A Set of Exhortations and Guidelines for First Year Teachers

By Larry Pahl  11-01

I wrote this list after reading Reflective Teaching: Professional Artistry Through Inquiry by James Henderson

Submitted in partial requirement of
Curriculum and Instruction 402
Illinois State University
Dr. Nancy Bragg, Instructor

1. You must find yourself. This is not philosopher's babble. Many of you will be leaving your parent's nest. You will be leaving behind as a major identity your status as a student and putting on the new master identity of a teacher. Your teaching will take on its truest authenticity as you grow in the process of finding yourself, your style, your stride. Take personality inventories, observe yourself as if you were a third party, and learn as new situations tax and stress you.

2. Do not let policy, taboo, and peer pressure keep you from this holy task. Seek out colleagues who could act as role models or mentors, colleagues who will let you be you., who will not be placing subtle pressure on you to conform, or do it their way, or who will take your center off the teaching craft and onto too much social diversion. As you attempt to model your unique perspecive (for that is what you will be doing) you will encourage its appearance in others. Dialogue with like-minded others "strengthens us to be able to withstand the pressures that come from trying to live a life of democratic principles in an environment where they are not the norm." Also, there is no substitute for old-fashioned courage. This may not come readily to first-year teachers feeling their way, but grab hold of it when your instincts are urging you forward because commitment to inclusivity or some other noble goal.

3. Teaching is a calling. Some people make mistakes in career choice, which need life-course adjustments. It is expected that you will make career changes in your lifetime. Be sure that teaching is your calling as you learn more fully of yourself. . If teaching is indeed a calling, then not everyone is called. Seek the counsel of master teachers if you ever begin to seriously think you have missed your calling. You may have. But it may be a hurdle you need to work through to strengthen yourself. Deliberate with colleagues, master teachers, but never at the expense of drowing out the unique inner voice of conscience and intuition. There may need to be personal wrestling here that no textbook can unwind. You must go through the process Henderson calls "awakening to yourself." If there were a checklist, this would be easy. There must be inner and outer dialogue. One question that may help if you find yourself in this struggle: Do you still have a burden to want to help students?

4. Be aware of the school culture where you teach. This will help set practical limits on your blue-skying. You may need to work hard and quietly for a long time to gain the social capital to be able to see any of your personal visions unfold. It is the responsibility of teachers, according to Henderson, "…to the best of their ability, [see that] social injustices and inequities are not reproduced in their classrooms and schools."

5. Make regular times in your appointment book for self-reflection and evaluation. Find a first year colleague to join you occasionally, if you can find one. Henderson says this is a disciplined inquiry. It will certainly not happen by itself. It is something over which you need to take conscious planning and control. Are you discussions working? Are you consistently finding your creative edge? Are you challenging the bright students? And accepting the average? Do your bring enthusiasm to your daily teaching? Do you plan for it? Push yourself. Do you face problems that arise with deliberation or with horror?

6. It is essential to keep a caring environment in your classroom. Fear keeps some from participating fully. Most of these fears come from focus on self, not on others, on getting, not giving. Self-doubt and intimidation must not be allowed to flourish. Don’t run away from perspectives you do not share. Help the group develop trust, honesty, and authenticity. This holds true for your classes of students and your peer groups.

7. I have seen that even the very best teachers show little restraint in discussion at letting their own views be known, and in inserting their voice too quickly into discussions and classwork. Have the courage to let students voice be heard. Attempt to join in the great experiment, the great play, if you will, of trying to let the spirit of democratic inquiry come alive in your class. This will not be possible if you are inwardly harboring the sentiment "my position is correct." While the teacher must foster the art of free and lively discussion, and respect of alien and conventional views, the teacher must also model mental drive and commitment to personal ideals. An open mind can be an empty head. One who stands for nothing might fall for anything. By standing, when necessary, for very partisan views, one has not left the democratic ideal. The democratic ideal is not that all subscribe to the same milquetoast babble, but that we create a forum where milquetoast babble is given the same freedom of expression as razor sharp parochialism.

8. I believe that diverse perspectives—those desirable where public moral inquiry is valued-- are often awakened by challenge rather than by compromise, by battle rather than appeasement, by stretching rather than artificial peace. Don't be afraid of conflict when viewed in this light. It is a conviction of mine that the best good for the whole comes when each one presses her own individuality to the max, when each strives for the best development of her mind and talent. I think unity is served when individuality expresses itself to the max. It is a paradox of sorts that uniqueness leads to unity when properly harnessed, but never by slight of hand or compromise. I believe the innate uniqueness of the human "snowflakes" is destined to convergence if each honestly responds to the calling of their gifts, their uniqueness, their potential. I have seen it happen. Here lie inclusiveness, constitutionality, reciprocity and social philosophy.

It is my hope that you may you find some small nurture here that will help you keep your educational garden, and its chief gardener, yourself, growing.