Dear Future Teacher,

Dear future teacher,

Getting your own classroom brings about a flurry of emotions. Excitement. Fear. Joy. Visions of future students. I know because I've been there. 

Want some advice from a teacher who loves kids, has made a million mistakes, and has learned the hard way what works? 

Show them every day how much you care about them. Ask them about their lives.

Show them every day that teaching them about eternity is so, so, so much more important to you than teaching them about ____________ (fill in the blank with content area).

Show them every day that you care more about their character than you do about their grade.

Don't let the lesson for the day get in the way of the lesson God wants to teach these kids. Those are always the more memorable lessons.

Let the Spirit lead you, not the curriculum. Let the pace of how the kids are learning determine your schedule. 

Ask them about their insecurities, fears, hopes and dreams. Explore those concepts with them.

Answer the rabbit trail questions (they are often the questions kids seek answers for the most and they show curiosity. Reward it!).

Don't be afraid to discipline. Without classroom management, no content gets taught. Call the student out who is talking if needed. Say their name (works every time). Boundaries create freedom. Students need structure. 

But don't be afraid to give grace when needed. Students need to see your loving, merciful, kind, compassionate side (but here's a reminder that giving discipline when needed is loving too).

Don't be afraid to apologize if needed. Even if it is front of an entire class.

Kids need adults to teach them how to own up to mistakes or sin and apologize for it (the gospel reminds us we don't have to be perfect to earn God's love, that's why we need Jesus so showing vulnerability is really really important).

Kids need to see adults handle conflict resolution and other challenges by taking responsibility.

Talk directly to the student you feel you have an issue with (not other staff to gossip about them). Don't use the word "why" (it automatically puts them in defense mode). Ask them what's going on at home. Tell them what you see and ask them what their perspective is. You may be surprised by the answer and hopefully you will both understand each other better. Just giving out a consequence for misbehavior without exploring the heart won't teach them anything lasting. 

Kids hate worksheets and you hate grading. Create lessons YOU would love. Group projects, edible projects, hands on, field trips, videos, discussion table. Worksheets have their place but don't overdo it.

Don't be afraid of parents. When they see how you care for their kids, there is automatic common ground. If they don't know, tell them and show them.

And finally... Be yourself. You are created perfectly by God to be exactly who YOU are, with unique gifts and talents. You will see many different teachers with different teaching styles. Some are young, some are old, some lecture for most of the time, some use group work, some hand out bathroom passes, some don't, some are quiet, some are loud. Observe them. Learn from them. Be humble. Realize you don't know everything. Seek wisdom from the teachers in the building that you can see have unbridled passion for their job. Ask them a million questions and if you forget, ask again. They are used to it. Since they love their job, they'll love sharing about it. 

But make your classroom your own. Try other teachers' ideas if you need to but figure out what works for you. Don't compare yourself to other teachers. You are going to offer these kids something new that only you can because God created us all differently. 

Don't get caught too much in the details: love the Lord above all each day and love your kids with all you got and that is a good day.

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