first-year teachers | Cult of Pedagogy

Avoiding the “Wait ‘Till Your Father Gets Home” Classroom Management Trap

25Jan2015

by Jennifer Gonzalez

Do you send all your discipline problems to the office? Stop giving your power away! It’s time to re-establish YOURSELF as the one in charge of your classroom.

The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Teaching Job Mid-Year

30Dec2014

by Jennifer Gonzalez

You won’t have the time other teachers normally get to prepare their classrooms, set up procedures, and plan good lessons. You’re jumping onto a fast-moving train, and it won’t stop until the year is over. Here are some tips to help you navigate the rest of the year with both your sanity and your desire to teach fully intact.

Teaching in Beta: What We Can Learn from Software Developers

30Aug2014

by Jennifer Gonzalez

We already try new things all the time, but we expect perfection the first time around. When we don’t get it, we reject the good idea, move on to the next new one, and repeat the cycle. We’re chasing our own tails.

Has teaching made you miserable? This book may be the cure.

17Aug2014

by Jennifer Gonzalez

It’s easy to find teaching books on methodology, classroom management, educational technology and instructional design. But the list of books that care for the mental health of teachers is much, much shorter, and this one belongs at the very top.

The Gut-Level Teacher Reflection

7Jun2014

by Jennifer Gonzalez

It’s easy to find good questions for reviewing accomplishments and setbacks, but to learn as much as possible from a reflection on your teaching, you have to let your gut talk, too.

How We Pronounce Student Names, and Why it Matters

14Apr2014

by Jennifer Gonzalez

Mutilating someone’s name is a tiny act of bigotry. Whether you intend to or not, what you’re communicating is this: Your name is different. Foreign. Weird. It’s not worth my time to get it right.

Why One Teacher Left the Profession After 5 Years

10Sep2013

by Jennifer Gonzalez

What makes teachers leave? Episode 2 is an interview with Carrie, who taught for over 5 years in various elementary schools before leaving teaching to pursue a different profession.

Notebooks for Classroom Management, Part 1

5Sep2013

by Jennifer Gonzalez

Even if you’ve been teaching a while, you might still experience moments when all of your classroom management tools stop working. This one cheap, quick strategy, using a simple blank notebook, can help you regain control in under a minute.

Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers

29Aug2013

by Jennifer Gonzalez

Advice is available everywhere you look, and some of it is very good. But a lot of those tips won’t work if you fail to follow this one essential rule.