The ABC's High School Teachers Really Need to Know

Connecting and building relationships with students in the classroom is hugely impactful, as is building community with those you work with/for professionally.  However, effective teachers know that there are  things that should always be out of bounds.  Establishing these boundaries will not only make you a better teacher,  but they will also improve your quality of life and longevity in education.

The obvious reality is that teachers are overworked.  Also, there is no such thing as "giving 110%."  Why do we take on more classes, more clubs, and more duties just to get a nickel back?  Effective teachers know that we have to make hard choices.  We have to learn to say "no" when it doesn't also benefit us and our own personal and professional growth.  Sometimes the extra income isn't worth the lost time.  Advocating for yourself will also increase your longevity in the field - and help maintain your sanity.  

The moment your class (or you) becomes mundane for students is the very moment our process begins to be less effective.  Even the best instructional and assessment strategies have to be used thoughtfully and intentionally.  Is your class the same each and every day?  I hope not -- and so do your students.

A simple truth:  Low expectations almost certainly equal low results.  From homogenizing the population to pushing 50% "zeroes," the system seems  built to soften expectations and push students through regardless of actual learning.  As educators, we have to resist and lead the culture of learning in our classrooms.  We have to focus on developing grit, being consistent with expectations, and focusing on mastery.  

We have to take a deep and empathetic look at what is affecting our kids today.  From school dances and time management woes to friend drama and bullying, there is a great deal of kryptonite out there making it harder and hardener to effectively reach students in the classroom and beyond.  We can't teach (or coach) in a bubble and/or stick our heads in the sand and expect success.  We are superheroes!

More and more classrooms are becoming absolute clown shows and ineffective learning environments because of student populations that are becoming increasingly disruptive, disinterested, and disillusioned.  While effective teachers primarily focus on controlling what they can control, they also know that emphasizing the ABC's of teaching, remaining dynamic in a changing world, and being relentlessly positive are the keys to finding consistent success with learners and the learning environment.  

Strive for equitable access to education, knowing your classroom will never be perfect.  However, don't obsess with trying to create equitable outcomes - no matter how much some in society and educational leadership push you to do so.  Equitable outcomes are both unrealistic AND undesirable.  Students are individuals with different backgrounds,  life experiences, interests, motivations, perspectives, goals, and abilities.  Lesson plans and academic units that are built primarily for "equity" inevitably fail most students because they don't effectively account for that individuality.  

As you know, 20% of people do 80% of the work.  It's no different in our profession.  In the high-functioning world of eduction, years of "heavy lifting" by a teacher can inevitably lead to burnout, health repercussions, time management issues, and yes, resentment and hostility.  Get better at margin and setting personal and professional goals for your hard work.  Remind yourself that you don't win awards for locking the doors each night.  Stop making excuses for others, and don't listen to others who tell you to "learn to say 'no.'"  You will be a much better educator in the long run and for the long-term.  

Secondary teachers are getting absolutely buried by the number and types of preps they are assigned.  Subject/content-areas aren't arbitrary -- and neither are the teachers.  We need to focus on putting educators in the appropriate classrooms that match training, experience, and motivation.  It's about putting people where they are most effective.  If that's not done, everyone loses.  We as teachers have to advocate for our students, ourselves, and our own quality of life.  

Effective teachers realize that there are some four-letter words that are crucial in the classroom and our academic process.  Words like "can't," "fear," and "love" have a huge impact on our students.  They should have a huge impact on us too if want to better reach those we serve.