In my first year in
the classroom, I felt like a failure almost all the time. I didn’t understand
that this was normal, and as the months passed, I sank into ever-deepening
whirlpools of despondence. 

Now, six years
later, I have more experience, more perspective, and a supportive new school
and principal. My craft still needs lots of work, but I know I’m making a
positive impact and I feel successful pretty often.

How do we help
those rookies who don’t even know how to ask for help yet? (They may think it’s
a sign of weakness.) There are all of the conventional means of gentle intervention, like initiating
reflective conversations, sharing good practices, etc. But I have a new
recommendation:

Hand him or her a
copy of See Me
After Class by Roxanna
Elden. (Or put a couple copies in the teachers’ lounge to let them find it on
their own.) 

Elden’s book,
subtitled Advice For Teachers By Teachers, is a useful, empathetic guide to weathering the first-year
lumps. The author jokes that this book is not chicken soup, but rather “Hard
Liquor for the Teacher’s Soul.” I’d peg it somewhere in between— perhaps a
frothy, satisfying Guinness for the teacher’s soul.

My favorite
chapter, “Classroom Management: Easier Said Than Done,” offers a host of
non-intuitive strategies for controlling a class. Bits of insight (Ex. “When
possible, don’t threaten or promise to call home— just do it.”) are expounded upon
with readable anecdotes and explanations. In my first months, I didn’t
understand the impact of a well-placed call home; Elden’s book may have given
me the push I didn’t know I needed. A few other favorite nuggets:

“Plan some
silent time into your day. Have a quiet activity that keeps students busy and
happy if they finish early. This can include art, crossword puzzles, review
activities, or reading. Also be prepared to shut down fun activities…”

Absolutely yes. And
I’d add choice time.
Everyone wants to feel ownership over his time, and (structured) free choice
time can be a powerful and constructive carrot to dangle in 1st or 12th grade. 

Tone it down a
little. If you find students rolling their eyes when you praise them, your
compliments may sound forced… Staying low-key also makes it more meaningful
when you do pull out the pom-poms.

Tell it, Roxanna.
I’m an effusive dispenser of praise in the classroom and I realized midway
through my first year that the desired impact of my compliments was being
diluted by my frequent gushing. I worked on continuing to stay positive, but
tying each compliment to a specific, replicable action the kid did. For
example, I did away with “Yes! You’re brilliant!” and brought in more specific
compliments like, “It was brilliant how you used what we talked about yesterday
to solve this problem! Remembering what we’ve done and applying it to the next
thing is the key to everything!”

Elden peppers her
book with original teacher-themed poetry which I could do without,  but I can see plenty of teachers vibing
right along with her on the stream-of-consciousness lyrics of poems like “Make
Me or Break Me,” and that’s fine. 
I like this See Me
After Class a lot; at
$13.57 on Amazon it does no harm and lots of good for on-the-ground educators.

Note: Apologies
for the radio silence over the past few weeks. On December 18, my wife Colleen
gave birth to our first daughter, Sadie Eva Brown! Things have been hectic and
wonderful, and I’ll be back to regular blogging in January. Happy New Year!