Friday 5! (Random Thoughts from Random Writer)

ONE

I found this meme of a tweet I wrote quite some time ago on Reddit… 

I think it’s held up well. It’s not the first time something I’ve done has ended up as a meme, but every time I find one, I have the same reaction … “How can that be?” What about those particular words made someone go “That’s a meme.” I wish I knew how to make that magic sauce all the time, like Jeff Tiedrich or Stonekettle. Their words just lend themselves to memeing. 

TWO

Today I start my 32nd year as a full-time teacher and my 33ed in education. I have clear memories of talking to grizzled vets when I was a bright-eyed youngster just starting out and how they sounded … I sound exactly like them.

They loved teaching, and I love teaching.

They hated the bullshit that existed even then, and I hate the bullshit that exists now.

They saw testing on the horizon and warned about it. I lived through its slow destruction of learning and warned of the results.

Now we are facing the advent of AI tech in the hands of students and are wholly unprepared for what’s about to happen. AI will change the nature of education and learning in profound ways. By the time politicians get involved, the damage will be done, but they will find a way to make it worse. Here’s a great article from Stanford University about how AI will affect learning.

THREE, FOUR, and FIVE

Normally, I have five distinct things that I write about, but this week I’m going to republish an improved version of my “Lessons Learned” list. I’ve added a few new ones. These are the 55 things I’ve learned as a teacher of teens over my 33 years of teaching.

Revised Aug 1st, 2023

I will start year 32 as a full-time classroom teacher today.. Here’s a list of the lessons I’ve learned over my 3 decades working with teens…

1. “Wear sunscreen.” (Thanks Baz!)

2. Never lie to the kids. Someone once told me that kids can smell BS a mile away, and it’s true. Tell the truth.

3. Love learning, be eager to teach new things. It’s infectious. Kids gravitate to the authentic.

4. Learn kids’ names and then use them often. 

5. Learn to say kids’ names the way their parents do unless the student prefers another. 

6. Kids will surprise you if you pay attention. They’re sorta amazing.

7. They are kids and do shit kids do. It’s not personal, so don’t take it that way.

8. If the kids get curious about something, then follow that curiosity. It’s where the most effective learning happens.

9. Let them think they are pulling you off task and they will be curious all the time.

10. Don’t fart in class

11. If you ever fall, they will act like you’re old and broke a hip.

12. If you feed them, then you have to always feed them.

13. You should always feed them.

14. Never get mixed up in their relationships.That means don’t give advice etc. it’s always problematic.

15. Rule 10 does not prevent you from sitting kids next to their crush because…. 

16. Give the kid a pencil, it’s not a big deal.

17. Kids make mistakes, let them. It’s how they learn.

18. Kids will fail. Again, it’s how they learn.

19. Teaching does not make you a savior and some kids just want you to be their teacher. Period.

20. If you change one life, you’ve been successful.

21. You will change many lives.

22. You will not know about the impact you have on most kids, but that does not mean it’s not profound.

23. There are many ways to measure good teaching. 

24. Kids are always listening (and watching).

25. Do no harm. Adolescence is hard enough without you adding to the shit they deal with.

26. You are the adult in the room, remember that.

27. I’m shocked that there are this many things I’ve learned.

28. It takes years to become a solid teacher, but if you work at it, you will get there.

29. Tell the kids what they are learning and why. Use plain English, not buzzwords. 

30. The best partner you can find is another teacher … trust me on this one.

31. Most PD is bullshit, but not all of it.

32. You may not be able to tell the difference, so pay attention.

33. Administrators are temporary. They come and go like the weather.

34. Colleagues are also temporary. 

35. So, teach for the joy of teaching and not who you teach with.

36. There are no new ideas, just recycled ones.

37. Sometimes the recycled version is better than the original. Again, pay attention. 

38. Try new things, new lessons, new approaches, new methods. 

39. Be flexible… if something doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to change it as you go. 

40. Listen to music in your classroom. It makes you human, and it’s nice.

41. Listen to lots of different music.

42. Listen to what students are telling you and remember that people use more than words to communicate.

43. You do not know everything, don’t be afraid to tell your students that and then show them how to find the information.

44. New teachers: be patient with older teachers, you don’t know what their years of experience have taught them. Try listening and you may learn something.

45. Experienced teachers: be patient with younger teachers, you don’t know what their years of experience have taught them. Try listening and you may learn something.

46. Look outside of your discipline. I’m a social studies teacher and I’ve learned the most about teaching from math and science teachers. 

47. Listen more than you talk. 

48. Don’t hover over students, they don’t like it. Squat down so you are at eye level when you talk to them at their desks.

49. When you are wrong, apologize and make the apology as public as the mistake.

50. Set clear boundaries and stick to them. Teaching can easily become an obsession, but there is more work than time to do it. You need to learn to say “no.” 

51. Everything is political. It’s up to you how much you let that affect what you do, but you can not avoid politics as a teacher. 

52. Some of the most toxic adults are inside the building with you. When you spot toxic staff, avoid them. Don’t fight, just deny them the attention they seek. Even a trash fire needs air to burn.

53. Protect your mental and physical health. If you aren’t healthy, then how can you do any of the above?

54. Don’t forget to have a life outside of the classroom. Teaching is only a part of who you are. Trust me, you will be a better teacher for the fullness of your non-teaching experience. 

55... trust me on the sunscreen. (Because people can’t help themselves… yes, I've seen his speech, yes… I love it too. Baz Luhrmann rocks)