In my 31st year of teaching and you nailed it on this one! These are many of the things that I try to impart on new teachers that I mentor. It really is all about balance: at school, at home, in life. Have to have enough to pour into all areas of your life, not just work. ❤
Michelle, I'm a college student beginning my teacher education classes and the main stressor I feel thus far about teaching is the standards and how to make sense of them. You are so right about colleges not going into depth with the content we are suppose to teach. I would love some videos of how you dealt with this as a teacher.
The curriculum dips into all the standards naturally. Even veteran teachers don’t look at the standards word for word. The curriculum should have little notes as to what standard is being targeted. It’s only when you create your own lesson from the top of your head where you have to think what it’s hitting.
Like Jaydel said, the curriculum helps A LOT and most school have a curriculum as well as a scope and sequence. That scope and sequence will help you SO MUCH! It essentially shows you the order you will teach the standards in throughout the year or 6 weeks or whatever time frame your district follows. Knowing what standard is coming next can help you determine what you really need the kids to grasp. Example: in second grade, first we teach place value and regrouping ones to tens and tens to hundreds. The next unit we teach is adding and then adding with regrouping. So I have to make sure the students have a SOLID grasp of regrouping in place value in order to understand regrouping in adding. Hope this helps! 😊
Thank you for being so forthcoming in your “mistakes” as a teacher. I LOVED the tip about doing what is best for your students!! I teach special education and struggle with not “keeping up” with my Gen Ed cohorts. But then I realized that’s not what it’s about!! And it’s hilarious that I watch your videos at 7:00 am on a Sunday while grading papers! 🤣
“Not artsy”? Then what did I just watch? YOU are a consummate artist when it comes to teaching and presenting information in relatable, digestible, and rememberable ways. This is your art skill. Thanks, neighbor. 👩🏻🎓
Being a first year teacher, a huge mistake I made was creating unrealistic expectations for myself as a teacher. I feel like being hired as a teacher you feel expected to become teacher of the year with amazing lessons and no issues with students every single day. That is simply not the case with any educator. So setting more realistic expectations for myself and giving myself a break from work relieved so much stress. (Thank you therapy 😊)
Our admin and district needs to understand the concept of consistency. Many times they are so excited about a new discipline program, SEL program, textbook, and then they abandon it a year or two later. There wasn't enough time to determine that. It gets frustrating because it makes me not want to "buy in" because they will just change it anyway 🙃
My biggest mistake was tying my students' success or failure to my own self worth. Some students may not pass. They may not turn in their work. They may skip class. Every F or 0 made me think I must be a terrible teacher. I must not have tried hard enough to reach them. I understand the line and boundary now, but I still hate seeing students fail.
I felt this too!! It was not until a veteran teacher said to me, "You can't want it more than they do," that I felt the guilt lift. Do I still hate putting in zeros? Yes. But do I think of myself as a failure? No!
So much truth in this video! I was nodding my head for all ten mistakes. Thank you for such an honest and helpful rundown of errors that many of us make. I like how you also explained how you flipped the mistake into a more productive strategy. We are always growing and improving!
Thanks, Michelle.👍 I struggled with every mistake up to the end of my teaching career. Teaching is a calling that makes teachers feel they must jump in with both feet and keep on paddling!
As a veteran teacher…. Can say you NAILED IT with this list! Thank you for sharing. It helps me reflect on my journey. My son and his girlfriend are both elementary Ed be majors in college. Definitely passing this in and saving it for future review… because it is a journey ☺️.
I have always felt really insecure about my teaching ability because of my lack of confidence and knowledge regarding subject content. So to hear that you also went through the same thing has given me a sense of peace because I'm not alone. Thank you so much! God bless
Not me crying during this video. Like you, I had always wanted to be a teacher and it’s so disheartening when I have days that I don’t feel like I was successful. My mind goes to, “You can never fail! You can’t be anything else but a teacher.” I have to understand that I am a teacher BUT I’m also many other things. Thank you!
Awesome video! As a veteran elementary music teacher, I see the same mistakes in my past teaching. Regardless of the discipline, we can all spend too much time on work. For classroom teachers, it's planning and grading. For music teachers, it's planning and performance prep. I had to learn to leave my work at work.
Yes, pacing guides need to be thrown out the window for now. Some administrators forget that even teachers have experienced loss due to the pandemic. Thank you for your video presentation. Take care.
The “leader not facilitator” one is so true of most early teachers. For me, I was worried if I let my students take the lead that I wouldn’t be “doing a good job” or that I wouldn’t be doing enough.
I find it interesting whenever I discuss planning that teachers respond as if they don’t understand me. However I always work from a backwards design method, exactly as you explained. I don’t understand the disconnect but I’m glad someone else gets it!
"Creator" is a hat you wear well, and I think is a modern take on artist/musician/etc. Using technology to help others by creating content and materials to help other in various ways is a very appreciated skill and I wanted to make sure that you notice that hat as well.
"Mistake" 6.... thank you! I have been feeling like a failure my whole career because of this. Breathe of fresh air hearing this out loud from a teacher that I admire. Thank you for being real!
Thank you for saying to do what is best for my kids. I have so felt that this year. I teach 1st grade, and my kids came in not even knowing letters and sounds. They couldn’t even write their name, and had no number sense. We were hearing “teach the standards and fill in the gaps.” I struggled with that, because the majority of my class was at a PreK level (0.0 on Star Early Literacy testing.). I finally just decided I was going to start out teaching letters and sounds, writing names and letters, and number sense. I decided if anyone said anything, I would tell them that I was giving my kids what they needed. I couldn’t teach them to read if they didn’t know letters and sounds. I couldn’t teach them to write if they didn’t even know how to write their name. I couldn’t teach them to add and subtract if they had no number sense. I am seeing my kids making strides, but I know it is because I wasn’t caring about teaching the standards, but was giving my kids what they needed. Most of the other teachers went on with teaching the standards, but I felt like I was doing my kids a disservice if I did that.
Michelle, thank you for the way you consistently present. It’s so easy to follow and absorb. I am in college to become a teacher, I am subbing, and have been a para for 9 years. I’m also in my 40’s. Teaching has NOT always been what I’ve dreamed about. In fact, I had dropped out of high school and hated school with a passion all growing up. I somehow ended up in the para field out of my desire to be there for those misunderstood and traumatized by teachers. My point is, I know how hard it is teaching, especially now, and I’ve never had the desire to be “like them”, nor have I ever felt like I had what it takes. I’ve really had to talk myself into doing this when there are so many reasons that scream “don’t do it” now. It gives me so much hope to see the vulnerability and realness that you share. I’ve been pouring over your podcast and videos for the past year and would love to implement all your ideas and tips. Thanks for keeping it real and reminding us that we don’t need to lose ourselves into teaching or be perfect in order to be a teacher, nor should we. With the tides changing on what the expectations of a teacher should look like, maybe it’s actually a great time for me to be on this track.
Excellent “top 10” list. My favorites from which I benefited were 1, 7, 8, 9, 10. You have also created great “chapter titles” for your book, “Reflective Guide to Teaching, Learning, and Living Well.”
Your last statement: making teaching your identity….this happens in other careers too. As a nurse, I had to step back and realize it was just part of me
Hi, I know I'm watching this video 7 months after you posted it Michelle, but I wanted to highlight how great you are for not only talking about the "mistakes" you made but ALSO telling us HOW you "fixed" them. It shows that you actually care about your audience. Thank you darling for all you do, please keep on doing it :)
Definitely the identity comment. I notice a LOT of teachers and influencer teachers all identify as teachers, but not much else… I did the same thing trying to do well in my career, and my husband kept telling me that I’m more than that and that I needed to do other things as well, to not let my JOB define me. Definitely a BIG problem. Thanks for sharing!
This video meant so much to me! As a first year teacher, I felt as if I was doing everything wrong. I connected with each of these mistakes, and currently have made each one in just three months! Thank you for this ❤️
Me too! I'm a first year teacher and I relate to all of these mistakes. I love watching this video and learning how I can change what I am doing to be a more effective teacher!
Such a useful video, thank you. Fascinating, I’m training at the moment and I keep being told to explicitly instruct my students, and yes a lot of them are demotivated, I need to find a way to give them more control…
Thanks for the PD! I’m documenting this on my new teacher PD hour sheet. Lol Absolutely love you and have learned so much from you as a relatively new teacher (year 3 ish).
I would love to see some content about how you as a teacher would prefer feedback from unhappy parents. I am really struggling with my sons teacher this year. I actually think academically she is amazing, it’s more the social emotional side of things. And I love teachers. I think teachers are absolutely the super hero’s of life so it’s bugging me a lot that I am not thrilled with her. I know these last several years have really taken it out of teachers and I want to be very aware of that as well.
Harley, your teacher has many children to teach. Since you know your child best you can guide your son’s social and emotional learning. As your child is learning the academic content, you have the free time to teach these skills.
I love this! i'm a first-year school librarian and seeing a parent wanting to approach teachers with respect and kindness is so heartwarming. it's totally okay to not get "vibe" with your child's teacher - sometimes you won't! advocating for your child in a respectful, kind way is a great first step :)
Harly, honestly, just ask questions. Share what makes your son "your son." And if you are not thrilled, think of a kind way to bring up or say what you think. Teachers, myself included, would rather know what you are thinking than being upset or maybe even misunderstanding (?) something. Text, email, phone call, parent conference . . . are all appropriate. Hope it works out!
This post is so vague. What does does that even mean, the SEL side of things? Like the son doesn’t feel supported, son getting bullied, son doesn’t know how to socialize with other students, son fears the teacher? Just depends.
Michelle, I have been teaching 34 years now and it is still my calling and passion. I am so proud of you that you learned all these "lessons" at such a young age . . . I can attest to the fact of going through these same mistakes and finding out it is way more fun, as well as healthful mentally, to make some tweeks. I remember my first "a-ha" moment was I didn't have to change my bulletin boards every month (sounds silly but true)-the bulletin board police were *not* headed my way. I've taught 3rd grade (in Maryland) and special education K-12 currently back in Ohio. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Michelle, I have been watching your videos since I was in high school before I even knew for sure that I wanted to be a teacher too. Now that I'm student teaching, your videos have been even more helpful, especially this one. I really appreciate you sharing these experiences with us because WOW have I been going through so much of what you've talked about. Knowing that someone that you have looked up to for so long has had the same struggles and feelings that I am having makes what I'm feeling much more normal. Thank you so much again for sharing!!
You are so right! I have taught since 1979 and have seen so many changes! I see wonderful teachers come and go so quickly, because they haven't learned to have a home life. There are no boundaries and they burn out. I've stayed at work until very late also and I had wonderful classrooms, but I missed so much with my family. Now, I still have the love of teaching and will be back in a couple of weeks, but I know that I have to leave what happens and what I need to do, at school. Yet, here I sit at 11:40 on a Saturday night, watching youtubes about school! LOL I do get excited about school this time of year and want to keep up with new ideas.
I agree with all of these thoughts! Thank you for sharing. I knew there would be several things you would mention that I am currently doing, but you gave me some ideas on how to fix them as well. Thank you, thank you!
I only recently started giving specific feedback! It has made a huge difference. I do the same when I'm tuning instruments (I'm an orchestra teacher). I say something like "wow, the way your hand looks so relaxed when holding your bow, is awesome! Look how soft and curved your fingers are" Where before I would say "nice bowhold". Hopefully, they would understand why I liked it.
One thing that has helped me decide if I need to hold the class back and keep working on a topic is if it is an essential learning outcome. If it’s just good to know, but not essential then I move on so I can use class time on the most important concepts.
Interesting what you say about deep understanding of the content. I recognised this concerning teaching grammer because i noticed it was even hard for me to explain and motivate why it's so important to learn grammar. Now i find out that there s a big gap between teaching practice / schoolbooks and the latest insights concerning grammar at universities. It should be rewarding to share these new insights with other teachers.
Hey Michelle. I like this video. I am in my first year and I have also noticed that what I taught didn’t meet the standard by the end of the lesson I was wondering if possible, can you make a video on backwards planning and how it should be done? I have looked on RUclips and can’t find a video that really helps me understand how it needs to be done or provides a good example. I would really appreciate a video like this! Thank you.
This was SO HELPFUL!! I am in school for music education right now and have been taking a class where I am creating elementary music lesson plans. It’s a really fun class, but I find myself falling into a lot of the same traps as you did. My lessons aren’t planned backwards to forwards and are usually more teacher-focused instead of student-centered. Also, if I do end up teaching elementary music, I will need to study the content a lot more/scope and sequence. Because I’ve been doing music for so long, I don’t really remember not knowing how to do most of these things. It’s been a really fun class and it helped me realize I would like elementary, but I know there’s so much more I need to learn.
This was extremely helpful. I'm in the last leg of my teaching program right now so I'm finishing up with student teaching. Your point of teacher prep programs not preparing TCs about standards and how things build upon each other is SPOT ON. Yes, we take a "math for educators" class or an "Literacy for educators" and so on but it's not the same thing. That stood out to me early on and as I try to prepare everything I need for my edTPA, it's even more glaringly obvious. I also really liked what you had to say about student-directed learning and moving away from a lecture-based model. You hit on so many good points. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
Girl, the first video of yours I ever watched was the year you planned a Christmas Around the World party the night before. 😅 You've grown SO MUCH. Even since this video!
Ironically, I am here at school getting all of my students reading notebooks prepared for after thanksgiving and it’s 5:30pm. I will definitely use that advice to ask a parent to help me prep for this next time! It’ll save me a lot of time and I know she looks for ways to help anyways :)
Loved your honesty. I think every point you made is something that I’ve gone through and I am a 27 year veteran teacher. I know this will help so many teachers!
My students think we are behind in science. The other science teacher is on chapter seven and we are on chapter three. They were comparing themselves to the other two classes on Friday. I told them that we are not behind and that how we do science is helps them more. I have seen the results by not sticking to the pacing guide. My school sees the results and they are okay with it. No, we don't cover everything in the book, but we cover what they need to know. The slower pace is what this class needs. It takes them longer to understand a concept and I am fine with that. :)
Thank you so much, Michelle! I could totally relate to everything you shared. This is definitely one of my favorite videos that you’ve created. Thank you for reminding us of what is most important!
Thank you so much for mentioning the issues with content! I'm in my third year of teaching and this has been an issue for me too. You're so right right about us knowing how to do the skill, but not knowing the way the progress or build for the students.
These are awesome insights and just plain good ways of approaching how we do things as educators. Loved all of your ideas. Your insight on understanding content was great and totally a trend among teachers these days. Great video, Michelle.
Hey hun, I been watch over some of your videos to get my shit together . little insight doing my last year of school and teacher full time . thank you for being so clear your tips are so helpfully.
Wow Michelle! This is true for so many teachers! I've been teaching since 1985 off and on as a Music Specialist, and this gave me some clarity and encouragement. Thanks for your honesty and transparency!
I think the planning routine is the one that has been hard for me to accomplish.. not only as a teacher but in my life in general. Excellent video. Thank you.
So appreciate your honesty! I’m not a teacher, but I also am experiencing many of the same “mistakes” in my career. Thank you for the reminder to take a step back, take a deep breath and reevaluate things now and then. ❤️
Michelle thank you for being so honest with this! I feel your mistakes apply not only to teachers but also in so many professions as well! I have spent so much time working even in my job in medical (very late and some sleepless nights). I at times have been forced to take on the do it all myself mentality because I am the flexible one (my team has been incredible and I would not trade them for anything)! I am so against pacing guides🤬 (coming from a teachers kid, I don’t think instruction should be paced by instruction guides but by the teacher)! The 10th mistake resonates with me especially because I have lost myself multiple times because of my job (I am an assistant, tutor, volunteer, runner)
My hs math teacher was one of the co authors for making sense of mathematics. He inspired me to be a teacher, actually and continues to be an inspiration to me. I highly recommend that book! I absolutely love teaching math because of him! Nice tips!
Thank you for sharing Michelle! Those were my mistakes too in my first year teaching. I am very blessed to reach in an international school so we actually have assigned EAs to help with printing, laminating etc.
Hi! I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who made some of the same mistakes. When you mentioned Pacing Plan, I recalled an experience I had with my admin. I told him that I needed to reteach a Math lesson he had observed because I didn't think students really understood it and needed more time but I was worried because I didn't want to fall behind on Pacing Plan. I basically sort of asked him if it was ok to fall behind 1 day or 2..He just stared at me and gave me no response. Sheer silence. I was thinking wow, I guess it's more important to be on point than for students to really grasp the material. Either that or he thought it was my fault as a new teacher for not explaining it correctly. Like you said, I guess that's not a school I wanted to be at. 🤷♀️ Thanks for your helpful videos!
I totally identify with this... Im a 2nd year teacher, struggling day to day. I am dealing with difficult parents, behavior issues and tough 6th grade curriculum. I literally had a breakdown today... Came home this afternoon and put in for my 1st day off ever tomorrow.... Don't even know if there is a sub to cover, Im just not ok mentally....
This video is one of your best yet! It takes a TON of courage to take complete ownership over something most people (likely not in the profession) wouldn't even CONSIDER a mistake, like working way past a typical 5:00 cutoff - but it NEEDS to be shared! Overworking (especially in a job already as demanding and exhausting as teaching) is never the answer. :( I truly think it starts with voices like yours to help new and old teachers feel like they don't always have to learn things the hard way :)
OMG I've been watching your videos for hours now. As I am returning to the field, this video is really reaching me. This is me. This is me! This helps so much! Just thank you so very much!
Thank you for being so honest!!! I taught prek before but this year is my first teaching at a public school. There is way too much paperwork and not enough time to teach. I feel overwhelmed a lot lately but you made me feel like I am not alone. 💕
I'd love to get a "Top 10 Embarrassing Teaching Experiences" from you Also, his was so helpful (even as an aspiring middle school teacher) btw Keep it Up!
You’re amazing. Thanks for being open, transparent, and vulnerable with us. Yes, many of those thing resonated with me, but I’m hopeful that I can change some habits and get the most out of my time. Change is important for me to be better at self care and not spending all of my free time pouring myself into school. I need better boundaries there. Perfectionism is my biggest fault, but I can give myself a little more grace. Thanks again.
I so appreciate you videos and amazing support!! With this video, it is so refreshing to know that I am not the only one who makes and still makes these mistakes. I love teaching, but have not mastered the "not work too much" element of it even after hitting 10 years. I have good weeks, but overall still making the same mistakes. I need to listen to this video a few more times and really practice some of your awesome ideas. Thank you for sharing!!!
THIS VIDEO 💕 I am burnt out because of #1 and #10 and i am making a vow to myself to find balance in my life in order for me to be a better teacher and better person. Thank you for this video, it came at the most perfect time. Thank you 💕
It also depends on what state you attended college and what state you end up teaching in, common core or not. There is also some administration responsibility here for teachers and buildings to communicate with each other well.
I'm a first-year school librarian who's a content creator and in grad school as well... it's a lot. i realized that because my commute home/to work is over an hour each way, my hours worked during the week for content creation, grad school, and work are around 70... which is so overwhelming! i've really been trying to set boundaries and prioritize things in my life beyond work/content creation/school, like my partner and our cat! it's been very nice
I REALLY liked your tip about planning backwards. You might want to consider becoming a teacher FOR teachers in schools - I feel like my grad program would benefit from teachers like you
Thank you for the content in this video! It's very honest and helpful. I'm an ESL teacher and I teach online. The part about not being taught content hit home. We were told that teaching grammar is the hardest to learn, and the hardest to teach. And it is! There are all sorts of suggestions in the textbooks we were given, but they are very confusing and convoluted. You need to step back and figure out how to teach grammar that will benefit the student and engage them.
In my 31st year of teaching and you nailed it on this one! These are many of the things that I try to impart on new teachers that I mentor. It really is all about balance: at school, at home, in life. Have to have enough to pour into all areas of your life, not just work. ❤
Michelle, I'm a college student beginning my teacher education classes and the main stressor I feel thus far about teaching is the standards and how to make sense of them. You are so right about colleges not going into depth with the content we are suppose to teach. I would love some videos of how you dealt with this as a teacher.
The curriculum dips into all the standards naturally. Even veteran teachers don’t look at the standards word for word. The curriculum should have little notes as to what standard is being targeted. It’s only when you create your own lesson from the top of your head where you have to think what it’s hitting.
@@jaydel3 Oh okay. This makes a lot of sense. I'm not familiar with the curriculum. All I have learned about so far is standards. Thank you!
@@mvmoloney21Ive been watching Michelle for a while and I agree, her videos are so helpful! Thank you for your response.
Like Jaydel said, the curriculum helps A LOT and most school have a curriculum as well as a scope and sequence. That scope and sequence will help you SO MUCH! It essentially shows you the order you will teach the standards in throughout the year or 6 weeks or whatever time frame your district follows. Knowing what standard is coming next can help you determine what you really need the kids to grasp. Example: in second grade, first we teach place value and regrouping ones to tens and tens to hundreds. The next unit we teach is adding and then adding with regrouping. So I have to make sure the students have a SOLID grasp of regrouping in place value in order to understand regrouping in adding.
Hope this helps! 😊
Thank you for being so forthcoming in your “mistakes” as a teacher. I LOVED the tip about doing what is best for your students!! I teach special education and struggle with not “keeping up” with my Gen Ed cohorts. But then I realized that’s not what it’s about!! And it’s hilarious that I watch your videos at 7:00 am on a Sunday while grading papers! 🤣
“Not artsy”? Then what did I just watch? YOU are a consummate artist when it comes to teaching and presenting information in relatable, digestible, and rememberable ways. This is your art skill. Thanks, neighbor. 👩🏻🎓
You're still teaching, but now your influence has grown beyond the classroom because you're teaching us! Thank you!
Being a first year teacher, a huge mistake I made was creating unrealistic expectations for myself as a teacher. I feel like being hired as a teacher you feel expected to become teacher of the year with amazing lessons and no issues with students every single day. That is simply not the case with any educator. So setting more realistic expectations for myself and giving myself a break from work relieved so much stress. (Thank you therapy 😊)
Our admin and district needs to understand the concept of consistency. Many times they are so excited about a new discipline program, SEL program, textbook, and then they abandon it a year or two later. There wasn't enough time to determine that. It gets frustrating because it makes me not want to "buy in" because they will just change it anyway 🙃
My biggest mistake was tying my students' success or failure to my own self worth. Some students may not pass. They may not turn in their work. They may skip class. Every F or 0 made me think I must be a terrible teacher. I must not have tried hard enough to reach them. I understand the line and boundary now, but I still hate seeing students fail.
I felt this too!! It was not until a veteran teacher said to me, "You can't want it more than they do," that I felt the guilt lift.
Do I still hate putting in zeros? Yes. But do I think of myself as a failure? No!
As a student teacher I needed this. I can’t wait to have my own classroom and implement everything that I’ve learned from you.
So much truth in this video! I was nodding my head for all ten mistakes. Thank you for such an honest and helpful rundown of errors that many of us make. I like how you also explained how you flipped the mistake into a more productive strategy. We are always growing and improving!
Thanks, Michelle.👍 I struggled with every mistake up to the end of my teaching career. Teaching is a calling that makes teachers feel they must jump in with both feet and keep on paddling!
As a veteran teacher…. Can say you NAILED IT with this list! Thank you for sharing. It helps me reflect on my journey. My son and his girlfriend are both elementary Ed be majors in college. Definitely passing this in and saving it for future review… because it is a journey ☺️.
I have always felt really insecure about my teaching ability because of my lack of confidence and knowledge regarding subject content. So to hear that you also went through the same thing has given me a sense of peace because I'm not alone. Thank you so much!
God bless
Not me crying during this video. Like you, I had always wanted to be a teacher and it’s so disheartening when I have days that I don’t feel like I was successful. My mind goes to, “You can never fail! You can’t be anything else but a teacher.” I have to understand that I am a teacher BUT I’m also many other things. Thank you!
Awesome video! As a veteran elementary music teacher, I see the same mistakes in my past teaching. Regardless of the discipline, we can all spend too much time on work. For classroom teachers, it's planning and grading. For music teachers, it's planning and performance prep. I had to learn to leave my work at work.
Couldn’t agree more with your ten. Thank you for being honest and vulnerable with the world. More teachers, and non-teachers, need to hear this.
Thank you! I needed to hear this today! Even after 24 years, I need these reminders!
Yes, pacing guides need to be thrown out the window for now. Some administrators forget that even teachers have experienced loss due to the pandemic. Thank you for your video presentation. Take care.
This video is so vulnerable and transparent. 👏🏻
The “leader not facilitator” one is so true of most early teachers. For me, I was worried if I let my students take the lead that I wouldn’t be “doing a good job” or that I wouldn’t be doing enough.
I find it interesting whenever I discuss planning that teachers respond as if they don’t understand me. However I always work from a backwards design method, exactly as you explained. I don’t understand the disconnect but I’m glad someone else gets it!
"Creator" is a hat you wear well, and I think is a modern take on artist/musician/etc. Using technology to help others by creating content and materials to help other in various ways is a very appreciated skill and I wanted to make sure that you notice that hat as well.
agree!
"Mistake" 6.... thank you! I have been feeling like a failure my whole career because of this. Breathe of fresh air hearing this out loud from a teacher that I admire. Thank you for being real!
Thank you for saying to do what is best for my kids. I have so felt that this year. I teach 1st grade, and my kids came in not even knowing letters and sounds. They couldn’t even write their name, and had no number sense. We were hearing “teach the standards and fill in the gaps.” I struggled with that, because the majority of my class was at a PreK level (0.0 on Star Early Literacy testing.). I finally just decided I was going to start out teaching letters and sounds, writing names and letters, and number sense. I decided if anyone said anything, I would tell them that I was giving my kids what they needed. I couldn’t teach them to read if they didn’t know letters and sounds. I couldn’t teach them to write if they didn’t even know how to write their name. I couldn’t teach them to add and subtract if they had no number sense. I am seeing my kids making strides, but I know it is because I wasn’t caring about teaching the standards, but was giving my kids what they needed. Most of the other teachers went on with teaching the standards, but I felt like I was doing my kids a disservice if I did that.
Michelle, thank you for the way you consistently present. It’s so easy to follow and absorb. I am in college to become a teacher, I am subbing, and have been a para for 9 years. I’m also in my 40’s. Teaching has NOT always been what I’ve dreamed about. In fact, I had dropped out of high school and hated school with a passion all growing up. I somehow ended up in the para field out of my desire to be there for those misunderstood and traumatized by teachers. My point is, I know how hard it is teaching, especially now, and I’ve never had the desire to be “like them”, nor have I ever felt like I had what it takes. I’ve really had to talk myself into doing this when there are so many reasons that scream “don’t do it” now. It gives me so much hope to see the vulnerability and realness that you share. I’ve been pouring over your podcast and videos for the past year and would love to implement all your ideas and tips. Thanks for keeping it real and reminding us that we don’t need to lose ourselves into teaching or be perfect in order to be a teacher, nor should we. With the tides changing on what the expectations of a teacher should look like, maybe it’s actually a great time for me to be on this track.
Excellent “top 10” list. My favorites from which I benefited were 1, 7, 8, 9, 10. You have also created great “chapter titles” for your book, “Reflective Guide to Teaching, Learning, and Living Well.”
Honestly, I feel we should know a bunch of stuff we were never taught. So, it’s not our fault at all
THIS!! I thought this multiple times during my first year of teaching, my current home schooling, and while watching this video.
Your last statement: making teaching your identity….this happens in other careers too. As a nurse, I had to step back and realize it was just part of me
Please more of these videos! I love hearing about your teaching experiences and how you adjusted or did things differently!! This is super helpful 😊😊😊
Hi, I know I'm watching this video 7 months after you posted it Michelle, but I wanted to highlight how great you are for not only talking about the "mistakes" you made but ALSO telling us HOW you "fixed" them. It shows that you actually care about your audience. Thank you darling for all you do, please keep on doing it :)
Definitely the identity comment. I notice a LOT of teachers and influencer teachers all identify as teachers, but not much else… I did the same thing trying to do well in my career, and my husband kept telling me that I’m more than that and that I needed to do other things as well, to not let my JOB define me. Definitely a BIG problem. Thanks for sharing!
This video meant so much to me! As a first year teacher, I felt as if I was doing everything wrong. I connected with each of these mistakes, and currently have made each one in just three months! Thank you for this ❤️
Me too! I'm a first year teacher and I relate to all of these mistakes. I love watching this video and learning how I can change what I am doing to be a more effective teacher!
Such a useful video, thank you. Fascinating, I’m training at the moment and I keep being told to explicitly instruct my students, and yes a lot of them are demotivated, I need to find a way to give them more control…
This was so needed. I’m going to sit down and do some reflecting and pivoting to end the year on a stronger note.
Thanks for the PD! I’m documenting this on my new teacher PD hour sheet. Lol
Absolutely love you and have learned so much from you as a relatively new teacher (year 3 ish).
I would love to see some content about how you as a teacher would prefer feedback from unhappy parents. I am really struggling with my sons teacher this year. I actually think academically she is amazing, it’s more the social emotional side of things. And I love teachers. I think teachers are absolutely the super hero’s of life so it’s bugging me a lot that I am not thrilled with her. I know these last several years have really taken it out of teachers and I want to be very aware of that as well.
Harley, your teacher has many children to teach. Since you know your child best you can guide your son’s social and emotional learning. As your child is learning the academic content, you have the free time to teach these skills.
I love this! i'm a first-year school librarian and seeing a parent wanting to approach teachers with respect and kindness is so heartwarming. it's totally okay to not get "vibe" with your child's teacher - sometimes you won't! advocating for your child in a respectful, kind way is a great first step :)
Harly, honestly, just ask questions. Share what makes your son "your son." And if you are not thrilled, think of a kind way to bring up or say what you think. Teachers, myself included, would rather know what you are thinking than being upset or maybe even misunderstanding (?) something. Text, email, phone call, parent conference . . . are all appropriate. Hope it works out!
This post is so vague. What does does that even mean, the SEL side of things? Like the son doesn’t feel supported, son getting bullied, son doesn’t know how to socialize with other students, son fears the teacher? Just depends.
Year 25 and I still struggle with all this stuff. Your list nails it!
Michelle, I have been teaching 34 years now and it is still my calling and passion. I am so proud of you that you learned all these "lessons" at such a young age . . . I can attest to the fact of going through these same mistakes and finding out it is way more fun, as well as healthful mentally, to make some tweeks. I remember my first "a-ha" moment was I didn't have to change my bulletin boards every month (sounds silly but true)-the bulletin board police were *not* headed my way. I've taught 3rd grade (in Maryland) and special education K-12 currently back in Ohio. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Michelle, I have been watching your videos since I was in high school before I even knew for sure that I wanted to be a teacher too. Now that I'm student teaching, your videos have been even more helpful, especially this one. I really appreciate you sharing these experiences with us because WOW have I been going through so much of what you've talked about. Knowing that someone that you have looked up to for so long has had the same struggles and feelings that I am having makes what I'm feeling much more normal. Thank you so much again for sharing!!
You are so right! I have taught since 1979 and have seen so many changes! I see wonderful teachers come and go so quickly, because they haven't learned to have a home life. There are no boundaries and they burn out. I've stayed at work until very late also and I had wonderful classrooms, but I missed so much with my family. Now, I still have the love of teaching and will be back in a couple of weeks, but I know that I have to leave what happens and what I need to do, at school. Yet, here I sit at 11:40 on a Saturday night, watching youtubes about school! LOL I do get excited about school this time of year and want to keep up with new ideas.
I agree with all of these thoughts! Thank you for sharing. I knew there would be several things you would mention that I am currently doing, but you gave me some ideas on how to fix them as well. Thank you, thank you!
I only recently started giving specific feedback! It has made a huge difference. I do the same when I'm tuning instruments (I'm an orchestra teacher). I say something like "wow, the way your hand looks so relaxed when holding your bow, is awesome! Look how soft and curved your fingers are" Where before I would say "nice bowhold". Hopefully, they would understand why I liked it.
Growing up I could tell when my teachers were having a bad day and this video makes me want to give them a hug 🥺
Your message throughout this wonderfully honest video is so helpful and true. Thank you. This will bless many teachers, Michelle.
Great message, Michelle! Number 1 and 10 resonate so much! Wish I had this advice years ago!
One thing that has helped me decide if I need to hold the class back and keep working on a topic is if it is an essential learning outcome. If it’s just good to know, but not essential then I move on so I can use class time on the most important concepts.
Interesting what you say about deep understanding of the content. I recognised this concerning teaching grammer because i noticed it was even hard for me to explain and motivate why it's so important to learn grammar. Now i find out that there s a big gap between teaching practice / schoolbooks and the latest insights concerning grammar at universities. It should be rewarding to share these new insights with other teachers.
Hey Michelle. I like this video. I am in my first year and I have also noticed that what I taught didn’t meet the standard by the end of the lesson I was wondering if possible, can you make a video on backwards planning and how it should be done? I have looked on RUclips and can’t find a video that really helps me understand how it needs to be done or provides a good example. I would really appreciate a video like this! Thank you.
This was SO HELPFUL!! I am in school for music education right now and have been taking a class where I am creating elementary music lesson plans. It’s a really fun class, but I find myself falling into a lot of the same traps as you did. My lessons aren’t planned backwards to forwards and are usually more teacher-focused instead of student-centered. Also, if I do end up teaching elementary music, I will need to study the content a lot more/scope and sequence. Because I’ve been doing music for so long, I don’t really remember not knowing how to do most of these things. It’s been a really fun class and it helped me realize I would like elementary, but I know there’s so much more I need to learn.
This was extremely helpful. I'm in the last leg of my teaching program right now so I'm finishing up with student teaching. Your point of teacher prep programs not preparing TCs about standards and how things build upon each other is SPOT ON. Yes, we take a "math for educators" class or an "Literacy for educators" and so on but it's not the same thing. That stood out to me early on and as I try to prepare everything I need for my edTPA, it's even more glaringly obvious. I also really liked what you had to say about student-directed learning and moving away from a lecture-based model. You hit on so many good points. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.
You're a rock star because you have great insights that you share with others. Thank you for your hard work!
Very informative and honest. Thanks for sharing!
I'm a School Social Worker and love your channel! I've learned so much and have been able to apply things to my own work. Thank you!!
Completely agree about not learning how to teach the curriculum and unpack the curriculum.
Girl, the first video of yours I ever watched was the year you planned a Christmas Around the World party the night before. 😅 You've grown SO MUCH. Even since this video!
Thank you for this video...I felt as if I was the only one who felt "unprepared".
Ironically, I am here at school getting all of my students reading notebooks prepared for after thanksgiving and it’s 5:30pm. I will definitely use that advice to ask a parent to help me prep for this next time! It’ll save me a lot of time and I know she looks for ways to help anyways :)
Loved your honesty. I think every point you made is something that I’ve gone through and I am a 27 year veteran teacher. I know this will help so many teachers!
My students think we are behind in science. The other science teacher is on chapter seven and we are on chapter three. They were comparing themselves to the other two classes on Friday. I told them that we are not behind and that how we do science is helps them more. I have seen the results by not sticking to the pacing guide. My school sees the results and they are okay with it. No, we don't cover everything in the book, but we cover what they need to know. The slower pace is what this class needs. It takes them longer to understand a concept and I am fine with that. :)
Thank you so much, Michelle! I could totally relate to everything you shared. This is definitely one of my favorite videos that you’ve created. Thank you for reminding us of what is most important!
Thank you so much for mentioning the issues with content! I'm in my third year of teaching and this has been an issue for me too. You're so right right about us knowing how to do the skill, but not knowing the way the progress or build for the students.
Planing backwards-yes! Designing down we called it in my early years.
These are awesome insights and just plain good ways of approaching how we do things as educators. Loved all of your ideas. Your insight on understanding content was great and totally a trend among teachers these days. Great video, Michelle.
Hey hun, I been watch over some of your videos to get my shit together . little insight doing my last year of school and teacher full time . thank you for being so clear your tips are so helpfully.
Wow Michelle! This is true for so many teachers! I've been teaching since 1985 off and on as a Music Specialist, and this gave me some clarity and encouragement. Thanks for your honesty and transparency!
PS This is Colleen, not Joe ☺
I think the planning routine is the one that has been hard for me to accomplish.. not only as a teacher but in my life in general. Excellent video. Thank you.
So appreciate your honesty! I’m not a teacher, but I also am experiencing many of the same “mistakes” in my career. Thank you for the reminder to take a step back, take a deep breath and reevaluate things now and then. ❤️
Michelle thank you for being so honest with this! I feel your mistakes apply not only to teachers but also in so many professions as well! I have spent so much time working even in my job in medical (very late and some sleepless nights). I at times have been forced to take on the do it all myself mentality because I am the flexible one (my team has been incredible and I would not trade them for anything)! I am so against pacing guides🤬 (coming from a teachers kid, I don’t think instruction should be paced by instruction guides but by the teacher)! The 10th mistake resonates with me especially because I have lost myself multiple times because of my job (I am an assistant, tutor, volunteer, runner)
You are absolutely amazing. Thank you for your candidness.
I am going to do what's best for my students. Nuff said. Teaching is a career, not my identity. Love this.
My hs math teacher was one of the co authors for making sense of mathematics. He inspired me to be a teacher, actually and continues to be an inspiration to me. I highly recommend that book! I absolutely love teaching math because of him! Nice tips!
Thank you for sharing and being transparent! I’m a recovering perfectionist, so this is very helpful and realistic! Keep up the great work!!🤗
Thank you for sharing Michelle! Those were my mistakes too in my first year teaching. I am very blessed to reach in an international school so we actually have assigned EAs to help with printing, laminating etc.
Hi! I was glad to hear that I wasn't the only one who made some of the same mistakes. When you mentioned Pacing Plan, I recalled an experience I had with my admin. I told him that I needed to reteach a Math lesson he had observed because I didn't think students really understood it and needed more time but I was worried because I didn't want to fall behind on Pacing Plan. I basically sort of asked him if it was ok to fall behind 1 day or 2..He just stared at me and gave me no response. Sheer silence. I was thinking wow, I guess it's more important to be on point than for students to really grasp the material. Either that or he thought it was my fault as a new teacher for not explaining it correctly. Like you said, I guess that's not a school I wanted to be at. 🤷♀️ Thanks for your helpful videos!
Michelle I am so grateful for you and your videos every day. I literally could not make it thru my days without you and the tips you provide!
I totally identify with this... Im a 2nd year teacher, struggling day to day. I am dealing with difficult parents, behavior issues and tough 6th grade curriculum. I literally had a breakdown today... Came home this afternoon and put in for my 1st day off ever tomorrow.... Don't even know if there is a sub to cover, Im just not ok mentally....
This video is one of your best yet! It takes a TON of courage to take complete ownership over something most people (likely not in the profession) wouldn't even CONSIDER a mistake, like working way past a typical 5:00 cutoff - but it NEEDS to be shared!
Overworking (especially in a job already as demanding and exhausting as teaching) is never the answer. :(
I truly think it starts with voices like yours to help new and old teachers feel like they don't always have to learn things the hard way :)
OMG I've been watching your videos for hours now. As I am returning to the field, this video is really reaching me. This is me. This is me! This helps so much! Just thank you so very much!
Thank you for being so honest!!! I taught prek before but this year is my first teaching at a public school. There is way too much paperwork and not enough time to teach. I feel overwhelmed a lot lately but you made me feel like I am not alone. 💕
I'd love to get a "Top 10 Embarrassing Teaching Experiences" from you
Also, his was so helpful (even as an aspiring middle school teacher) btw
Keep it Up!
This is so good. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing what you’ve learned. Love it!
You’re amazing. Thanks for being open, transparent, and vulnerable with us. Yes, many of those thing resonated with me, but I’m hopeful that I can change some habits and get the most out of my time. Change is important for me to be better at self care and not spending all of my free time pouring myself into school. I need better boundaries there. Perfectionism is my biggest fault, but I can give myself a little more grace. Thanks again.
Thank you! Wow, that was very inspiring. It made me think about my way of teaching.
Thank you for your transparency!
Yes. This definitely resonated with me. Thank you for being so honest and open. A lot of what you said was exactly what I needed to hear. 💖
I so appreciate you videos and amazing support!! With this video, it is so refreshing to know that I am not the only one who makes and still makes these mistakes. I love teaching, but have not mastered the "not work too much" element of it even after hitting 10 years. I have good weeks, but overall still making the same mistakes. I need to listen to this video a few more times and really practice some of your awesome ideas. Thank you for sharing!!!
THIS VIDEO 💕 I am burnt out because of #1 and #10 and i am making a vow to myself to find balance in my life in order for me to be a better teacher and better person. Thank you for this video, it came at the most perfect time.
Thank you 💕
The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see. Ayn Rand
This is my fifth year teaching and I agree- colleges do not prep you enough on the actual content and standard progression.
It also depends on what state you attended college and what state you end up teaching in, common core or not. There is also some administration responsibility here for teachers and buildings to communicate with each other well.
Great advice! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Michelle, I love your videos, and I was just wondering if you could do a video about how you stay motivated to do all of your work.
I congratulate you on your honesty! You're a wonderful person.
As someone who is graduating with a BS in Education in May, I needed this video.
Wisdom where needed. TY
I'm a first-year school librarian who's a content creator and in grad school as well... it's a lot. i realized that because my commute home/to work is over an hour each way, my hours worked during the week for content creation, grad school, and work are around 70... which is so overwhelming! i've really been trying to set boundaries and prioritize things in my life beyond work/content creation/school, like my partner and our cat! it's been very nice
I REALLY liked your tip about planning backwards. You might want to consider becoming a teacher FOR teachers in schools - I feel like my grad program would benefit from teachers like you
That was a lot more REAL than I expected, and I appreciated it. :)
Thank you for the content in this video! It's very honest and helpful. I'm an ESL teacher and I teach online. The part about not being taught content hit home. We were told that teaching grammar is the hardest to learn, and the hardest to teach. And it is! There are all sorts of suggestions in the textbooks we were given, but they are very confusing and convoluted. You need to step back and figure out how to teach grammar that will benefit the student and engage them.
Thank you as a newer teacher I absolutely love your content. You have been very helpful to me, got my positive pants today its our last day until Jan
Hi Michelle, thank you so much for this video. It has taught me so much. I am so appreciative of this video.
Wow! Thank you for speaking teacher truths, and it resonated withe even as a veteran teacher. Great material I'll share with my intern.