I think back to ten years ago. I didn't even know for sure if I wanted to be a teacher. I was involved in coaching and realized that 9 to 5 hours were not conducive to coaching high school sports. Next thing I know, an opportunity arises to let me coach in college in order to pay for my teacher certification.
Fast forward two years... I am finishing up my student teaching; I am in no rush to get a teaching job. Out of the blue, the district I am student-teaching in offers me a job immediately. So now I am a teacher... If I could go back in time, what characteristics helped me, what characteristics was I lacking?
A novice teacher, first and foremost these days, must have an understanding of special education. My first year- IEP, 504, inclusion, in-class support, modification, possible LAWSUITS! These topics were covered, yet ever so briefly, in certification program. Still, the more knowledge and the know-how of how to keep up with all of the changes in special education are a must.
Characteristic number 2? Lesson planning. I have seen different administrators have different requirements of what they expect in a lesson plan. So much time has been wasted trying to satisfy the different nuances of each administrator. Some want unit plans, some want daily plans, some want weakly plans, some want objectives only, some want standard numbers. I learned one basic way to lesson plan- the way my professor wanted it. Different strokes for different folks! The more different methods of lesson planning learned, the better.
Another big characteristic is understanding children are unique. I have taught similar lessons for ten years and each year I have to adjust from the year before. Likewise, each class I have to adjust from the class before. Some students learn one way, other students another. Novice teachers should organize and save every little trick they use, because one may work on year or in one class and not in another. A nice, organized bag of tricks is a great resource to develop.
A fourth and final characteristic (although there are many more) would be having an open mind and a sincere desire to be a life-long learner. Professional development, when organized and used correctly, helps teachers to constantly adjust with the times, learn new tricks, re-energize, and self-reflect. A teacher willing to learn about their teaching style and constantly adapt will be a successful teacher for a long time.
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Here I was citing all the researched-based characteristics of a novice teacher, and I read your article and applaud you for reflecting back on your ten years of teaching. It's hard for me because I have become that teacher that just knows what to do (and not have to look in the textbook for plans). I didn't know if I would ever get there. The other characteristic that you mentioned-knowing about special education-always slipped my mind. I am a special educator and I had intense training on the subject. I was reminded several years back the lack of knowledge by regular education classrooms possess. THey truly need to rely on the special education teachers to help with that topic. No doubt should their be a meeting about 504, IEP, and any other acronym you can think of relating to special education.
I did not become a teacher until I had children of my own. I never wanted to be one even though I did do some time at a state college in NJ in the early'70s, as they tried their best, I think unsuccessfully, to break away from being teacher training institutions. All of my college friends became teachers, none of them are now.
I think over the years, 17, I have gotten better at my craft. There are good years and bad years, but what keeps me coming back is the uniqueness of the students I meet. I have have taught kindergarten to community college students, with many years in high school as a special education teacher and now in regular ed 7th grade and I can honestly say I am never bored. What more can one ask from a profession?
I found it interesting that you said the most important thing is knowledge of 504, IEPs, etc. Would you feel that was the #1 priority for novice teachers who were content area specialists?
I had great difficulty writing this blog as a speech therapist who did not get into schools until 18 years of non-profit work. I really enjoyed reading your blog especially since you understood right off how important it is for teachers to understand the needs of special education students. I am a speech therapist in a school for multiply handicapped students all of the teachers have degrees in special education. Yet it still amazes me how inflexible teachers who should know better don't, especially the novice teachers.
I agree that novice teachers should have knowledge of special education. My first year I was 3 inclusion students. I was given an IEP for each one and that's it. I had no idea what to do with it. A resource teacher sat and read it with me and explained how to satisfy the requirements of their
IEP. If it wasnt for her I probably wouldve been breaking all kinds of laws without even know it it. That's not fair to the novice teachers who are still trying to figure out classroom set up and management, etc...
As you mentioned in your blog, college does not adequately prepare future teachers for the special education issues they will encounter. I took one intro to special education class sophomore year. Like I remember any of it 3 or so years later when I actually started teaching.
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