August 26, 2022
I start my 36th year in education (28 as a classroom teacher) and below are the lessons I have learned hanging out with teenagers for so many years. Here are my 36 lessons from my 36 years in education:
- Learning their names early matters a great deal to the students.
- They know if you care. They have very fine-tuned BS detectors.
- They don’t care what you know until they know you care.
- Have fun!—Being a teenager is hard—very hard.
- Give much grace because being a teen is hard.
- But still hold them accountable—Though they may complain—if you hold them to a high standard, they will thank you for it later—really!
- Listen! Really listen to your students!
- They are awesome if you take time to listen.
- Always tell the truth—unless you are doing a magic trick…
- Ask them about their lives outside of class—in fact, know something about them so you can ask how the (play/game/match) was.
- Laugh with them.
- Cry with them
- Never allow students to mistreat each other—you MUST deal with mistreatment right away.
- Never mistreat a student.
- Always believe the best in your students and they will start to believe the best in themselves. …