Destinye Hudson

USA

The Prepared Practitioner: Supporting New Teachers

Sat, Nov 10, 2018 6:27 PM
"Survival Mode"

This article about the challenges that new teachers or preservice teachers may face is one that needs to be presented in every faculty meeting that will include veteran teachers. From experience, I've found that even in myself I was acting in "survival mode". For the first couple of weeks in my first year of teaching, I found myself just wanting to make it through the day. So many times I was asked what did I need to be successful, but as a first year teacher, you often don't know where to start asking for resources. I was given a great mentor, and she basically started me with what she would have wanted to know when it was her in my shoes. This was a tremendous help. The article mentions how important it is for preservice teachers to have some type of mentor, but how costly it also is. I feel like if school district really wanted to make a difference, and not have such a high turnover rate, they would take notice to this article and find that the benefits of spending the extra money out weigh the consequences. The article also points out knowing where most teacher's concerns fall, and if we know that, why don't we try to put possible solutions in place before the problem arises. Overall, this article is very beneficial to all educators, especially those that are in positions that can help others.

First Year 101

Sun, Dec 10, 2017 7:11 PM
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I found this article about the first year while looking for articles that I could use for another assignment. When I came across this article I was highly impressed by the information that was given. Last year was my first year of teaching, and I was doing a lot of reflecting when reading this article, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is about to start their first year. I enjoyed the information she shared about getting organized. This is the most crucial part I do believe. Being unorganized leads to so many other problems throughout the year, it is best if you handle them from the very beginning. I also loved how she gives advice on having fun and getting involved. Often times as a first year, you find yourself so focused on creating the perfect classroom, that you loose sight of having fun. You must remember yourself so you don’t become burned out. Lastly, the most important thing that she mentions is, finding supports. As a first year teacher you feel like you have so much to prove. Find someone that you can talk to about things that arise during the school year. This may not just be one person. You could even find different people for different things. Be sure to build a tribe. The one thing that I was surprised that wasn’t included in the article was, remembering to take time for you. It is crucial to take time for yourself. Teacher burn-out is real. It is so easy to become wrapped up in school and focusing on the kids that you forget all about you. Over all, I enjoyed the article, and it will be one that I save to present to any new teach that asks me for advice.