Today was the official start for the entire high school where I teach. Let me preface this entry by explaining what it is, exactly, that I do. I am a 9th grade special education teacher working with a team of 8 regular education teachers. The students that are on my caseload primarily have specific learning disabilities (SLD), emotional disturbances (ED), or other health impairments (OHI). (Get used to the acronyms, I use them quite often!) Each of these students are fully included within their regular education classes and it is my job to make sure that they are receiving the proper supports that they require. I co-teach Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies. A "jack of all trades" if you will. And I also run a resource room for the majority of my students. To make a long story short, I absolutely LOVE what I do.
So today, as I had stated earlier, the rest of the school started which meant I was able to see most of my wonderful 9th graders from last year. They all seemed to seek me out at the most inconvenient times to tell me that they hate all of their new teachers and that I'm still their favorite. What can I say, I'm a great catch! One of my more favorite kids from last year didn't end up coming in to school today because he didn't get a haircut or new shoes yet... ridiculous.
So this brings me to my New Teacher Tip of the Day: Do NOT be scared to form relationships with your students! Now I am NOT saying, go add them on facebook, that is a BIG NO NO! What I'm saying is, get to know them on a more personal level; it will really assist you in making a connection with them. It is much easier to have students become successful when they feel that you actually do give a damn about them!
No comments:
Post a Comment