Master these basic concepts and ideas, and you’ll be well on your way to teaching like a pro and feeling totally comfortable every time you step into the classroom.
Time management is crucial
Time can get away from you much, much quicker than you realize. It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in an activity and realize that it has taken up 45 minutes and left you with no time for the rest of the lesson.
It’s just as easy to breeze through some activities and find yourself with huge chunks of time to fill on the fly. Have a clock easily visible in your classroom, wear a watch, and keep a close eye on both.
Plan your lessons carefully and think through how much time each activity will realistically take your students. When planning, err on the side of giving an activity too much time – rather than trying to squeeze too much into too little time – and be prepared with lots of filler activities.
Time management in the classroom is a skill that you’ll develop over time, as you grow into your teaching style and start to get a sense for your students but be conscious of it right at the start.
Students will try to push your buttons
It should come as no surprise to anyone that students will want to challenge authority (you) and see what they can get away with. Be prepared for disciplinary issues. Before you ever step into the classroom the first day, have a plan for dealing with students who will push your buttons.
Most importantly, keep your cool and remember that discipline problems come with the territory, and once you get a handle on it, you’ll easily be able to shrug it off as part of the job.
You have to reach out to other Instructors
As a beginner, there are a lot of things that are going to be a challenge – classroom management, dealing with difficult students, establishing a good working relationship with your co-instructors, finding ways to inspire the students and keep class interesting day after day, just to name just a few.
These are things that other instructors, either at your school or friends who teach in the same area, have all been through and learned. Reach out to them, ask questions, and learn from their advice and experience.
You need a lot of patience
As mentioned earlier, students will push the limits to see what they can get away with. You’ll need to have a cool head and a lot of patience to handle difficult students without losing control or breaking down.
It’s not just behavior that you need to be patient with. Learning can be incredibly hard. Don’t get frustrated, and don’t think less of your students. Some aspects of learning are just incredibly difficult and take time to become really ingrained. All you can do is keep encouraging them and have lots of patience.
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