Also, besides the school secretary, your best friend is the custodian. The custodian will get you that extra desk. The custodian will know if there is a stash of good chairs. Get to know and be kind to the custodian. Best secret asset there is.
Yessss! Stopping by McD’s when it’s BOGO breakfast sandwich season and popping into their office with “Hey! Want a sausage McMuffin?” is why the custodian (who transferred to a new building three years ago) still helps me out with stuff. Oh, and always fess up to a paint-on-the-carpet type of incident before they discover it on their own.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! 29 year veteran here!!! THIS IS NOTHING BUT FACTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU BETTER TREAT THIS 10 mins LIKE IT IS YOUR BIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One great way to buddy-up with the secretary, custodians, cafeteria staff, or specials teachers is to remember them on holidays. When kids are bringing in teacher gifts, those people don’t get anything. Share your bounty or figure out a way to do something for them. Bake some cookies and give a thank you card. You’ll most likely be one of the few that do unfortunately. Don’t think this is popular anymore, but I used to spend about $1.50 on each at Christmas. I’d buy Redbox gift codes ($1 each at the time), print out a Merry Christmas tag to write the code on, and tie it to a bag of popcorn. They were so grateful, loved the gift, and it costs me nearly nothing. I could spend $50 and cover about 30 people (including principals, counselor, school nurse, colleagues, etc.) I even did that for my students a couple of years.
I wish I had been told to not trust anyone. That would have saved my career. Pretend everything is going well in class even when it sucks. This whole video is spot on.
Joe you are hilarious and so right about your advice. My ex-husband was a history/math teacher for nearly 30years at our local school. I can tell you yes I heard stories. He was a very good but stern teacher. Boy did he come home in some mood's and it just got worse the older he got. His motto....a sign on a pencil cutout read I quote ( JUST DO IT) . I miss that man already. I just came home from his funeral today. Yes there were a few students there today. He had made an impression on many in this community. He was 75. Thanks Joe for listening. Love love love your videos!
I taught for 6 years and you are spot on especially when it comes to not trusting the other teachers. Also, be kind to the custodial staff because they are the eyes abs the ears in that building.
Starting at a new school this year even though I’m on year 7. Thanks for the reminders!! 🤩 Only thing I gotta say, if a new teacher wants to try out something they learned in undergrad LET THEM TRY. I hate watching veteran teachers laugh in the face of new teachers about the things they learned that they want to test out. My advice to new teachers is to not talk to vet teachers about the exciting creative things you want to try. Do it first and then talk about it later 😂
Some of the best activities I now use that come from new teachers who are recently using exciting new technology and even though I’ve been teaching over 20 years, I want to introduce the cool stuff that kids will engage with try new things. I also sponsor teachers from surrounding colleges for them to be teaching my class while they do their practicum. They have good stuff too.
@@RussiaIsARiddle778 Agreed! Sometimes online I see so much snark towards new teachers. Sometimes they have great stuff and do the best stuff because the have the energy and excitement to do it!
Yes that's what my mentor taught me day one !! "Go to the room of people that are leaving and steal their shits if they ask for it give them back if they dont they dont :v LMAO !!"
As a seasoned teacher hoarder I bought my own stuff my 1st year (hundys of cash out of my pocket)... Private school is not always going to reimburse. Michael's, Target & the Dollar (not dollar) Store rock! Lakeshore is where I WOULD like to live! Seriously, a cot somewhere in the place would be great.
Class jobs! Literally for anything and everything. The kids love to be in charge and have a task to do. I didn't have to turn the lights on or off or erase the board last year. Having someone to do all the little things means less of your time spent on them and more time that you can focus on teaching and planning. Also leave. Your to do list will never be done. Stop staying for hours unpaid just to be exhausted the next day. Prioritize yourself and your family and leave at contract time. Work during planning and don't just hang out.
I admire your generosity sharing this information with first year teachers. Please also remind new teachers to keep in mind they can have tremendous impact, positive and/or negative, on their students' lives.
Please make a part two! My advice is to be prepared for items in your class to get ruined. Don't use a clip chart as classroom management, it's shaming. Assign jobs so you can do less and have the nuggets do more. One such jobs needs to be librarian to organize your library. Have a system for checking out books/computers but also understand you likely won't get them back but you can try. Don't be afraid to switch it up. And also don't be afraid to check in with your class about what they feel needs to be switched up to make things work better. They have more ideas than you realize.
@saraz9017 I use class dojo and give points for answering a check in question. When those points can be redistributed so everyone gets one extra credit point I do that. I also have both attendance challenge and a substitute teacher challenging. Attendance challenge each of my classes are ranked 1st-5th (middle school, but you could do groups in elementary). At the end of the month the rewards are as follows: 1st: Donuts 2. Candy or sticker 3. Candy 4: nothing 5: nothing If 100% of them turn in an assignment on time they get 100% added to their average. If a single student is misbehaving I have a conversation with them but can mark them as "tardy" hurting their team. It is more communal. End of the semester: 1st: pizza party/free day 2nd: donuts 3rd: candy or sticker Sub challenge: I have the sub rank each class 1st-5th. 1st: Donuts 2nd: candy or sticker 3rd: candy 4th and 5th nothing.
As a first year full time teaching I appreciate all this! I’m going to middle school art in a new district after ten years in another district (k-6) . I really appreciated this!
Can this be a PD for the first day of school? I just retired last year and have been saying the same thing for decades! Please continue pushing out this content, the new teachers HAVE to hear it!
The part about other teachers at the school not being your real friends is so truuuuue! Was a teacher and holy moly the other teachers would be so sweet to your face and the throw you under the school bus so fast! As soon as I quit they all disappeared. Trust no one 😂
I’m an English teacher living abroad, going on my 6th year, mostly teaching lower elementary. Definitely had a laugh about the scissors and not wearing nice clothes. Here we have teaching assistants in the classroom, definitely first priority to be a good friend to them as well. For those teachers talking about burnout, always prioritize and don’t use planning time for chit chatting with your team. Go home on time!
I'm not a full-fledged teacher, but I have been a full-fledged secretary at a major university teaching hospital in the Midwest. After retirement I did some sub para educating in the elementary classrooms, including daughter's (she being the teacher) preschool room. You are spot-on regarding always to be nice to the secretary! Even pharmaceutical reps were told from day one in their training as well as med students/residents, to be nice to the secretary if you want to see the doctors! Also, my dad was a custodian in an elementary school building. It was a small school and all teachers were pretty nice to him and everyone respected the custodians as they do have to clean up a lot of bodily-fluid messes as well as food and art. Awesome tips/advice, Mr.D.!
Oh boy, no longer a teacher but LOVE you and had to listen to this. It’s so spot on and I need to now do some breathing exercises to let go of the PTSD 🤣 I was reminded of while listening! Wish I had this advice when I started all those moons ago. Joe! You are the BEST!
Yesss please make a part two...my niece is ready to begin her teaching career and I e been passing on your vids and advice to help her out. AND I have just lost almost a whole Saturday laughing while binging your channel..so disappointed that your show is sold out in Philly this weekend grrr ok I part 2 just started playing woooohooooo!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!
Joe I loved you as a young and amazing actor in the East Pointe Players production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. You commanded the stage and brought your character life. It was so much fun playing your mom, and it is so good to see what you have done with that incredible talent. You are a gifted teacher and comedian. Best of luck in all you do.
That was such a fun production! That was a dream role with such a short window of time to play it. This comment made my day :) Hope you're doing fantastic!
I love all this. We’ve had some new teachers come in last year that just thought they knew errrry thang and it was so annoying. However, that last bit of advice assumes we have friends outside of work to talk to! 🤣🤣 ha. Come on part 2!!
Part 2 please... I’m just finishing up my undergrad. Can you talk about how to be a helpful/non-burdensome student teacher? I don’t want to add any more work for my practicum advisors/mentors than I have to.
Observe and watch first. I was lucky and had a mentor that let me try so many things. She also was very hands off and was on her way out, so she liked that I taught and she could do her own personal things. No matter what, experience and take what you love and leave what you don't behind from it. You'll have your own space one day, and can try, mess up, be successful and create. If your mentor is not as collaborative as you hope, reach out to teachers who are...it's good practice as a mentee because it's what happens in the real world. Branch out and talk to others :) take your time to observe others at all different grade levels as well...and I highly recommend maybe subbing after your apprenticeship to test out some classroom management on the fly strategies. And first and foremost, your health and wellness matters the most over work. Enjoy!
As a first year teacher this fall, you. are hilarious! Wish I had you next door so you can continue telling me all the secrets. Thanks for the advice !!
Came across your video ooking for videos on male teachers as I am preapring to become one. You are so hilarious. Gonna binge your other videos. Best wishes!
Sock away some copy paper in your classroom for that time - and it WILL come - when the copy paper runs out. You will be able to make copies. Your welcome.
I'm a first year teacher and thankfully I haven't made any of these mistakes 😂😂😂 I don't think I'd have made any of them (except for the clothes 🙄) anyways because like I genuinely don't have money to even entertain the thought of buying stuff for my classroom and am self aware enough to know that im the smallest and most inexperienced fry there. So the one tip that's super useful for me is to not buy expensive and nice clothes and end up chasing the kids around lmao. So I recently thrifted a few nice pieces on a second hand platform and I'm so happy about my finds. Definitely will be thrifting most of my clothes because I'm so broke as a new teacher lol. AND SECOND PART PLS!
Thrift stores are literally amazing. I get 95% of my clothes there. Some of the bigger thrift stores even have sales on holiday weekends so it’s even cheaper than dirt.
One of my biggest questions for you is how do I keep myself from “burning out”? I’ve heard this happens to a lot of new teachers and would like to know some strategies on how to manage it. Also, do you have any advice for when the principal comes in the classroom for an observation? Loved the video btw!! Just what I needed.
Set a time to leave each day with the exception of meetings. Just be sure to ready for the next day and leave at your set time no matter what!!! Set those boundaries…it will save you in the end! I’m a second year third grade teacher and I learned quick lol
Work smarter, not harder. Grade some daily grades (not quizzes, tests, or projects) with a check system. ✔️+, ✔️, ✔️- (not just effort and completion, but do a quick check over for accuracy as well…just not a fine tooth comb). Rubrics are your friend for grading writing. It will save you SO MUCH TIME. Create one if you can’t find one. Work with your team, and ask for them to share with you. Save your creative ideas for year 2. Year 1 is hard, but every year you come up with new stuff. If it’s unnecessary and going to be time consuming, write it down, and save it for next year. Use timers during the day to help you transition so you don’t mismanage your teaching time. Triage. After school, what are the 3 things that must be done for tomorrow to run smoothly(Contact parents, make copies, build a PowerPoint, etc.)? Do those first. Answer emails. Then, do 1 thing more (grade papers, make copies for next week, plan ahead, etc.) and go home. You will work later on your first year, but don’t let it take over. Give yourself 2-3 days of the week to just put in the extra hours. Learn to use the copier and computer programs well, but DON’T let it be known that you know. Otherwise, you become the repairman and go-to person, and you don’t have time for that! Behavior or incidents - send the email or make the phone call before the kid goes home or gets off the bus. Make sure you let parents know what’s going on before they have to ask. Manage your parents as well as the children. Email them a cute photo of their child during the day, email them a quick note saying how much you’ve enjoyed their child with a compliment about the kid. Do this in the first two weeks of school for each kid. Then, when you have to tell something unpleasant, it’s not the first time hearing from you about their kid. Save everything. Lee digital files or notebooks or whatever, but make next year easier by keeping track of what you’ve done or created. Don’t reinvent it next year. To save from burnout, hear me out. Work while you’re at work. Put your phone away. On your planning period, work. Don’t scroll through Instagram like the teacher across the hall is doing. Don’t text a bunch of people. Don’t go chat it up with your team (unless you are all working). If you have duty free lunch, either take that time to bond with your coworkers or make a sandwich and take a couple of laps outside the building for some exercise (totally did this for years). Whatever you do, stop and eat and do something to refresh. It’s literally 15 minutes when it’s all said and done, and you need a spiritual and/or mental break.
@@amytarleton4334 you need to post this for all teachers to read!!! This is by far the best advice I have ever read!!! Every single thing you wrote is right on and will save teachers from drowning/burnout!!!❤️
I only agree like 80% on the part about more experienced people knowing more. The knowledge gained through experience is valuable, but experienced teachers can also be some of the most stubborn people out there and are proud of clinging to "the old way" to the detriment of the whole school, or even themselves. Lots of refusal to solve big problems because of small, solvable hang-ups. Like how we can't switch to a new online discipline referral system that automatically texts admins to come get kids because one older teacher likes the old paper referrals that come in duplicate and doesn't want to have to click the print button to get a copy for their personal file.
I'm not a teacher by any means but RUclips autoplay is going and I have covid and I found this video so interesting lol, so here's a comment for you for the algorithm
I am a brand new teacher and I feel like I don't know ANYTHING. We were told so often, "There's no way we can teach you everything so here's a brief overview of ONE reading assessment, practice on a plushie." My question is for the first day/week of school. What needs to be taught FIRST? How do I structure this? Also, we won't be in our new school building for the first week of school so teaching where stuff goes and all that is out of the question. Teaching 1st grade.
#1 Go to TeachersPayTeachers and find a "First 10 days of First Grade" packet. It will be worth the 10 bucks. #2 Get to know your school's Instructional Coach (Curriculum Coach) #3 Learn from your school's other teachers. My first year, another teacher handed me a copy of her Back to School parent manual and google slides for me to edit and personalize. I did not have to start from scratch. #4 You are on RUclips: search "Back to School: First Grade" #5 **Should have made this #1! Don't tell the parents that you are a brand new teacher and don't know anything. ;D
The first two weeks are getting to know the kids and setting up systems. With 1st grade you need strong systems in place. Just think about how you want crayons/scissors/glue etc. Passed out. Then teach them that system. Think about how you want them to come to carpet and then teach them that system. Think about how you want them to react when you're doing small groups or talking with another student one-on-one. Teach them that system and practice it. Think about how you want to handle conflicts/injury/students not knowing what we're doing and teach them that system. Discuss what is a let it go problem, a maybe later problem, and a teacher problem. Teach them ask two friends before you ask the teacher for instructions or something. Assign jobs. Practice practice practice.
I'm going into my first year in September, and my biggest question is how do you get over the nerves? I accepted, and I know I don't know everything, but those damn nerves are making me question everything I've ever thought. Any advice? Love your stuff by the way
I teach history and English and have been subbing a bit, still new though. But what helps me is ... well you will always know more about the material at hand than the kids, especially middle schoolers. If they poke holes in stuff or question you that means they probably read/listened to something about it and they are connecting it to the material, which is in itself a great feat and can become kind of part of your classroom! If I feel 100% sure I am in the right (maybe I looked this up specifically) I will assure them and just repeat the core message. If I am not sure I usually let them check it themselves then or later (depending on how vital it is to the topic. I can make mistakes too). That whole thing helped me tons, I am not a computer lol. However, this is of course what worked for that first school I taught at and I guess it's easy to turn it around on you. Works for me, though, because I have ADHD and these fast paced discussions are my soft spot and goal. The older teens were definitely happy to have that sort of independence and be taken seriously.
Only if you always want to worry about your appearance when you are just popping into Walgreens. Also have to be fake-nice to parents stopping you (literally) in front of Home Depot to talk about how their kids is doing in class.
My experience with purchases I made for my classroom was that we had to ask for approval in advance instead of expecting to be reimbursed... We have to use the school/district's procurement process and vendors so you may want to check on your school's policies first!
Nothing would’ve prepared me for many of the circumstances that happened in the classroom 😅! The only way through it is through it and like Joe said, we totally learn from each year that passes!
Just finished my undergrad and feel the opposite lol I know theory doesn’t apply to practice in the snap of a finger and I’m so worried that I’m expected to “know everything” since that what the entirety of the program was for 😭
Less than 2 minutes in and I’m fucking DYING. Thank you for this, all these cutesy videos on what to do/not do do to prepare make me feel like I’m too poor and not aesthetically pleasing enough to do this job 😂❤️
I am starting to wonder if the schooling for one's undergrad for this profession, is just to weed out folks. So much of what we are taught is not even practiced by our own instructors/professors. I wish more folks who are pursuing a teaching degree would legit work in a school first (Volunteer/para-educator).
Don't be in your room for planning time. Find a hideout in the building so you can be uninterrupted by admin, parents, kids needing to go home early, ect.
question: i start school for elementary education on march 1st. should i go for a dual licensure or just general education? right now i’m enrolled in only general education.
heavy on the secretary and thrift store clothes. i get so much free stuff from the office, they literally throw it at me. ANOTHER THING, play the victim if you meed something. cry for it and they will give it. lol
No. The district will supply curriculum for various subjects. Then, you discern which parts to teach/how/when. Usually, there is a Scope and Sequence, a guide for pacing throughout the school year. Also, the other teachers on your grade level team will probably want to coordinate, so you are all roughly on the same unit/chapter.
@@gretchenbloom2772 GB, as a non teacher (but was a student for a long damned time) I would think the harder instruction would be done early in the day, history, math, and spelling for example, and as the day wears on go to lighter and lighter subjects. Kids get hungry/hangry just before the lunch bell, and in the afternoons they often get tired, sleepy kids just are not going to learn about participles no matter how you dangle them. And you are going to have to spend extra time, or get help with kids that transfer in because the schools they went to before just did not teach the same things at the same level. I was from California and my mother took us to Nebraska. Then we got passed back and forth between Dad and Mom and as a result we were utterly lost, new math we had no idea how to deal with, phonics, different ways of pronunciation, our teachers were just too busy or blind to deal with a kid that probably should have had tutoring to get up to speed if not repeat a lower grade. It can mess up a person's whole life.
Yup as a teacher in my 19 th year.. newbie arrogance wont get you anywhere with me..:) clothing spot on… never ever wear white. Also your lesson plan will never ever go 100% as planned… ever..
![Joe Dombrowski - Don't Eat the Crayons [Full Special]](/img/1.gif)
Also, besides the school secretary, your best friend is the custodian. The custodian will get you that extra desk. The custodian will know if there is a stash of good chairs. Get to know and be kind to the custodian. Best secret asset there is.
...Take care of the roach problem in the women's room, clean your carpet when a student vomits, and get your PE balls off the roof for you.
Tech too!!! Be nice to the Tech too!! They may hook you if you accidentally broke 3 MacBooks in one school year
FACTS! Find out their favorite beverage/candy. Keep your classroom reasonably clean and you will have loyal friends for LIFE!
Yessss! Stopping by McD’s when it’s BOGO breakfast sandwich season and popping into their office with “Hey! Want a sausage McMuffin?” is why the custodian (who transferred to a new building three years ago) still helps me out with stuff. Oh, and always fess up to a paint-on-the-carpet type of incident before they discover it on their own.
I was gonna say the same thing! My two favorite people period are the secretary and custodian!
As that "old teacher" going on her 29th year, this is SPOT ON. Great work, and thanks for making me laugh with all your stuff!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! 29 year veteran here!!! THIS IS NOTHING BUT FACTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU BETTER TREAT THIS 10 mins LIKE IT IS YOUR BIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One great way to buddy-up with the secretary, custodians, cafeteria staff, or specials teachers is to remember them on holidays. When kids are bringing in teacher gifts, those people don’t get anything. Share your bounty or figure out a way to do something for them. Bake some cookies and give a thank you card. You’ll most likely be one of the few that do unfortunately. Don’t think this is popular anymore, but I used to spend about $1.50 on each at Christmas. I’d buy Redbox gift codes ($1 each at the time), print out a Merry Christmas tag to write the code on, and tie it to a bag of popcorn. They were so grateful, loved the gift, and it costs me nearly nothing. I could spend $50 and cover about 30 people (including principals, counselor, school nurse, colleagues, etc.) I even did that for my students a couple of years.
As a specials teacher… this is 💯
You are so correct. My first year I wanted to quit.I went on to teach for the next 32 years.
I wish I had been told to not trust anyone. That would have saved my career. Pretend everything is going well in class even when it sucks. This whole video is spot on.
Joe you are hilarious and so right about your advice. My ex-husband was a history/math teacher for nearly 30years at our local school. I can tell you yes I heard stories. He was a very good but stern teacher. Boy did he come home in some mood's and it just got worse the older he got. His motto....a sign on a pencil cutout read I quote ( JUST DO IT) . I miss that man already. I just came home from his funeral today. Yes there were a few students there today. He had made an impression on many in this community. He was 75. Thanks Joe for listening. Love love love your videos!
I taught for 6 years and you are spot on especially when it comes to not trusting the other teachers. Also, be kind to the custodial staff because they are the eyes abs the ears in that building.
I love your advice about making friends with others that work at the school, but don't trust them with any private stuff. So true. Great advice!
Starting at a new school this year even though I’m on year 7. Thanks for the reminders!! 🤩
Only thing I gotta say, if a new teacher wants to try out something they learned in undergrad LET THEM TRY. I hate watching veteran teachers laugh in the face of new teachers about the things they learned that they want to test out. My advice to new teachers is to not talk to vet teachers about the exciting creative things you want to try. Do it first and then talk about it later 😂
Some of the best activities I now use that come from new teachers who are recently using exciting new technology and even though I’ve been teaching over 20 years, I want to introduce the cool stuff that kids will engage with try new things. I also sponsor teachers from surrounding colleges for them to be teaching my class while they do their practicum. They have good stuff too.
@@RussiaIsARiddle778 Agreed! Sometimes online I see so much snark towards new teachers. Sometimes they have great stuff and do the best stuff because the have the energy and excitement to do it!
Love this! Have been teaching for 13 years and it is spot on! Do NOT piss off the secretary!
Don’t buy anything! There’s always a veteran teacher hoarder at every school. Ask and you will receive.
Yes that's what my mentor taught me day one !! "Go to the room of people that are leaving and steal their shits if they ask for it give them back if they dont they dont :v LMAO !!"
As a seasoned teacher hoarder I bought my own stuff my 1st year (hundys of cash out of my pocket)... Private school is not always going to reimburse. Michael's, Target & the Dollar (not dollar) Store rock! Lakeshore is where I WOULD like to live! Seriously, a cot somewhere in the place would be great.
You’re SPOT ON! 18 years in & I’m saying,”YES!” to all that you said! You have to add Part 2 - You ROCK!
25 year veteran here. Totally spot on Joe!
I have never seen anyone be so straightforward about these rules. New teachers, listen to this advice, it’s correct.
Class jobs! Literally for anything and everything. The kids love to be in charge and have a task to do. I didn't have to turn the lights on or off or erase the board last year. Having someone to do all the little things means less of your time spent on them and more time that you can focus on teaching and planning.
Also leave. Your to do list will never be done. Stop staying for hours unpaid just to be exhausted the next day. Prioritize yourself and your family and leave at contract time. Work during planning and don't just hang out.
I admire your generosity sharing this information with first year teachers.
Please also remind new teachers to keep in mind they can have tremendous impact, positive and/or negative, on their students' lives.
I am sharing this video with every student teacher I have from here on out. YES
Part two!!!!! I am not even a first year teacher and this left me raw! Good advice! More please!
Please make a part two!
My advice is to be prepared for items in your class to get ruined.
Don't use a clip chart as classroom management, it's shaming.
Assign jobs so you can do less and have the nuggets do more. One such jobs needs to be librarian to organize your library.
Have a system for checking out books/computers but also understand you likely won't get them back but you can try.
Don't be afraid to switch it up. And also don't be afraid to check in with your class about what they feel needs to be switched up to make things work better. They have more ideas than you realize.
What do you suggest instead of clip charts?
@saraz9017 I use class dojo and give points for answering a check in question. When those points can be redistributed so everyone gets one extra credit point I do that.
I also have both attendance challenge and a substitute teacher challenging. Attendance challenge each of my classes are ranked 1st-5th (middle school, but you could do groups in elementary). At the end of the month the rewards are as follows:
1st: Donuts
2. Candy or sticker
3. Candy
4: nothing
5: nothing
If 100% of them turn in an assignment on time they get 100% added to their average. If a single student is misbehaving I have a conversation with them but can mark them as "tardy" hurting their team. It is more communal.
End of the semester:
1st: pizza party/free day
2nd: donuts
3rd: candy or sticker
Sub challenge: I have the sub rank each class 1st-5th.
1st: Donuts
2nd: candy or sticker
3rd: candy
4th and 5th nothing.
Learned the hard way about the staff fridge. You know the sea monsters Beowulf supposedly fought? That tuna was a remnant of that battle, I swear it.
As a first year full time teaching I appreciate all this! I’m going to middle school art in a new district after ten years in another district (k-6) . I really appreciated this!
You are not new though
Can this be a PD for the first day of school? I just retired last year and have been saying the same thing for decades! Please continue pushing out this content, the new teachers HAVE to hear it!
PART 2 PART 2 PART 2!!!! I start my first year in 2 weeks, this was so helpful & I need alllllll the things they don’t tell you in undergrad!!!
Finally! Someone who is not sugarcoating the truth! #6 is the best advice honestly !
Thank you! I taught and quit this last year. Ya put it out there! Lol you had me making faces to myself like "yep!".
The part about other teachers at the school not being your real friends is so truuuuue! Was a teacher and holy moly the other teachers would be so sweet to your face and the throw you under the school bus so fast! As soon as I quit they all disappeared. Trust no one 😂
I’m an English teacher living abroad, going on my 6th year, mostly teaching lower elementary. Definitely had a laugh about the scissors and not wearing nice clothes. Here we have teaching assistants in the classroom, definitely first priority to be a good friend to them as well. For those teachers talking about burnout, always prioritize and don’t use planning time for chit chatting with your team. Go home on time!
I'm not a full-fledged teacher, but I have been a full-fledged secretary at a major university teaching hospital in the Midwest. After retirement I did some sub para educating in the elementary classrooms, including daughter's (she being the teacher) preschool room. You are spot-on regarding always to be nice to the secretary! Even pharmaceutical reps were told from day one in their training as well as med students/residents, to be nice to the secretary if you want to see the doctors! Also, my dad was a custodian in an elementary school building. It was a small school and all teachers were pretty nice to him and everyone respected the custodians as they do have to clean up a lot of bodily-fluid messes as well as food and art. Awesome tips/advice, Mr.D.!
Get a good lawyer because eventually, if you stick a long enough, you may need one!
This should be required viewing at all new teacher orientations and back to school PD! Brilliant!
Oh boy, no longer a teacher but LOVE you and had to listen to this. It’s so spot on and I need to now do some breathing exercises to let go of the PTSD 🤣 I was reminded of while listening! Wish I had this advice when I started all those moons ago. Joe! You are the BEST!
Yesss please make a part two...my niece is ready to begin her teaching career and I e been passing on your vids and advice to help her out. AND I have just lost almost a whole Saturday laughing while binging your channel..so disappointed that your show is sold out in Philly this weekend grrr ok I part 2 just started playing woooohooooo!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!
As someone who is retiring this year.....this is so spot on! I believe I've said almost all of these to the newbies!
You are the coolest! What great advice… even some advice for the none teachers out there. “Stop talking shit.” Great video man.
Joe I loved you as a young and amazing actor in the East Pointe Players production of Brighton Beach Memoirs. You commanded the stage and brought your character life. It was so much fun playing your mom, and it is so good to see what you have done with that incredible talent. You are a gifted teacher and comedian. Best of luck in all you do.
That was such a fun production! That was a dream role with such a short window of time to play it. This comment made my day :) Hope you're doing fantastic!
Not a teacher, but I still enjoyed this. Solid advice in there for most professionals.
Truth!!!!!!!!! Bring on part 2! I’m on year 13… that part about not talking shit…. Listen, people!
I love all this. We’ve had some new teachers come in last year that just thought they knew errrry thang and it was so annoying. However, that last bit of advice assumes we have friends outside of work to talk to! 🤣🤣 ha. Come on part 2!!
I love this! Everything you said…right on! I wished I had seen this 6 years ago.
Excellent advice! I’m going into my 12th year teaching, this is all dead on
Part 2 please... I’m just finishing up my undergrad. Can you talk about how to be a helpful/non-burdensome student teacher? I don’t want to add any more work for my practicum advisors/mentors than I have to.
I would really like to see this question answered too!
Observe and watch first. I was lucky and had a mentor that let me try so many things. She also was very hands off and was on her way out, so she liked that I taught and she could do her own personal things. No matter what, experience and take what you love and leave what you don't behind from it. You'll have your own space one day, and can try, mess up, be successful and create. If your mentor is not as collaborative as you hope, reach out to teachers who are...it's good practice as a mentee because it's what happens in the real world. Branch out and talk to others :) take your time to observe others at all different grade levels as well...and I highly recommend maybe subbing after your apprenticeship to test out some classroom management on the fly strategies. And first and foremost, your health and wellness matters the most over work. Enjoy!
😂😂 I love it!! Thank you!❤
All FACTS!!! This should be a required class for all new teachers before entering into the profession. 😂
As a first year teacher this fall, you. are hilarious! Wish I had you next door so you can continue telling me all the secrets. Thanks for the advice !!
This is great advice for anyone coming out of school into a new profession! Spot on! Thanks!
Came across your video ooking for videos on male teachers as I am preapring to become one. You are so hilarious. Gonna binge your other videos. Best wishes!
This was super helpful. Thank you!!
Sock away some copy paper in your classroom for that time - and it WILL come - when the copy paper runs out. You will be able to make copies. Your welcome.
100% correct on all things. Love this ❤️
I'm a first year teacher and thankfully I haven't made any of these mistakes 😂😂😂 I don't think I'd have made any of them (except for the clothes 🙄) anyways because like I genuinely don't have money to even entertain the thought of buying stuff for my classroom and am self aware enough to know that im the smallest and most inexperienced fry there. So the one tip that's super useful for me is to not buy expensive and nice clothes and end up chasing the kids around lmao. So I recently thrifted a few nice pieces on a second hand platform and I'm so happy about my finds. Definitely will be thrifting most of my clothes because I'm so broke as a new teacher lol. AND SECOND PART PLS!
Thrift stores are literally amazing. I get 95% of my clothes there. Some of the bigger thrift stores even have sales on holiday weekends so it’s even cheaper than dirt.
homie keeping it real
All are absolute truth 🙌🏼 Listen up, newbies!
One of my biggest questions for you is how do I keep myself from “burning out”? I’ve heard this happens to a lot of new teachers and would like to know some strategies on how to manage it. Also, do you have any advice for when the principal comes in the classroom for an observation? Loved the video btw!! Just what I needed.
Limit what you grade!
Set a time to leave each day with the exception of meetings. Just be sure to ready for the next day and leave at your set time no matter what!!! Set those boundaries…it will save you in the end! I’m a second year third grade teacher and I learned quick lol
Work smarter, not harder. Grade some daily grades (not quizzes, tests, or projects) with a check system. ✔️+, ✔️, ✔️- (not just effort and completion, but do a quick check over for accuracy as well…just not a fine tooth comb).
Rubrics are your friend for grading writing. It will save you SO MUCH TIME. Create one if you can’t find one.
Work with your team, and ask for them to share with you.
Save your creative ideas for year 2. Year 1 is hard, but every year you come up with new stuff. If it’s unnecessary and going to be time consuming, write it down, and save it for next year.
Use timers during the day to help you transition so you don’t mismanage your teaching time.
Triage. After school, what are the 3 things that must be done for tomorrow to run smoothly(Contact parents, make copies, build a PowerPoint, etc.)? Do those first. Answer emails. Then, do 1 thing more (grade papers, make copies for next week, plan ahead, etc.) and go home.
You will work later on your first year, but don’t let it take over. Give yourself 2-3 days of the week to just put in the extra hours.
Learn to use the copier and computer programs well, but DON’T let it be known that you know. Otherwise, you become the repairman and go-to person, and you don’t have time for that!
Behavior or incidents - send the email or make the phone call before the kid goes home or gets off the bus. Make sure you let parents know what’s going on before they have to ask.
Manage your parents as well as the children. Email them a cute photo of their child during the day, email them a quick note saying how much you’ve enjoyed their child with a compliment about the kid. Do this in the first two weeks of school for each kid. Then, when you have to tell something unpleasant, it’s not the first time hearing from you about their kid.
Save everything. Lee digital files or notebooks or whatever, but make next year easier by keeping track of what you’ve done or created. Don’t reinvent it next year.
To save from burnout, hear me out. Work while you’re at work. Put your phone away. On your planning period, work. Don’t scroll through Instagram like the teacher across the hall is doing. Don’t text a bunch of people. Don’t go chat it up with your team (unless you are all working).
If you have duty free lunch, either take that time to bond with your coworkers or make a sandwich and take a couple of laps outside the building for some exercise (totally did this for years). Whatever you do, stop and eat and do something to refresh. It’s literally 15 minutes when it’s all said and done, and you need a spiritual and/or mental break.
@@amytarleton4334 you need to post this for all teachers to read!!! This is by far the best advice I have ever read!!! Every single thing you wrote is right on and will save teachers from drowning/burnout!!!❤️
I only agree like 80% on the part about more experienced people knowing more. The knowledge gained through experience is valuable, but experienced teachers can also be some of the most stubborn people out there and are proud of clinging to "the old way" to the detriment of the whole school, or even themselves. Lots of refusal to solve big problems because of small, solvable hang-ups. Like how we can't switch to a new online discipline referral system that automatically texts admins to come get kids because one older teacher likes the old paper referrals that come in duplicate and doesn't want to have to click the print button to get a copy for their personal file.
I'm not a teacher by any means but RUclips autoplay is going and I have covid and I found this video so interesting lol, so here's a comment for you for the algorithm
I am a brand new teacher and I feel like I don't know ANYTHING. We were told so often, "There's no way we can teach you everything so here's a brief overview of ONE reading assessment, practice on a plushie."
My question is for the first day/week of school. What needs to be taught FIRST? How do I structure this? Also, we won't be in our new school building for the first week of school so teaching where stuff goes and all that is out of the question. Teaching 1st grade.
#1 Go to TeachersPayTeachers and find a "First 10 days of First Grade" packet. It will be worth the 10 bucks.
#2 Get to know your school's Instructional Coach (Curriculum Coach)
#3 Learn from your school's other teachers. My first year, another teacher handed me a copy of her Back to School parent manual and google slides for me to edit and personalize. I did not have to start from scratch.
#4 You are on RUclips: search "Back to School: First Grade"
#5 **Should have made this #1! Don't tell the parents that you are a brand new teacher and don't know anything. ;D
@@gretchenbloom2772 thank you so much for your advice! I'll start on there tips right away
Focus on procedures and building relationships. It will make your year go much more smoothly. Procedures first!
The first two weeks are getting to know the kids and setting up systems. With 1st grade you need strong systems in place. Just think about how you want crayons/scissors/glue etc. Passed out. Then teach them that system. Think about how you want them to come to carpet and then teach them that system. Think about how you want them to react when you're doing small groups or talking with another student one-on-one. Teach them that system and practice it. Think about how you want to handle conflicts/injury/students not knowing what we're doing and teach them that system. Discuss what is a let it go problem, a maybe later problem, and a teacher problem. Teach them ask two friends before you ask the teacher for instructions or something. Assign jobs. Practice practice practice.
@@frankeyithaka wow. I didn't even think about some of these. Thank you!
I'm going into my first year in September, and my biggest question is how do you get over the nerves? I accepted, and I know I don't know everything, but those damn nerves are making me question everything I've ever thought. Any advice? Love your stuff by the way
I teach history and English and have been subbing a bit, still new though. But what helps me is ... well you will always know more about the material at hand than the kids, especially middle schoolers. If they poke holes in stuff or question you that means they probably read/listened to something about it and they are connecting it to the material, which is in itself a great feat and can become kind of part of your classroom! If I feel 100% sure I am in the right (maybe I looked this up specifically) I will assure them and just repeat the core message. If I am not sure I usually let them check it themselves then or later (depending on how vital it is to the topic. I can make mistakes too). That whole thing helped me tons, I am not a computer lol.
However, this is of course what worked for that first school I taught at and I guess it's easy to turn it around on you. Works for me, though, because I have ADHD and these fast paced discussions are my soft spot and goal. The older teens were definitely happy to have that sort of independence and be taken seriously.
You have just saved me a lot of money, time, and stress. Amen!!
That last tip applies to any job. Keep your shit together at work- the gossip train isn't a train you wanna be on
PLEASE DON’T EVER LOSE YOUR PASSION, EXCITEMENT, AND GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR IN THIS LIFE!!!❤️❤️🙏🙏👍👍😊😊
The Stone Cold Steve Austin graphic hit me right in the nostalgics. 😅
I was told not to live in the same area as my school so I don't constantly run into students and parents. What do you think?
CORRECT! Do NOT!
Only if you always want to worry about your appearance when you are just popping into Walgreens. Also have to be fake-nice to parents stopping you (literally) in front of Home Depot to talk about how their kids is doing in class.
6:50 should have rinsed it immediately, lol.
Love the straight talk.
Excellent Tips!
Teaching student here! Do you save your receipts for scented flair pens and give those to the PTA too? Or is that just a little teacher indulgence?
Anything. Some schools even provide reimbursement for you. And groups like VEA have mini-grants for al kinds of things.
You will be given a budget so it’s up to you how you want to spend your money.
My experience with purchases I made for my classroom was that we had to ask for approval in advance instead of expecting to be reimbursed... We have to use the school/district's procurement process and vendors so you may want to check on your school's policies first!
This was hilarious and helpful thanks 😂
Nothing would’ve prepared me for many of the circumstances that happened in the classroom 😅! The only way through it is through it and like Joe said, we totally learn from each year that passes!
I’m soooo tired . How to stay planned ahead w/o taking work home?
I’m a teacher of 18 years and this is 👏 S👏 P 👏 O 👏 T 👏 O 👏 N!!!! Mr. D keeping it real! The first and last comments… OMG! Ding Ding Ding! 😆
Part 2 please!!!!
Some apartments give teacher discounts! My friend got one at hers!
Just finished my undergrad and feel the opposite lol I know theory doesn’t apply to practice in the snap of a finger and I’m so worried that I’m expected to “know everything” since that what the entirety of the program was for 😭
Immediately subbed.
Your videos are so entertaining lol. Thank you!
I love this video !!!! Everything is literally TRUE !!!!!! Especially point 6 !!
PLEASE make a part 2!
Yes to part 2!!!
Less than 2 minutes in and I’m fucking DYING. Thank you for this, all these cutesy videos on what to do/not do do to prepare make me feel like I’m too poor and not aesthetically pleasing enough to do this job 😂❤️
for real, in my first year, when i got my own class, i was like WTFFFFF
Year 12-all true. They say have a teacher friend but not sure that is even a good idea. Thoughts?
This is great advice for any job.
I am starting to wonder if the schooling for one's undergrad for this profession, is just to weed out folks. So much of what we are taught is not even practiced by our own instructors/professors. I wish more folks who are pursuing a teaching degree would legit work in a school first (Volunteer/para-educator).
Don't be in your room for planning time. Find a hideout in the building so you can be uninterrupted by admin, parents, kids needing to go home early, ect.
Well... #6 applies in any job in the WORLD!!! And I wholeheartedly agree!!!
Amen! Amen! Amen!
question: i start school for elementary education on march 1st. should i go for a dual licensure or just general education? right now i’m enrolled in only general education.
In what region are you located? In the USA, we have K-8 certification, and 9-12 certification, as well as subject-specific.
🗣FACTS
Speaking nothing but the truth. " Drink your water and mind your business!"
heavy on the secretary and thrift store clothes. i get so much free stuff from the office, they literally throw it at me. ANOTHER THING, play the victim if you meed something. cry for it and they will give it. lol
Are teachers expected to make 99.99% of their lesson plans/curriculum? I'm in undergrad about to start student teaching
No. The district will supply curriculum for various subjects. Then, you discern which parts to teach/how/when. Usually, there is a Scope and Sequence, a guide for pacing throughout the school year. Also, the other teachers on your grade level team will probably want to coordinate, so you are all roughly on the same unit/chapter.
Yes, of course. Unless you are in a huge district
@@kathyfritz9962 wow. I taught part time for two years and I had NO MAP.
@@JaneticsInk Feel that. As a brand new teacher, I was told to make curriculum maps for the two grade levels I taught. No mentor.
@@gretchenbloom2772 GB, as a non teacher (but was a student for a long damned time) I would think the harder instruction would be done early in the day, history, math, and spelling for example, and as the day wears on go to lighter and lighter subjects. Kids get hungry/hangry just before the lunch bell, and in the afternoons they often get tired, sleepy kids just are not going to learn about participles no matter how you dangle them. And you are going to have to spend extra time, or get help with kids that transfer in because the schools they went to before just did not teach the same things at the same level. I was from California and my mother took us to Nebraska. Then we got passed back and forth between Dad and Mom and as a result we were utterly lost, new math we had no idea how to deal with, phonics, different ways of pronunciation, our teachers were just too busy or blind to deal with a kid that probably should have had tutoring to get up to speed if not repeat a lower grade. It can mess up a person's whole life.
You’re wonderful.
You are! 🥰
AMEN!!!
M’y favorite advice 😅
Are there any rules around custodians?
Like the secretary, they are your best friend.
They are not your servant, so never ever treat them like one. The secretary and the custodian are the two most important people in your building.
@@hootiemcboobsalot Actually: The secretary, the custodian, and the librarian....very important!
Yes!
Yup as a teacher in my 19 th year.. newbie arrogance wont get you anywhere with me..:) clothing spot on… never ever wear white. Also your lesson plan will never ever go 100% as planned… ever..
Funny 😆
Hello, What age do you need to retire at US?