Kansas State University

Lori Goodson, Editor
Mary Hammel, Technical Editor

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What is one thing your professors want to remind you during your first year of teaching? Drs. Martinie, Vontz, Sherbert, and Payne offer words of advice:

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math) – Never say anything a kid can say!

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Social Studies) –

• Take your job seriously, but do not take yourself too seriously.
  (Translation: Laugh at your mistakes.)
• Find the good in every student.
• Celebrate small victories.
• Try to make what is common and familiar interesting and extraordinary.
• Grit is more important than intelligence.
• Become a geek about students and learning.

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism) – Remember, we have to be what we want them to be. If we want them to be readers and writers, then we must be readers and writers and we need to share our reading and writing lives with them.

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) – Be visible all of the time during the school day. Let the students see that you care and have a vested interest in their success in your classroom as well as school.

We asked some of your Curriculum and Instruction professors what five items new teachers need the most in their desk drawer. Here are some of their responses:

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies) – Gum, notecards, a great pen, a flash drive, and a picture of your spouse or significant other to look at when times are rough.

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math) – Crackers for hungry kids.

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Social Studies) –

1. Coffee cup
2. Kleenex
3. Laptop
4. Grading folder
5. Parent contact info

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism) –

1. Band-aids
2. An extra flash drive
3. Colorful pens
4. Encouraging notes you’ve received from students and parents
5. Tic Tacs

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) – White-out, calculator, pencils, pens, audio recorder.

It’s December, and your end-of-semester grades are due soon – possibly as early as next week!

This is the time when your stack of papers to be graded seems to grow every day. For some of you, it’s a little more complicated because you’re not only finalizing second-quarter grades, but also first-semester scores. And, adding to the stress is that you’re wanting all of this done so you can enjoy break, as well! (Yes, I’m totally speaking from experience on this one!)

Here are some ideas to help you get through this hectic time and get your break started right on schedule…and with a smile.

1. Have you stayed organized? Sort of organized? If you haven’t been as organized as you’d like, there are still steps you can take today to get back on track. Organize all of your papers that need to be graded two ways; for secondary students, clip them together by each class, and then group them by course. That allows you to grade a specific assignment for all of your students at one time. Ex: If you have a math quiz over multiplication of fractions, you can grade first hour’s quizzes, then move on to the next hour’s quizzes over the same material. This lets you get “in the zone” for grading that specific assignment.
2. Enter your grades into the computer in a timely fashion – as you complete the specific assignments per class, instead of trying to enter grades for a mixture of assignments at once. That gets too confusing and takes too much time.
3. Be sure to put graded assignments that have been entered into the gradebook in to a “To Be Returned” folder, so you can see some progress.
4. Make sure your computer gradebook is up to date. If you have some upcoming assignments in the next few days, set those up ahead of time in your gradebook –so, when the time comes, you can just enter the grades.
5. Look for any missing assignments or other issues in your gradebook. Use these next few days to troubleshoot. It’s always better to do that before final grades are sent home to parents and guardians. It can save you some uncomfortable telephone calls and emails.
6. Always save your grades. Have a back-up version (paper printouts, saving the files in another location, etc. If you’re unsure what will help most, check with a colleague. You’re absolutely right – you probably never will need the backups; just consider it free insurance for your grades.
7. Remind your students that they need to meet their deadlines for assignments because you have deadlines, as well!
8. Understand that you still may have an error or two with your grades. (Yes, more personal experience!) Always be willing to listen to a complaint or concern that parents/guardians/students may have. Make yourself approachable regarding these issues; often, they just need an explanation.
9. Don’t overdo assessments in too short of a time span. Do yourself and your students a favor by not overloading the last few classes of the semester with assessments, unless they’re absolutely necessary. If you give them too many in a limited time frame, you’re not going to get a true reflection of what they know. They’ll be too stressed for it to be an accurate measure of learning, especially if several other teachers are assessing at that time, as well. Plus, you’ll be overwhelmed with last-minute grading.
10. Be consistent – in what you assess and how you assess it – with each student.  Being fair and reasonable will go a long way in getting your students and their parents and guardians – and your administration – to support you.

During your winter break, don’t forget to enjoy a few K-State events!
Here are a few purple items to add to your calendar:

• Women’s basketball vs. Grambling State, 1 p.m. Dec. 20 at Bramlage
• Men’s basketball vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m. Dec. 20 at Sprint Center, KC
• Women’s basketball vs. Abilene Christian, 7 p.m. Dec. 22 at Bramlage
• Men’s basketball vs. Texas Southern, 2 p.m. Dec. 28 at Bramlage
• Women’s basketball vs. Samford, 7 p.m. Dec. 30 at Bramlage
• Men’s basketball vs. Georgia, 3 p.m. Dec. 31 at Bramlage
• Alamo Bowl, K-State vs. UCLA, 5:45 p.m. Jan. 2 in San Antonio, TX

Do you have a question about classroom procedures? Or a suggestion for a topic we should address in Before the Bell? Want to add your name to our mailing list? Or provide a different email for our mailing list? Or, if you’re in your first year of teaching, send us a photo of you at work in your classroom! We’d love to hear from you, so please email us at lagoodson@k-state.edu.

Go, COE Cats!

Before you walk out your classroom door for a well-deserved winter break, spend a few extra minutes preparing for the new semester that will be here sooner than you think. By taking care of some of these before break, it’ll be a much more welcoming room when you return.

• After the students are gone from the building, tidy your room. (I know – I sound like a parent, don’t I?) Collect stray papers and materials. Get your students’ texts and other resources neatly stacked under their desks on on a book shelf or wherever is appropriate.
• Now clean up your desk. File any extra papers. Make your work area as uncluttered as possible.
• Now – pull out a few resources you’ll need to start the next semester (textbooks, handouts, etc.).
• Make a list of tasks to do once you return from break – no matter how minute they may seem, so you’ll be more prepared when you return.
• Want to try a different room arrangement? Need to streamline the students’ path to some materials? Now is a good time to experiment.
• Take a few minutes to write a brief note or two or verbally thank some people for their support during your first semester. A librarian who signed you up for the computer lab when you forgot? A custodian who cleaned up that spilled coffee for you without even grumbling? An office person who chose not to scold you when you messed up your third purchase order form? Be sure to let them know you appreciate their help.
• Before you close that classroom door and lock up for several days, take one more glance around your room. You’ve made it through your first semester, and the second semester will be much easier. Sure, you’ve made a few mistakes, but while you may not know it now, you’ve also made a difference in your students’ lives. It’s a good start to a great journey!

You’re nearly halfway through your first year of teaching! Next month, we’ll get you ready for your second semester! Be sure to read next month’s newsletter for:

• Winter school issues
• Snow days!
• Books to inspire you!