Bloom 1

Amanda Bloom

Mrs. Kanya

Tomorrow’s Teachers

25 April 2019

Hints/Good Ideas for Teachers

I enjoyed my field experience and here are my top ten tips for others who may be interested in
being a teacher!

1) Always dress and look professional when you are in a school environment

A) Students are fascinated by their teacher cadet and they will treat you as a teacher if you
appear as a teacher would rather than a high school student. For girls - I would
recommend wearing a nice top, leggings, and black flats. For boys - I would recommend
wearing a polo shirt or dress shirt, khakis and dress shoes.

2) Tell students important directions when you are positioned in front of them

A) The best way to get the students to pay attention is by talking to them when they can look
at you. I noticed that when the teacher I was working with gave directions to the students
when they were all the way across the room this made students more likely to either not
hear the directions or to zone the directions out. My advice would be to tell students
important directions when they are sitting on the carpet and you are either standing or
sitting in front of them.

3) Assign students assigned seats on the carpet

A) It is important that elementary school teachers give their students an assigned seat on the
carpet because this gives the students structure and a routine. I have noticed that kids like
routines because it helps them know the expectations of the teacher. Assigning seats on
the carpet is also beneficial because students will not be pushing other kids out of the way
for a particular spot and this will allow the teacher to have more time to teach.

4) Practice teaching your lessons in front of a mirror/friend or video tape them before you
actually teach

A) It is important that teachers are confident and comfortable with the material they are
teaching to their students. I learned that the best way for me to feel comfortable with the
lessons I was teaching was to demonstrate the lessons in front of my mom. By practicing
 Bloom 2

my lessons ahead of time I felt comfortable by the time I started teaching to the students
in Mrs. Schwarz’s class. Therefore, I would definitely recommend practicing the lessons
you plan on teaching a day or two before you teach.

5) Always make more materials then the amount of students in your class

A) It is important to make more copies of the materials then you may actually need because
things happen. For example, a student may mess up and want another worksheet or your
teacher that you are working with may want a copy of your materials. I have learned that
it is always better to be more prepared than less prepared when it comes time to teaching.

6) Pack all materials in individual zip lock bags ahead of time so you can easily distribute and
spend more time with students

A) It is important to stay organized and be prepared when it comes time to teaching a lesson.
I found it super beneficial to put all of the pieces that were necessary for my lesson in
individual bags ahead of time so all I had to do when I got to the classroom was to start
handing out the materials. I feel that it is very helpful to come prepared because it will
help you relax, make the students respect you and impress your teacher.

7) Be able to learn from your mistakes

A) It took me a long time to understand that it is normal to make mistakes when you are
teaching lessons. I eventually realized that my mistakes allowed me to become a better
teacher. Therefore, my advice would be to not beat yourself up over what went wrong in
you teaching the lesson. I would recommend writing down what you did well and what
you did not do well so you can improve for next time.

8) Understand that students learn in different ways

A) It is important to understand that no two students will learn the exact same way. While
many students are auditory learners many are also visual and kinesthetic learners. My
advice would be to try and incorporate the different learning styles into each of your
lessons.

9) Be prepared to see that some kids will pick up information quickly while some students will
take longer.
 Bloom 3

A) It is important to understand that kids learn at different rates and the kids that learn faster
are not necessarily smarter than the kids that learn and grasp information later on.
Teachers often get frustrated that some students are slower to pick things up than other
students but it is important to keep your composure and teach the most important
concepts several times to make sure all students understand. I believe this tip is really
important because I remember how good I felt when my teachers would continue to help
me until I understood the information they were teaching.

10) Always speak loudly and clearly

A) It is important to speak loudly and clearly because you want students to be able to hear
what you are saying. You want students to see that you are confident because this will
help them trust you. I am by no means saying you should scream your directions but you
should talk louder than you think would be appropriate.