June 4, 2012July 1, 20163 I started this blog more than five years ago. I have now come to the conclusion of my 10th year of teaching. In this article and the upcoming series, I reflect on some of what I have learned in my 10 years of teaching. A reflection It strikes me that much of what I have written on this blog, especially in the older articles is simply wrong. Some of the information can be misleading or easily misunderstood. In the upcoming weeks and months, I aim to readdress some of those same issues from my new, far more patient and friendly mindset. At the same time, there are some core beliefs I held to in those early days that are ever strong in me and I
Should I Keep My EduBlog Anonymous? Blogging & Technology by Joel Wagner - April 10, 2011April 10, 20111 A reader writes: I'm currently student teaching. I'm very passionate about music and music education. A couple of years ago I felt a sudden terror when I recognized I was nowhere close to ready to be a successful teacher, and I started delving into as much material as I could and doing whatever else I could (camps, etc) to get ready. Your blog was one of the first good, free resources I found, and I've been reading ever since. So first, thank you for your contributions. This past summer I had a friend start a music blog, and I thought, "Wow, that's a great idea." I love to write, especially in reflection and with the goal of learning from my experiences. I
How To Make This Year The Best of Your Career New Teachers by Atticus Parker - August 4, 2010August 31, 20104 This guest post was written by Atticus from www.atticusparker.com/education I was chuffed earlier this month when Joel asked me to write guest post for his edublog SYWTT. I was however also nervous. Joel has created an enviable web presence with SYWTT through an obvious passion for teaching, hard work and obvious dedication. I didn’t want to let him down. The topic he suggested was 'How To Make This Year The Best of Your Career'. Wow, I thought. A topic like that calls for an action plan. A list. So I have resorted to an old favourite of blog readers - the list article. Many blog articles today feature a list. Do Lists.
Find A Mirror (Total Teacher Transformation Day 2) Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - May 4, 2009June 30, 20102 This is an article in the Total Teacher Transformation series. Click here for a complete table of contents. Today's lesson is simple, and yet profound. One of the most difficult concepts for me to grasp was one of the most important in my early days of teaching. It is also the most transformational and pivotal of everything that we're going to be doing through this process. Every problem that happens in my classroom is my fault. Or stated more positively I am responsible to ensure good things happen in my class. If we can get over that hurdle, if we can get through that first barrier, we are on the downhill ride to becoming a great teacher. We are responsible for
Student Teaching: Week 2 Review New Teachers by Joel Wagner - January 18, 2009June 30, 20105 So most schools have started their student teaching by now. If you know someone who has a blog and is student teaching this semester, please encourage them to contact me (or leave a comment) so that I can add their blog to my list. I was encouraged to read some of the great comments that came out on some of the posts from last week. Hopefully you can keep doing that this week. Here's what I found in the world of student teaching this week. Saturday January 10 G Broaddus was Reflecting on student teaching , week 1. He also writes about Myths in the teachers' lounge. Some good reflection, and some not-so-good reflection happens in there! Wish him
Habit 2: Classroom Habits Classroom Management by Joel Wagner - July 10, 2007July 5, 20103 This is the second in a series of articles entitled 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers. Classroom Procedures The procedures that you lay out in the classroom are the most outwardly evident procedures that you have in place. For this reason, they are key elements of your overall classroom management plan. Much of the procedures really depend on the age-group you teach. Since I teach middle school, my procedures are very middle-school oriented. These procedures can be broken up into three categories: Beginning of class Middle of class End of class Beginning of class The tone of the entire class is established before the students walk in the door. We've all heard the old adage, You never get