Reality Check with Allisence: Still New to Teaching

Remember Allisence? She wrote for Reality 101 in 2011–12. Allisence was just starting a second career and in her first year of teaching last time she blogged. Reality 101 is circling back with her for a Reality Check to get her perspective and sage advice for new teachers.

Last year, I was a first-year teacher trying to figure out how to navigate the system and balance student schedules that made my room feel like a three-ring circus. I was perplexed by how to teach such a wide range of students, but even though I have a year of experience under my belt, everything seems that much more complicated!

This year, everything about my classroom is different. Rather than having a span of six grade levels, I only have four, but rather than only having seven students I have 12. There are only four things that have stayed the same: two students, the fact that every day is a new adventure and the reality that I still have no balance in my life.

Consequently, it makes sense that I still consider myself a new teacher and one that’s always learning. Here are a few things I’ve learned so far this school year:

Restraining is no fun.
I have many students with severe behavior concerns that have required my aides and me to become fully certified in non-violent crisis intervention (restraint training). There have been many instances with students where we’ve had to physically restrain them because they were an imminent danger to themselves or others. This process is no fun for anyone.

Sign language rocks.
I have a new student with a severe hearing impairment. While he is verbal and communicates with spoken words, it’s been a blessing to teach him the alphabet paired with sign language. Since he is a very kinesthetic learner, these hand motions have improved his learning and retention abilities. Besides, sign language hasn’t just helped him, it has helped all my students!

Nobody cares about observations.
Last year, I would get stressed about observations and would worry about my scores. I’ve since then realized that while I do still care about these observations, they don’t really matter that much. If I’m teaching what and how I’m supposed to be teaching on a daily basis, even unannounced observations are no big deal.

You can’t be friends with everyone.
Last year in hopes of creating collaborative relationships, I tried to be extremely accommodating. While I still try to be as accommodating as I can be, I now understand that I can’t be friends with everyone. Not everyone is going to have the same beliefs as I do about my students and while I don’t want to burn any bridges, there will always be people I work better with than others.

Wiggle seats work.
I took on a lot of kindergarteners this year who are just about the wiggliest kids on the planet. After trying every free strategy I could think of to get them to sit still, I finally went online and bought 10 wiggle seats and plopped them down on the carpet. After the initial learning curve, even my wiggliest students are now able to sit for a good 10 minutes on the carpet.

They don’t always mean it.
Growing up it never occurred to my friends and me to call our teacher names no matter how mad we were. Kids these days, however, are exposed to a whole lot more and know quite a few more colorful words than my friends and I did. This year I’ve been called just about every inappropriate word, but I try to remember that they don’t mean it—they are upset and it’s not a personal attack.

But, when my students decide to tell me how much they love me, I generally decide to take it like they mean it! Besides, it’s those words that keep me coming back for a new adventure each and every day.

Comments

[yolanda]

Allisence,
I respect your efforts in trying to become more collaborative with other staff and faculty. I have learned along the way that collaboration doesnt necessarily mean accommodation. I feel that when you accommodate you are giving up all power to make the other person or thing comfortable. But in collaboration, both parties are working together for the sake of each parties comfort level.

[April Johnson]

Allisence,
Last week I transitioned into a new school, I went from teaching general ed to figuring out how to manage muliple groups of students with different academic needs. When I first started my teaching journey I was terrified of being observed. After a few observations with feedback I was able to better understand their purpose and that observations from others help me to grow professionally. I'm beginning to understand my role and I get what you're saying when you cant be friends with everyone. I want to be accomodating and well liked amongst the faculty but it becomes hard for mento manage my responsibilities and caseloads. Thank you for your insight.

[Hollie Mason]

Wiggle seats sound so cool! I think I might need one sometimes! Where do you get them and can you give more of an explanation of what they are? I have 9 seventh graders in six different disability categories and a WIDE range of abilities so my classroom can sometimes look like a zoo. But we make it work!

[Miranda Jones]

Allisence-
Your post is interesting in that it reminds me so much of things that I am seeing and learning within my residency. I work a high needs school and there is always someone coming in to observe teachers. I finally asked what it was all about, and the teacher told me that it had to do with all of these different programs that our school is participating in. As a resident, I find it disconcerting that someone is always randomly walking in as if they are checking up on the teachers. Maybe it is because I am a control freak, but I think I might have some problems with this latter in the year as I become a first year teacher although the teacher also assured me that it is nothing to get worked up about, and that she doesn't really care-very similar to what you've said. Additionally, I know that collaboration is a vital part of Special Education but it is so difficult working in EC Inclusion with teachers who merely do not want to share their room or resent the fact that they have teach diverse learners and therefore differentiate. I am know learning how to be okay with me and the decisions I make. It's like the more I grow as a preservice educator, the more I learn about myself as well.