Developing as an Educator
I believe being a connected educator is always important. To accomplish this, I will reflect daily on the things that worked or did not work. I will meditate on the projection of the future as it pertains to how my students are doing and how I am doing. The emotional well-being of the students as well as the educator is highly important for effective learning.
Lastly, the advice I have for new teachers is to be flexible and realize that it is okay to make mistakes. I can tell you with full conviction, that I was overly stressed about making mistakes when I first started; to the point it was unhealthy. I learned to be humble in front of my students and in my practice. We are human, not machines, we will make mistakes, overlook details and be caught off guard by unforeseen obstacles. We need to roll with the punches, reflect on experience and make better, more informed choices for the future; no one expects you to be perfect. In the end, teachers set the tone/mood of the class. If a teacher is high-strung, stressed and cranky, the students will follow suit. At this point in my career, I have many new teachers referred to me by the administration or the counselors to be observed and to discuss management techniques or ways to improve upon what could be better in their own experiences with their students; it’s quite the honor.