TIPs for Teachers

Something to share from the Beginning Teacher (BT) Induction Course I'm attending at NTU now, from the welcome address by Mr Winston James Hodge...

Three Important Points (TIPs) for Teachers:
1. Care for your pupils
2. Learn and work with your colleagues
3. Take care of yourself

Care for your pupils
All students, in fact everyone, has a "Care-O-Meter" installed in them; they don't care how much teacher know until they know how much teachers care.
Teachers also need to be the ones to discipline them, students do respect the teachers for that because they know that teachers are caring for them - yes, they might behave all bad on the outside but on the inside, these "naughty" ones are hurting and are waiting for someone to help them stop the destruction they are doing.
Sometimes, the teacher is the one and only one to support a child at a certain point in time; don't miss those opportunities!

How do then should we care for our pupils?
i. Get to know them well - our pupils behave at phases: primary, secondary, tertiary; we have been through that, we just need to rethink how we were them and try to see from their perspectives. Remember, there is a story behind every child.
ii. They are work in progress - our calling as teachers is to help them learn, mature and find themselves. Not the easiest thing, but it's something we do best (or at least, should do best). Oh, every child is work in progress, not just the 'rascals' of the lot; sometimes even the most brilliant of the lot needs our guidance.
iii. Be friendly, be nurturing but know your limits. We are their teachers, not their friends. We can be their listening ear, we can be their guide, but we cannot be their best friend. Would you call up your best friend's parent to feedback about tardy work? Maybe some can. But think for the child... The role-switch is easy for us but it is confusing for our pupils because they are not cognitively mature enough to understand how we role-switch between being a 'Teacher' and 'Best Friend' so quickly - in class/school, I'm your teacher; out of class/school, I'm your best friend. No! It's confusing for the poor child!

Learn and work with your colleagues
Your colleagues, mostly more senior than you, have more experience than you. Speak to them, ask them for advice, they'll be more than willing to share!

Take care of yourself
We all love our job but don't burn out. Find time for yourself. See the big picture, there'll be time when work floods in and you have "no time"; but there're also "dull periods". Plan your year and make sure you get enough rest.

Take care of yourself - emotionally, mentally, physically. Take care of your relationships too.

To all student-teachers preparing for practicum, good luck in your next 10weeks in school. It's kind of like the last phase of NIE, have funt!! :) Don't stress yourself out too much, enjoy the journey!

To all beginning teachers, it's now time for us to head out to the "real" world and live up to what we joined the service for. Always bear in mind the reason(s) you joined the service, we're all here because of our pupils, in one way or another.
Oh yes, do find time to meet up with your NIE classmate for group therapy sessions during the term breaks, I'm sure we all need each other! ;)
All the best, y'all!!