SECTION ONE
Begin Your Professional Journey

When you decided to become an educator, you entered a very special universe—one where your insights, energy, kindness, knowledge, and skills can be used to change the world. Change the world? Yes, that is what educators do. Just think of what a career in education means to you and to the millions of teachers who are your colleagues across the globe. Think carefully about why you want to be a teacher and carry your “why” throughout your career. Periodically revisiting your “why” will provide you with clarity and inspiration.

Teachers make all other professions possible. It’s true, teaching is that important. Countless studies indicate that teachers are the most significant school-based factor influencing student achievement. It is teachers who get to know students, inspire them to become lifelong learners, and to believe in their ability to achieve their dreams.

It is teachers who build relationships with students and create engaging, inclusive learning communities. With teachers, students learn the knowledge and skills for self-expression and problem-solving. With teachers, students expand their horizons and discover their interests, learn to read, write, think mathematically, explore their questions, cooperate, and collaborate with others. It is a teacher who builds a safe, respectful culture that affirms students and protects them from bullies. It is a teacher who provides the first line of defense in the battle against ignorance, poverty, and discrimination in all its forms. It is a teacher who, in partnership with families, helps young people learn how to navigate life. To be kind. To be successful. To accomplish dreams. To be good citizens of the world.

What a weighty responsibility we face each school day. What a privilege it is to be an educator.

Few careers can claim to have such a powerful impact as a career in education. Teachers do change the world—one student, one classroom, one school at a time. Never doubt that, even on the toughest days, you make a difference in the lives of your students. What you do matters.

Congratulations on your choice of professions! We welcome you.

How to Handle Your New Responsibilities

If you are like most new teachers, you may already be concerned about how well you will handle the responsibilities that accompany managing a classroom filled with a diverse population of students—each one with unique needs, interests, and abilities. Just how do successful teachers keep those responsibilities from becoming overwhelming?

Teachers take it one day at a time. They work to maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives by paying careful attention to their own well-being. Teachers manage their professional challenges by realizing that they are not alone in their struggles and that it’s okay to not always know the best solution to a problem. They reach out to a colleague next door or down the hall or in an online professional community to seek help. And even when they are dealing with the pressing details of each school day, effective teachers stay focused on what really matters—the success of their students.

All teachers experience professional challenges. First-year teachers, experienced teachers, and teachers at every grade level cope with complex problems, no matter how ideal their school situation. Anytime you feel overwhelmed, remember that you are not alone and it’s likely that others have faced what you’re going through. In fact, here are some of the most common challenges that teachers experience:

• Finding a sustainable work-life balance
• Meeting a wide range of students’ academic needs
• Addressing students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs
• Planning and implementing engaging lessons
• Lacking time and resources
• Connecting with families and caregivers
• Integrating learning technology
• Completing paperwork/administrative tasks
• Keeping up with new initiatives
• Experiencing external pressures

If some of these problems seem all too familiar, remember that the hallmark of a great teacher is not the absence of problems but the ability to generate and implement innovative and effective solutions to an array of classroom challenges. With a positive attitude, a professional approach, a bit of creativity, collaboration with colleagues and plenty of practice, you will soon be able to manage your new professional responsibilities.

Develop the Mindset of a “Professional” Educator

Although many educators use the term professionalism when referring to teachers they respect, it can be a vague, complex, and sometimes biased term. Does it mean stand-offish and unapproachable? Absolutely not. Professional educators come from a wide-range of backgrounds and identities. Each state has its own professional code for teachers. Make sure to read yours. They are all a bit different, so let’s start with a description.

Professional educators are effective teachers who embody the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to reach and teach all learners. Some of the many attributes educators use to describe professional educators include: caring, intentional, dedicated, effective, knowledgeable, inclusive, collaborative, always learning new things, organized, respectful of students and others, integrous, ethical, and taking pride in their work.

When you choose to develop the mindset of a professional educator, it infuses all aspects of the way you go about the business of teaching. You send the message that you care deeply, have high expectations for yourself, for others, and for what you can accomplish together.

“I do everything I can to make my students feel successful, safe, and cared for. That means arriving before the expected time so that the classroom is organized and ready for students. It means having lessons thought through and implemented effectively. It means modeling for my students good behavior, thoughtfulness, and a positive outlook.”

Betsy Jones, 12 years’ experience

What’s Expected of Professional Teachers

So much is expected of teachers. Society often expects too much and you are not expected to know how to do everything your first year. As a teacher, you will be expected not only to maintain a well-managed classroom, but also to establish a classroom culture of mutual respect and high performance with your students. All teachers, no matter what subject matter they teach or the age and ability levels of their students, are expected to create this culture in their classes. Although this can seem difficult at first, this expectation can make your life as a teacher much more rewarding as you watch your students learn and grow. How will you know when you have created the positive learning environment that you want for your students?

• Teachers know students well and have developed authentic two-way communication with their families and caregivers.
• The classroom is student-centered, with students taking ownership of their learning and responsibility for their success.
• Students are curious and interested in learning, fully engaged in meaningful, respectful, and appropriate work.
• Teachers model taking risks in learning themselves, making students feel safe to take risks in learning, too.
• Teachers integrate technology that provides multiple ways for students to express themselves and problem solve.
• Students can explain to visitors what they are doing and why they are doing it.
• Students can self-assess the quality of their work and describe what they want to learn next.
• The teacher has routines and agreements in place so that students feel a sense of belonging and confidence about expectations for learning, social interactions, and self-regulated behaviors.
• The teacher uses current research and best practices to inform instructional decisions.
• The teacher makes instructional decisions based on genuine understanding of their students and a thoughtful analysis of available data.
• Students learn and grow, demonstrating proficiency of knowledge and skills, and have some voice and choice to pursue their questions.
• Students and teachers celebrate successes, share feedback, and learn from failures together.

Creating a positive classroom culture is not a task that can be done in a day or two, but rather requires consistent and sustained effort. It begins with building relationships, maintaining high expectations, and high levels of support for your students. Make sure that these expectations and goals are ones that students also value and perceive as achievable.

Knowledgeable teachers have found that it is impossible to create a positive classroom environment without encouraging collaboration. Students who work together learn to support one another. Successful teachers also focus on helping students understand the real world connections to their studies and the importance of practice and effort in achieving success.

Finally, where there is a positive classroom culture, the students and their teachers take the time to celebrate their successes as well as learn from their failures. The culture of this type of classroom is genuine, positive, and conducive to learning and growing.

Even though the expectation that you will create a positive classroom culture can be daunting...