Video Diary Q&A: Advice for New Teachers
With Colin James and Michael Berry
As the new school year begins, we want to empower the new teachers that will be stepping into the classroom for the first time. All too often, first-year teachers can feel unprepared and unsupported, despite their extensive schooling, enthusiasm, and open-mindedness. In order to provide their students (in this first year and for years to come) with the education they deserve, new teachers need continued encouragement and assistance throughout the initial phases of their careers. We’re here to say: new teachers, we believe in you!
To help you prepare for your first year, we reached out to the expert veteran educators in the Art of Teaching Project for their best advice and wisdom. In this blog, you’ll find a Q&A between education student and future teacher Colin James and Michael Berry, Director of Curriculum, Communication, and Innovation. Colin gave us his most pressing questions, and Michael recorded his best answers in response.
Question 1
Colin: “Do you have any advice for young teachers who are teaching high schoolers? How did you manage the classroom with such a small difference in age between yourself and your students?”
Michael:
Question 2
Colin: “I’ve been at schools that have tried pushing against students reading full books or plays. The ELA teachers naturally pushed back. What are your thoughts on changing the reading curriculum in this way? For instance, could it really be effective to have your students read only part of Hamlet?”
Michael:
Question 3
Colin: “If you could tell a first-year teacher one thing, what would it be?”
Michael:
Question 4
Colin: “What’s the most common part of teaching that doesn’t meet the first-year teacher’s expectations or hopes?”
Michael:
Thanks, Colin and Michael, for putting yourselves out there for this project! For more instances of teachers empowering teachers, and more advice for new educators just in time for back to school, check out the Art of Teaching Project:
