As humans we crave expectations, clarity, and common language. It feels good to go into a situation (especially a new situation) knowing what to expect and what is expected of you. People of all ages, from children to adults, feel more confident and capable when they know what to expect in different settings.

Consider being invited to a social gathering such as a dinner party. You might find yourself asking certain questions: “What is the dress attire?” “What kind of dish shall I bring?” “How many people will be in attendance?” Answers to these questions would allow you to be proactive with your behavior and appropriately organize for the upcoming event. Additionally, these answers would give you the confidence to walk through the door of the host’s house knowing that you will be socially, emotionally, and behaviorally appropriate to meet the expectations that have been established for the occasion.

It is critical to have clearly defined expectations in a school setting. Expectations allow a common language to exist and help to ensure appropriate behavior throughout the entire school-site. Students, teachers, administrators, parents, family members, and community members all want to know what is expected when they walk through the doors of a school building. They may not always express this desire, but it would be difficult to find someone who would not want to know what is to be expected. The nature of human behavior is to want to do what is expected in different settings in order to appropriately fit into the established social norm.

Here are a few suggestions I’ve learned over the years:

• Creating clearly defined expectations for the different settings of your school-site (i.e. bus, front office, hallway, cafeteria, gymnasium, classroom, playground, etc.) can help ensure comfort and security of those entering the building and can help create a safe and supportive learning environment for students.

• Do not assume that everyone already knows the expectations of a given setting. It is important to establish these expectations with all stakeholders and then teach the behaviors you want to see, just as we teach academics. The truth of the matter is no one wants to show up to a hundred-person black tie affair in ripped jeans and a t-shirt holding a six-layer taco dip that feeds four.

• Be proactive! Set the stage for this school year and help everyone in your building feel part of a positive school culture.

Would love to hear your ideas on setting expectations in the comments below!

One of the easiest ways to gauge a teacher’s effectiveness is by watching their students’ behavior. What tips and tricks do they use to keep students in line and attentive throughout the day? ClassDojo is a free online tool that allows teachers to organize classes and keep track of positive and negative behaviors of students. There is also an app available that allows teachers to follow behaviors throughout the day, regardless of where they are.

As an administrator I have seen ClassDojo used in a variety of ways. Rather than focus on the typical use as a behavioral management tool, I particularly enjoy classrooms that take ClassDojo to the next level. There are a variety of ways that ClassDojo can be used to help teachers manage their classrooms that doesn’t involve separating the “good” students from the “bad”.

One creative way to use ClassDojo is to edit the award titles to reflect concepts and skills taught in that particular classroom. This draws attention to different student learning objectives. “I mastered fractions” means more to a student than a teacher checking off a homework packet once a week. Obviously it would be time consuming to differentiate awards based on assignment, but concepts would be easy. Providing students with a visual where they can track their progress increases students’ awareness in a transparent way.

As a fourth grade teacher I would create a checklist for every assignment or project. Students would highlight or check off their name when they completed their work. ClassDojo can be thought of as an engaging, high tech version of the checklist. Teachers can create award titles through ClassDojo that teach students responsibility such as, “name on paper,” “correct heading,” “double checked work,” etc.

Lower grade teachers who have students rotate through stations could change their award titles to reflect each area and keep track of who has completed what. High school teachers could use ClassDojo to track novels, reports, or genius-hour projects.

Another amazing feature of ClassDojo is that parents can create accounts, giving them the ability to see how their student is doing in real time. In the world of IEPs and behavioral plans this is an easy way to keep parents involved with what is going on in the classroom. Parents will appreciate the ease of staying in the loop through reports as well as ClassDojo Messaging! The simplicity of this tool is a win-win!

Regardless of how you choose to use ClassDojo, get creative and make it work for your students!

When people find out I teach middle school I get the same reaction, “Wow, that’s a tough age!” It absolutely is. Middle schoolers tend to be highly energetic, socially awkward, and emotionally unpredictable — but that’s what I love about it. This “tough” age group is also quite malleable. By implementing the following behavior management strategies my “tough” middle schoolers have transformed into a group of students who successfully manage one another, with a little help from me.

In attempt to control the chaos, consistent routines and procedures must be in place: entering class, warm-up activity, organization of materials, handing out materials, clean-up procedure, closing activity, etc. Keep these routines consistent. When students know what they are expected to do, they begin to monitor each other. Instead of you managing the class, students will manage themselves.

We often hear educators talk about “wait time,” a powerful tool used to give students a moment to gather their thoughts after being called on. Teachers also need “wait time,” used after an attention grabber to give students a few seconds to quiet down before the teacher speaks. If your students don’t quiet down when you ask them to, don’t raise your voice, give wait time. If you are consistent students will start to “shush” each other because they want to hear what you have to say.

Middle schoolers crave compliments and are extremely competitive. Give them what they want! When students are on task, being respectful, helping each other, etc., students receive a positive ClassDojo point. However, when students are late to class, disrespectful, bullying, etc., they receive a negative ClassDojo point. The first 5 students in that particular class to receive 20 ClassDojo points are rewarded. This gives students the pat on the back they are looking for.

To reinforce the importance of teamwork I have a large “ClassDojo Points Board”. If you click on “reports” in the ClassDojo app you will see the percentage of positive points the class received that day. I teach four periods, each class receiving 0-100 points each day. At the end of two weeks, the class with the highest cumulative amount of points will receive a reward. Having periods compete with each other keeps them behaved as a group, craving bragging rights for being the winners of the “ClassDojo Points Board.”

Go ahead, let your middle schoolers manage themselves. You can then start to enjoy what makes teaching highly energetic, socially awkward, and emotionally unpredictable middle schoolers so much fun!

A middle school colleague and I recently were given the opportunity to present for our district’s summer tech class series. Of course we jumped at the chance to show the benefits of using ClassDojo. Generally when we present, we outline the basics and define new features. However, we realized that this presentation could move in a different direction. This class was held in a tech lab, allowing us to give our audience a more engaging, hands-on lesson. We planned on going over account setup, adding classes, and working with custom behaviors. We created a class list for teachers to use during the presentation. Needless to say, we were thrilled to be giving this presentation.

While planning, my colleague suggested we develop a class using our participants as the students. It was a brilliant way to model how we use ClassDojo in our classrooms, giving the attendees a student perspective on the product. This was a great opportunity for teachers to experience the excitement of seeing their avatar for the first time, or hearing the sing-song of receiving a positive point. We even purchased a couple of gift cards for the “student” who had the most points at the end of the class.

During the presentation, we secretly gave these “students” Dojo points as they asked questions or had insight on how ClassDojo could be used in their classrooms. When the time came to go live and show our attendees what we had been doing, their reaction was just what we had hoped. Just like our real students, they commented on each others avatars and how many points they had. This gave us an opportunity to discuss how their reactions were very similar to what they will find among their students. After our little experiment, we were able to show the teachers not only how useful ClassDojo can be in their classroom, but how exciting and positive it can be for their students.

We then gave them the freedom to explore ClassDojo. We walked among our participants to answer questions and give them one-on-one assistance. It was a wonderful to help them work with ClassDojo rather than just showing the app for a change.

In the end, this presentation was the best thing we could have done — we gave these teachers an authentic experience with ClassDojo. It reminded me that seeing is believing — but then again, doing is even better!

A few weeks ago I happened upon two articles that surprised me. The first was about how in some states absolutely no girls took the AP Computer Science exam. The second article was about how Lego was finally making female figurines for science sets.

As a counselor for high school students, I witness AP exams becoming the talk of the town during spring every year. Students gear up for finals, SATs and ACTs, and countless AP exams each May. I also get to know every student’s proposed major — computer science has risen to the top 3 in the past few years. In my own students, I definitely did not notice a difference in the interest of computer science between boys and girls.

Even though I already knew that fewer girls gravitate toward STEM fields overall, the particular piece of news that Wyoming, Montana, and Mississippi had no females taking the APCS exam in 2013 truly bothered me, especially because engineers and developers are in such high demand. If these are the most sought after jobs, how will girls contribute to shaping our world if we don’t encourage them along that path?

I did more digging. The most recent data I could find for APCS was for 2012 on the CollegeBoard website. The numbers I saw were even more astounding than I expected, and I shamefully dusted off my calculator that had been living at the bottom of my drawer. I never liked math – ironic, I know.

I saw that during 2012 in the US, only 4,893 girls took the APCS exam, as opposed to 21,210 boys. That means only 18.7% of the test-takers were girls. Was it simply that fewer girls took AP exams in general? The answer was a resounding no. In fact, over 1.1 million girls took AP exams that year versus 927,000 boys. The figures showed that an overwhelmingly larger number of girls took art, humanities, and foreign language AP exams than boys, with the exception of only a few tests.

APCS had the greatest disparity in how many girls versus boys took an AP exam. Even in 2013, only 18.5% of APCS test takers were girls despite the fact that the overall number of girls taking APCS exams had risen, according to Georgia Tech’s Institute for Computing Education website.

As a bittersweet follow-up to this information, I read that Lego had just announced the addition of female science figurines in the form of a chemist, paleontologist, and astronomer. What? I had no idea Lego had confined girls to the beach, kitchen, and mall all these years. It seemed anachronistic in this day and age of political correctness and girl power. Even Barbie had careers as a computer engineer, presidential candidate, and army officer, despite her more popular (and pink) roles. But at least Lego was taking steps, and I was glad for that.

Some of us, like myself, may have assumed that we were further ahead in encouraging girls toward STEM fields than we actually are, or that change will naturally occur in time. Or perhaps some of us are acutely aware of the disproportionate amount of female talent in science and already actively working towards change. Either way, the reality is that we have a lot of power in our hands as educators to encourage girls to become engineers and programmers. Being that the majority of educators are women, we must first recognize this truth so that we do not unknowingly perpetuate the cycle based on our own subconscious biases that have been implanted in us throughout our own lives. Once we become aware, then we can make choices to empower girls to pursue the subjects and careers they are told not to by society, so that they can take part and have a voice in the jobs that are shaping today’s technologically-directed world.

Sources:

http://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/archived/2012

http://home.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/556

http://home.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/321

Do you remember what it was like to be a “new” teacher? I do. I was lucky enough to have student taught for the campus I was hired on. The principal brought me my contract while I was in the cafeteria on lunch duty and I thought I was going to cry in front of all of those students — I was so excited!

Once I knew what subject I would be teaching, I started planning. I had to come up with every aspect and detail of my classroom. My classroom trajectory was a blank slate! How was I going to get kids to line up? Was I going to have classroom jobs? How would I hand out textbooks? Would I have a seating arrangement? I spent most of that summer thinking about my classroom — my home away from home. It was certainly an exciting two months. I had no experiences with uninvolved parents, so I designed elaborate newsletters that would share every detail of our classroom. From upcoming lesson plans to expectations at home, these newsletters were going to highlight the week’s happenings. There was even a section for a student-written piece each week.

I had no experience with unprepared students, so my plans were designed with the highest of expectations. Projects, collaboration, ideas galore…I had no concept of a district imposed testing schedule. Cross-curricular planning? You bet! We had science and math connections each week, with a student artifact as their summative assessment. My students were going to complete every assignment, on time, and perfectly… because I was going to teach content that thoroughly!

The novelty of being a “new” teacher is the absence of being jaded. You arrive with the best intentions and pie in the sky ideas since you have few past experiences to constrain or even ruin your ideas. You’re excited to have this job. You know and believe you will change lives.

I challenge you to start this new school year with that same mindset — the one that some may call naive. If you’re a veteran teacher, let go of the past. After all, every classroom is unique. Find that blank slate again, and be ready to change lives and conquer the world! How can you do that? Try to start with these classroom “refreshers”:

• Change the layout of your classroom. Do something totally different with your seating arrangement. Dump your teacher’s desk. Change your “power zone” of teaching.

• Start on a different foot. That first week folder? With those same “get to know you” activities you’ve been doing every year? Trash it! Do something new this year!

• Block it all out. This year, don’t listen to anyone’s opinions about your upcoming class. Every year is a brand new beginning for every student and every teacher. Start with the highest of expectations for each child. You are the defining factor in how your students behave in your classroom, and you have the opportunity to set the tone for the year — make it a positive one! Let your classroom be full of good choices, mistakes, do overs, and grace.

The reality of my first year, obviously, didn’t pan out quite the way I was thinking it would. But, I came back the second year, just as excited, and full of even more plans and ideals. No matter how veteran you are, I hope that you can become a brand new teacher again this year!

When entering a store, we typically know which door to enter through, where to make our purchase, and which door to exit through. When entering a restaurant, we typically know which door to enter, whom to ask for a table (or where to get one ourselves) where/how to place our order, where/how to pay, etc. If we cannot easily figure these answers out for ourselves, we know exactly who to ask to get the answer quickly.

Systems exist everywhere in our world. Some systems are more official, documented, and/or sustainable than others. For example, the fact that we all have to get a new sticker for our license plates each year, or that we can only park in that parking space between 12:00pm and 3:00pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays are official, documented, and mandated systems. Figuring out who sits next to whom in the teacher’s lounge during lunch or which lane to drive in on a four-lane highway are less official systems, not documented at all, yet still fall under the umbrella of being somewhat “understood” by the general population. Typically, when systems are put in place it makes processes, routines, and outcomes more effective and efficient.

Schools are no exception. There are many smooth-running systems that are currently in place in every school building. Where and when to turn in grades, where and when to enter attendance, where and when and with what materials to show up for Institute Days, PLCs, staff meetings, etc. These are established systems that help the adults in the building do their work of supporting youth more effectively and efficiently. These routines, calendars, documents, communication trees, policies, processes, etc. were created, established, and then taught/documented so that they could be sustained by other adults for years to come.

Consider a teacher’s classroom as well as the entire school at large. Do you/your school have effective systems in place? For everything? Chances are that some things are systematized and some things are more haphazard in nature. If you were to aggregate data surrounding these different systems (or lack-there-of) you would probably find that when effective systems are in place there are more positive outcomes than when systems are lacking.

In the next 2 months, consider establishing 1-2 systems around something in your classroom or building where a system does not already exist?

• Decide when you will make a positive contact home.

• Decide when you will send someone to the office or handle it within the classroom

• Decide how often your staff will acknowledge one another.

• Decide how often your staff will acknowledge students.

• Decide how often/when you will look at data in your classroom.

• Determine are roles and tasks documented? Could some of the work you do continue if you left your school building? Or is there a lot that you do to help the school function that is not documented- thus no one would be able to pick up and support the youth where you left off.

Remember when you were little and you were one of the last three standing in a heated game of “Simon Says”. It was down to the wire and you moved your hands to cover your ears while the other two stayed crouched down low touching their toes? That moment…”ahhhh” (slow, loud sigh of defeat). It feels so bad to be out of sync, not in line, off the beat with the rest of the group. Systems help adults (and ultimately our students and families) to feel better, to have expectations, to have common language, and to work efficiently and effectively. Everything we do in our work is made up of tiny little systems that come together to create the “powerful machine” that is our school. The more systematized we can make things, we will ultimately be helping to create a more effective, efficient, and positive school culture.

Where to Begin?

So you have your credential, or you will soon, and it’s time to start looking for a job. Where to begin can be unclear, especially if you are still in school and focused on finishing all of your assignments and projects.

Some teacher preparation programs are great at helping graduates find jobs, but most of us are left entirely to our own devices. If this is the case for you, don’t worry! If you are willing to pound the pavement a little bit, you should have no trouble finding a great position.

What’s Your Plan?

The first step to finding a job, is to decide what your ideal situation is. Of course, you will likely have to take a job that is not ideal, but it helps to have some idea of what you are looking for. Determine what your non-negotiables are, for example: Is there a particular age range you will not teach? Do you find sixth graders big and scary? Does the sound of a child crying make your skin crawl?

Don’t limit yourself too much, but you will almost certainly be asked which age range you prefer. It is good to be flexible, but having a range in mind will help you find the best fit. Other things to consider: proximity to your home, resources available, cohesiveness of the staff, parent involvement (this is huge, as too much involvement can be very stressful, and not enough can lead to difficulty getting support for kids at home). These are all things you should be able to determine by doing a little research on a school, but you can always ask during your interview.

Get Ready to Apply for Jobs

Before you even begin putting together a resume, make sure to get all of the recommendation letters you can before you finish your program — it is best to ask while you are fresh in everyone’s minds! Also, some people prefer you to draft a letter yourself, and allow them to edit it. Do whatever you can to make it easier for them (and bring them a cup of coffee, or buy them lunch when they deliver!).

Try to ask professors or supervisors you’ve had a close relationship with. It can be awkward if the person you are asking knows nothing about you. Also, you will very likely be asked about your teaching philosophy. This isn’t something you should make up on the fly. Write a one page statement (or better yet, create a multimedia presentation highlighting your work) and include it with your resume. Try not to use too much jargon, and include real examples of what you’ve done (or plan to do) with your students. If you want to get really fancy, create a different statement of philosophy for different schools/districts that aligns with what they are looking for.

Creating a Resume

So, you might be wondering, “How am I supposed to write a resume with no work experience?” Well, not only is it possible, it is expected. You are in the same boat with all the other new teachers out there, you have to start somewhere!

Writing resumes is an art, and writing a bad one can land you in the reject pile very quickly. Writing a great one, however, can bump you to the top of the pile, even if you have the same amount of experience as all of the other applicants. So, I am obligated to state the obvious here: make sure there are no mistakes! You are a teacher! If English is not your first language, make sure to have several (at least 5) native speakers edit your work.

Next, list specific things you have done, or are able to do. Make sure there is a verb in each of your bullet points. I have looked at hundreds of new teacher resumes and a mistake I often see is applicants listing things (like assessments, or curriculums) without explaining how they used them.Your bullet points should be actions!

Also, keep it to one page. If you are a new teacher, there is no reason for your resume to go on longer. I see a lot of badly formatted resumes, even though you are not being judged on your design skills, it does affect the first impression you are making. I suggest using a program that does the formatting for you. I like cvmkr.com, it’s super easy to use and your file will look very professional.

Get Out There!

Now that you have your applications ready to go, get ready to pound some pavement! You may be sending out resumes to several schools and districts (at least I hope you are!), but the application process does not stop there. You should always follow up, either with a phone call, or a friendly email. If you are applying to a big district, make sure you contact individual schools, even if it is not required.

It is easy to get lost in the shuffle, and you need to make yourself as visible as possible. Anything you can do to get a Principal to give your resume a second look is worth the effort!

This is Part 1 of a three-part series on “Finding a Teaching Job.” Continue reading Part 2 now!

Why do I need a portfolio?

Most schools and districts do not require you to submit a teaching portfolio, but if you want to stand out, it’s best if you have something to showcase your skills. Your portfolio should give potential employers and outline of your teaching philosophy, as well as examples of lessons you’ve taught. Ideally, you’ll use tangible examples like pictures and videos (with parental permission of course) to show yourself and your students in action.

How do I make a portfolio?

There are a number of free portfolio sites out there, but I like to keep things simple, so I recommend Google Sites, or Prezi. The great thing about Prezi is you can create a nice visual highlighting your philosophy of teaching, and easily embed photos and videos. Here is a Prezi I created (which helped me land my current job!). Another reason I like Prezi is that you can create multiple versions, depending on what the school you are applying to is looking for. Just as in teaching, it is always best to differentiate.

Document, update, stay relevant

Your teaching portfolio should be a living document, always evolving as you grow as an educator. In order to keep it fresh, you should be constantly documenting student learning experiences, even if you are happy in your position. Documenting your work is not only important for being a reflective educator, it keeps you on top of your game. You are not likely to photograph or film your students doing boring worksheets, and if you’re thinking about portfolio opportunities, you’re much less likely to assign these boring tasks. You never know when opportunity will come knocking, so update your philosophy and portfolio often!

This post is Part 2 of a three-part series by Emily Dahm. Read Part 1, or continue on to Part 3.

What to Expect

If you have passed the initial screening process and have been offered an interview, congratulations! Interviewing for a teaching job is not all that different than interviewing for any other job, but there are a few things you should expect.

1. You will likely be interviewed by a panel of administrators, teachers, and parents. The administrator will likely make the final decision, but the other panel members may have quite a bit of influence, so try to engage everyone!

2. You may be asked to come back for a demo lesson. This is pretty standard, so make sure to have your calendar ready in case you need to schedule on the spot.

3. You will be asked about your teaching philosophy everywhere you go. Make sure you know what you will say, and that you can back it up with examples.

Be Prepared

It is not difficult to anticipate the kinds of questions you will be asked. I found this site by doing a simple Google search, I’ve been asked all of these questions before. I don’t recommend memorizing everything you will say or giving canned answers, but having some idea of how you will respond to the “why did you become a teacher?” question will prevent you from saying, “because I love children” (which may be true but it’s a totally lame answer!). Instead of scripting your answers, think of some examples of your best work. If you say you love project based learning, you better be prepared with an anecdote about how you’ve used it. If you claim to use assessment to inform instruction, make sure you can demonstrate how.

Ask Questions

The Q & A portion of the interview is your chance to determine if the school is a good fit for you, but it’s also your chance to share any valuable tidbits of information about yourself that may not have surfaced yet. If you really wanted to talk about how much of a leadership role you played in a previous position, ask, “are teachers given the opportunity to fill leadership roles?” This opens up a dialogue about the topic and you have the opportunity to explain why this interests you. Avoid questions that don’t add value to your interview, don’t ask about parking, or other logistical things.

Follow Up

I’ve often been advised to send thank you cards to everyone on an interview panel. While I have done this out of superstition, having been on the receiving end of these cards, it doesn’t make a whole heck of a lot of difference. I’ve never based any decision on post-interview correspondence, but it certainly can’t hurt. When I say follow up, I mean send your interviewer a quick thank you email. Tell them you appreciate their time and consideration, include a link to your portfolio, then sit back and wait. If it seems to take a while, you can send another follow up email, but keep it very short, and don’t be pushy! You want to seem interested, but not overbearing. I received an email from an applicant last week detailing all the reasons I should interview her. She emailed me several more times, each time with more urgency, demanding my attention. Needless to say, she did not advance to the interview stage. It is possible to be overzealous.

Hopefully all of your hard work, and patient waiting will pay off and you’ll get an offer! Teaching jobs are unique in that there is often no room for negotiation, you are placed on a salary schedule, so you can accept your offer right away without haggling, and start teaching!

This post is Part 3 of a three-part series by Emily Dahm. Read Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.