Common Humps as a New Teacher

There are many problems that new teachers have. Bryan Goodwin, in an excerpt from his book Educational Leadership outlines three of the most common ones. These include classroom management, too much curricular freedom, and an unsuportive environment.

In classroom management, many new teachers simply have a hard time maintaining order in their classrooms. Another study (which I, sadly, cannot remember who wrote it) found that those teachers who outlined their expectations of students on the first day of class, instead of those who simply started working or did a fun activity, had a better overall class behavior. It appears that these expectations or classroom procedures prevented most misbehaviors before they even start. TeachHub has a very good article on classroom procedures if you want to learn more.

Another problem Goodwin discussed was having too many curricular freedoms. Often, new teachers are given aren't given enough scaffolding as far as what to teach their students that they feel overwhelmed with the task of coming up with new lesson plans. If you've ever been in a classroom with a new teacher you know how unorganized and stressed it seems. The teacher doesn't have faith in her curriculum and so the students don't have faith in the teacher.

The last hump a new teacher may have is that there isn't a supportive environment. Other teachers and/or administration may not walk alongside the new teacher and help him/her to overcome obstacles (like classroom management or lesson plans). I know in my own life that I want to know if I'm doing a good job. If my class didn't go as well as it should have I just want some emotional support to know that I'm not a failure. So, to me, this last problem is probably the hardest to overcome.

A teacher can learn how to effectively manage the classroom and can get help with lesson plans from the internet. However, sadly,  you can't fix your coworkers. Especially the ones that don't like you simply because you're doing your job. So, if this is the case for you, find a support system outisde of the school. Or, if it's simply that the administration is paying any attention to you, just remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.