Enlist Help

For the past month, I have been working the front desk at my local branch of the YMCA.  There is a lot to learn - and I mean a lot.  From the basic functions of the computer system in making scan cards, charging people for personal training, and selling guest passes, there are rules about who is allowed to receive a seven day pass and when people can leave their children at the drop in child care.  There is simply no way to train in all of it at once, so I spend a fair amount of time doing things incorrectly.  One of my co-workers, Helena, is often the one left to tell me, and she always feels bad about it.  I keep telling her that she shouldn't feel bad and that I would much rather have a kind and well-meaning person tell me I'm doing something wrong than to keep doing it wrong.  Obviously, what I would much rather were happening is that I would be doing things right, but there is too much to learn for that to be happening yet.

We are around a month away from teachers returning to school for the inservice days before school starts.  New teachers, it is an exciting time for you, but it is also daunting.  Don't let that scare you.  There is a lot to learn. There are going to be many things you weren't taught in teacher school that will become part of your daily life.  For a while, you are going to stumble into scenarios you don't know how to handle, requests from parents that you aren't sure are reasonable, and student situations you won't know how to navigate.  My best advice is not to try to do it on your own.  Enlist help from the wisest person you can find.  That might be the mentor teacher your school assigns you, but that also might not be your most natural relationship.  If you organically develop a relationship with teacher next door or across the hall, it might be them.  It might be the principal or the librarian.  Admit your vulnerability, and seek wisdom.  It is simply not possible for you to know all the nuances of student, parent, colleague interactions in addition to your content and your pedagogy.

I've had a number of those people over the years.  In my first school, it was, in fact my assigned mentor, but that doesn't always happen.  I also had a great principal who had a story for everything, teaching me that mistakes weren't fatal.  At GRACE, I had a few over the years.  My art teacher friend, Elizabeth, was a great listening ear and wise when it came to student interactions.  The teachers surrounding my room (Zane, Melanie, Meagan, Alyssa) were often the ones I asked to look at email replies before I hit send.  My English teacher friend, Kellie, was the person I went to if I needed someone to disagree with me in order to evaluate my own position.  My history teacher friend, Amy, provided good perspective on spiritual issues.  Our librarian/media specialist, Marcia, was the person I bounced new ideas off of.  

Whether you a new teacher or an experienced one, teaching is a complex endeavor, and you never stop needing help.  In my 25th year, I was giving advice some days while still asking for advice on other days.  Keep learning.  Keep asking questions.  Keep enlisting help.