Secondary Thinking about becoming a teacher

[Big Cox 88]

Any tips on starting the new year with year 7s? Or just teaching them in general?
I've pretty much only ever taught year 10 upwards, but this year I have a bunch of Year 7 classes.
Any input would be appreciated!

They will be frustrating because they are so needy and require constant recognition and praise. Don't just expect them to know how to note take and organise their file/books. They are fun and normally still love school and learning so be enthusiastic.

 

[pepsi]

I work in a year 7 to 9 school, working with year 7s is great. Many will be apprehensive at the beginning, really just trying to find their feet in a new environment. Agree that you should be enthusiastic and work hard at building relationships. I've found if you build strong relationships in year 7, students will really respond to you for the remainder of their high school years.

 

[Shell]

They will be frustrating because they are so needy and require constant recognition and praise. Don't just expect them to know how to note take and organise their file/books. They are fun and normally still love school and learning so be enthusiastic.

Yeah this, very much so this.

FWIW im an aide, not a teacher and i've worked with Year 7s twice (funnily enough moving back up to Year 10 this year)- they are extremely needy (which shits me sometimes- i really try and not "baby" them tbh) but they can be alot of fun as well.

Enjoy the peace and quiet too while it lasts. They are dead silent the first couple weeks its great

 

[HulkSmash]

I think that might have been part of my problem - I had a year 7 and a year 8 class, and took them from term 4 onwards. If I had to be transferred again, I wouldn't want it to start at term 4 - you only get a small amount of time to build a rapport. Term 1, plenty of time.

I'd say, be patient and maybe use some year 6 classroom management for a few weeks. If their feeder schools have sent notes on, as some do with particularly troublesome students, read some of those. See what works.

 

[Jack Richards]

I will begin this year as a Learning Specialist at a special education school (coming from mainstream).

Will be a big learning curve but will be out of the classroom which is different.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

I will begin this year as a Learning Specialist at a special education school (coming from mainstream).

Will be a big learning curve but will be out of the classroom which is different.

I thought learning specialists had to have some time dedicated to normal teaching loads?

 

[Jack Richards]

I thought learning specialists had to have some time dedicated to normal teaching loads?

I will be running PLCs, Building STEM and going into the classroom to support teachers.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

I will be running PLCs, Building STEM and going into the classroom to support teachers.

I could be completely wrong, but I think your school could be pulling a bit of a shifty.

We've been lead to believe that a component needs to be as a class teacher.

 

[Jack Richards]

I could be completely wrong, but I think your school could be pulling a bit of a shifty.

We've been lead to believe that a component needs to be as a class teacher.

I asked the prin about this and she said she doesn't want any of her leadership (including Learning Specialist) to have a classroom load.

I'm not complaining as I would be happy either way.

 

[pepsi]

I asked the prin about this and she said she doesn't want any of her leadership (including Learning Specialist) to have a classroom load.

I'm not complaining as I would be happy either way.

My current prin believes all leadership should have a teaching load (including herself) and I'm a fan.

 

[Jack Richards]

My current prin believes all leadership should have a teaching load (including herself) and I'm a fan.

I think that's great. I genuinely will miss that side (being in the classroom and building that relationship with the students). Having leadership in the classroom and doing a classroom load also shows how how you care about the workload of your staff and want to lead by example. Not to mention keeping your skill set and knowledge relevant.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

I asked the prin about this and she said she doesn't want any of her leadership (including Learning Specialist) to have a classroom load.

I'm not complaining as I would be happy either way.

Fair enough. Must be bending the interpretation of the position description. If it works good luck to her.

 

[Reynolds Number]

Just finished my time at a school that teaches Year 2 English to 5 year old kindergarten students who are learning English as a second language.

It is not as cool as you think it might be.

#letkidsbekids

 

[HulkSmash]

Just finished my time at a school that teaches Year 2 English to 5 year old kindergarten students who are learning English as a second language.

It is not as cool as you think it might be.

#letkidsbekids

I taught at a school where we got the bulk of our kids from the English language school, and even then, they still don't get it. They only spend six months (I think) and then they're sent to which ever school they're intended to go into. Some adapt successfully, Asian Tiger mum mentality and all, but a fair chunk don't and never will. Then you have to plan your lessons so that the slower ESL kids can follow.

Now, I'm going to sound like Pauline Hanson here, but the big issue is, they don't use the language between themselves in normal conversation. The only way you master anything is with practice, practice, practice. As soon as the class the over, they're using their first language with their mates. That's not good.

They have to use English as often as they can. Sink or swim.

 

[Caesar]

My current prin believes all leadership should have a teaching load (including herself) and I'm a fan.

A school principal with a teaching load is a school principal who doesn’t have enough work to do.

 

[Roylion]

A school principal with a teaching load is a school principal who doesn’t have enough work to do.

In smaller schools it's quite common. Mainly done to increase subject breadth.

 

[raskolnikov]

Our principal occasionally takes the odd super but that's it.

 

[pepsi]

A school principal with a teaching load is a school principal who doesn’t have enough work to do.

Have you been a principal or AP? I've been at my school for 11 years and in that time the current Principal has achieved our best results including academic and well being. A school of 1500 students no less. So I can't agree with your statement. It is only 1 match class for 4 sessions per week, but a teaching load nonetheless.

 

[Caesar]

They sound like a very dedicated teacher and a very uncommitted chief executive. If I was on the school board I would be worried about strategic direction.

Perhaps she would be better suited to a role as Dean of Students.

 

[pepsi]

They sound like a very dedicated teacher and a very uncommitted chief executive. If I was on the school board I would be worried about strategic direction.

Perhaps she would be better suited to a role as Dean of Students.

You haven't met her or seen her work, so I'll have to disagree with your second point. Excellent leader. Best principal I've encountered out of the 5 I've had in my career.

 

[Shell]

My cousin's a principal- i just assumed he still taught a class but he doesn't - says theres just no time. Really misses it though.

 

[Caesar]

You haven't met her or seen her work, so I'll have to disagree with your second point. Excellent leader. Best principal I've encountered out of the 5 I've had in my career.

4 classes a week is what, 10% of their paid hours? If a CEO of a manufacturing firm was consistently spending 10% of the work week on a production line, I’d be questioning why they have the time - regardless of how popular it makes them with the rank and file.

I have no issue with principals picking up the odd substitute class now and then. It’s good to keep in touch with what’s happening on the ground.

Taking a class load is taking the piss though. They’re not being paid a fat salary to play teacher, and if they’ve got good academic management below them they shouldn’t need to.

 

[bUCKET__]

4 classes a week is what, 10% of their paid hours? If a CEO of a manufacturing firm was consistently spending 10% of the work week on a production line, I’d be questioning why they have the time - regardless of how popular it makes them with the rank and file.

I have no issue with principals picking up the odd substitute class now and then. It’s good to keep in touch with what’s happening on the ground.

Taking a class load is taking the piss though. They’re not being paid a fat salary to play teacher, and if they’ve got good academic management below them they shouldn’t need to.

Maybe they've got good exec team below them instead? More than one way to run a school mate, perhaps being on more school boards would broaden your mind here instead!

(I mean your name is Caesar for a reason though, right?! strong username to post correlation)

Depending on the context, sometimes leadership might need to have more time directly working with students, their families and the broader community. For instance, there's enough evidence to think that low socioeconomic school communities benefit from students working more closely with school leadership in taking ownership of their learning environment. Not saying it's common or always good, but it may sometimes be necessary to build up a community.

On the flipside, I've seen plenty of schools that are simply ineffective because the people making the decisions are entirely detached from what it's like at the coalface or within the school community. Maybe there's a lot of poor operators out there and that's the problem, but it's not intrinsically farcical to think that a small weekly load could help here in many cases.

 

[Deliverance]

All the best to those who took the plunge this year. Tough conditions first up for those in Melbourne, with Coronavirus and heat causing distractions to easily distractable human beings.

 

[HulkSmash]

All the best to those who took the plunge this year. Tough conditions first up for those in Melbourne, with Coronavirus and heat causing distractions to easily distractable human beings.

Amen mate.

We started off with week 1 (we call it week 0 at our school because of year 7), always causes a few headaches as the year 7 orientation activities take up the choice rooms. Namely my computer labs.

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