Kansas State University

Lori Goodson, Editor
Mary Hammel, Technical Editor

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A festive Dalton Maples recently celebrated wrapping up his first semester of teaching. Dalton is teaching sixth-grade social studies at Spring Hill Middle School.

“I love it,” he said. “There are hard days, for sure, but overall I leave each day feeling so happy about the career I chose. My favorite things are just all the relationships I’ve built, both with students and my fellow teachers.”

He even shared a poem he wrote about being a first-year teacher–and we’re passing it along for a little first-year inspiration. Check it out:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Mr. Maples the name
First year teaching is the game

Ready to instruct and be a light
Yet students only care about asking about my height…
Pumped to teach about Egyptian afterlife
Yet students only seem to worry about my lack of wife…

Lesson planning about Ancient Greece and how they used the high court
Yet students “joke” about telling me that I’m short…

Coaching football and how to defend
Yet the students ask why I don’t have a girlfriend…
Realizing that Friday nights usually involve alcohol
God, why are the 8th graders so tall

Mr. Syrup/Mr. Canada are names they call me to be funny
Yet students roast me because I have no honey
Mr. Maples the name
Wouldn’t trade any moment of it is the game

– Dalton Maples

Snow days bring their share of questions and hassles, as students and adults alike are asking: Will school let out early because of the snow? Will we have school tomorrow? And, for you, the teacher, just how do you adjust your amazing lesson plans?

Keep these things in mind as you experience your first snow days:

• Be ready for interruptions. You may have more tardies and absences, since students may not be able to get to school on time. Understand that that is a possibility and know that you’ll probably need to help tardy students get back on track with the rest of the class.
• Get your students reengaged! Here’s an article sith some tips on how to accomplish that: Strategies
• BE FLEXIBLE! Your daily calendar and lesson plans can fall victim to the weather. Remember that it’s truly no one’s fault (unless you want to blame yourself for not taking that teaching job in Hawaii). The calmer you deal with these changes, the calmer your students will respond, as well.
• Expect your students to be more excited and bubbly–as they wait to hear an early release announcement or as they come back to school after a snow day and want to discuss what they did on their day off. If it’s a real problem, alter your activities to include more desk work, which should keep your students a little calmer.
• Take advantage of the season, if possible. If your students are excited about the snow, try to alter your assignments to make the most of it. For English class, can you work in some winter poetry? Or snow images for art? How can you work in a brief study of weather in one of your classes? Check out this website: Snow Day Resources
• Have “extra” but meaningful assignments prepared to keep students focused. If they’re bubbling because of the weather, don’t be surprised if they fly through the regular activities and you need to supplement. Down time and snow days aren’t a good combination!
• Take a few minutes to simply enjoy the fun spirit that a new snowfall can create! You have a front-row ticket to possibly the best place there is to experience the world: Your classroom.
• If and when you DO get a snow day, enjoy! Cozy up to a hot chocolate, a good book, or some binge-worthy TV time. Don’t let your students have ALL the fun.
• And, finally, if you’re hoping for a snow day, don’t post that wish on social media. Parents want teachers to be excited about having their kids in the classroom–not looking for a way to escape! Snow days, like most things, will happen when they happen.

Name: Sally Sweeney

Position: Recruiter for Camp War Eagle Summer Camp

City/State: Rogers, AR

Class/content area taught:
Training and explaining counselors’ roles and offering feedback, support, and encouragement

What you are most excited about with your new career:
I get excited about seeing my strengths utilized in unique ways in this role; every one of my top five StrengthsQuest strengths resides in the “Relationship Building” category, so in a role in which I am required to create and deepen relationships with counselors and campers, I am able to fulfill my job while utilizing some of my strengths, and that feels incredibly life-giving. In my Summer role, I love getting to teach and train counselors how to effectively do their job while communicating love to their campers as well as teaching campers how to try new things while relationship-building.

What you enjoy most about teaching:
I love working as a recruiter because it combines passions of mine with strengths of mine! I absolutely love interviewing college students for the position of camp counselor. I love to listen to, encourage, and teach others, and I am able to do that in this role. I love that, as an Elementary Education graduate, I am able to relate to them my experiences as a camp counselor and connect the growth I found in the classroom as well as encourage them to seek growth for themselves outside the classroom. I enjoy seeing others’ potentials and getting to develop them to the best of my ability- just like a teacher in his or her classroom!

Ways KSU especially helped prepare you for your new career:
My teaching journey began after I first worked at camp, so I related much of what I learned in classes to what I had seen at camp, and vice versa. KSU Education classes greatly prepared me for my current role in training me how to facilitate groups of people, providing me with management strategies, and training me how to effectively communicate material to varying ages in varying ways. Organizing many moving parts and prioritizing tasks while working with others are also skills I gained in the College of Ed that I use now!

Specifics about your background that make this position the perfect
fit for you:
I love empowering others to see and seek their potentials. This specific role feels like a perfect fit for me because I am able to do this by interviewing, hiring, and training new counselors. In this way, I am able to combine my passion of empowering others to grow with my strengths of empathizing and developing!

Suggestions/encouragement for new teachers:
I would like to encourage new teachers that there are plenty of teaching jobs available that include but also exceed the classroom teacher! I very well may do that one day, but for now I am very thankful for a job in which those teaching skills are utilized while taking part in something very unique such as a summer camp! Because teaching skills are useful in any setting, I value Education as being one of the most versatile and valuable degrees one can pursue! Keep it up!!

Other thoughts?
“Be fearless in pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”
– Jennifer Lee

Here are some books and other resources some of your former professors offer as ways to inspire you in your new career of teaching:

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies)—

1. First Days of School by Harry Wong and Rosemary Wong
2. Meet Me in the Middle by Rick Wormeli
3. Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by Ceri B. Dean, Elizabeth Ross Hubbell, Howard Pitler, and BJ Stone.

Dr. Todd Goodson (Secondary English, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“Let’s try three great school movies:

1. Dead Poets Society (1989)
2. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1996), and
3. Stand and Deliver (1988)
4. For extra credit, try Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939).
5. For comic relief at the end of the school year, try Teachers (1984).

Dr. Lori Levin (Literacy)—

1. “Bookmark the ALA website and keep current on the latest award winners – http://www.ala.org/alsc/2017-alsc-book-media-award-winners
2. Visit NEA for a list of must reads for new teachers: http://www.nea.org/home/34033.htm
3. Great Websites for Kids from the American Library Association – http://gws.ala.org/

Ms. Cyndi Kuhn (Technology)—

1. Teach like a Pirate by David Burgess
2. Ditch that Textbook by Matt Miller
3. Good to Great by Jim Collins

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math)—

1. The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer
2. Teaching with Love and Logic by Jim Fay and David Funk
3. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Social Studies)—

1. Socrative
2. Padlet
3. Core Teaching Skills by Vontz and Goodson

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

1. Kittle, P. (2013). Book love: Developing depth, stamina, and passion in adolescent readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
2. National Writing Project & Nagin, C. (2006). Because writing matters: Improving student writing in our schools. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass.
3. Graves, D. (2006). A sea of faces: The importance of knowing your students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
4. Ripple Maker by Davis Laughlin
5. In Defense of Read-Aloud: Sustaining Best Practice by Steven Layne

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) —

1. First Days of School by Harry Wong or Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones
2. The Journey from Music Student to Teacher by Michael Raiber and David Teachout
3. Alternative Approaches to Music Education by Ann Clements

In case you haven’t made the connections yet, two of your new best friends should be a custodian and an office assistant. Rumor has it those individuals can save you a mountain of trouble by helping you figure things out in your new school. With bad weather moving in, all sorts of spring activities that will be bubbling up, and other happenings, they can provide advice to help you manage all of these things.

Rumor has it a custodian once saved a new teacher when she found out her room was going to be used for a music festival. The custodian not only gave the teacher a heads up about it, but walked to her room and helped her arrange her room to avoid any issues with equipment, etc. Not naming names here, but I truly appreciated it!

Often they’ve been in the building for some time and know the system, so use…and appreciate…those resources.

What’s up?

Why don’t you send us a photo of you at work in your classroom! Or, do you have a question about classroom procedures? 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 list? At the very least, just email and say hi!

And thanks to all of those who have emailed! We love the updates!

Early-career teachers, feel free to jump in and offer suggestions to those who are following your career choice!

We’d love to hear from you, so please email us at lagoodson@k-state.edu.

Go, COE Cats!

As you move through the school year, don’t miss a thing! Be a part of EdCATS!

We want to help beginning and early career teachers like you thrive in your career! Check out #WeAreEdCats for teaching tips and to stay in touch with the COE! Check out the website at coe.k-state.edu/forever-edcats.

It’s official! Winter has arrived and will be sticking around for several more weeks!

I’m writing this as ice is forming on my bird feeder outside my house and the list of school closings is growing…so the timing must be just right!

Here are a few suggestions to keep you warm, happy, and teaching through the winter months:

• It’s cold and flu season, so watch out for those germs! Use disinfectants on door knobs, often-used items around the room, and anti-bacterial lotion for your hands. Keep boxes of facial tissues on hand, as students will go through them quickly. (It might be a good time to request a few boxes from parents.)
• Messy weather also brings messy items into your classroom. You’ll have snow and slush tracked in, so be ready for spur-of-the-moment clean ups. Throw a few old towels and a roll of paper towels into your storage closet.
• Cold weather also means more winter coats, hats, mittens, and other gear to keep track of and store through the day, so develop a system that allows easy access for recess or at the end of the day, yet keeps them out of your day during class time. (Need some ideas on that? Check with your hallway neighbor to see what he or she does.)
• Allow extra time for bundling up younger students! Parents and guardians will appreciate that you spent that extra time making sure their children were protected as they head to a school bus or walk home. (For older students, just remind them to WEAR their coats outside.)
• For your own well being, be sure to layer your clothing, since schools often can shift from too cold to too warm on a day-to-day basis. Store an extra sweater or jacket in a closet just in case.
• Allow yourself extra time to get to your school. Sacrificing a few extra minutes of a morning can save you time by helping you avoid a fender-bender…and a visit with the police…and a visit with your insurance agent…well, you get the idea.

Once you get your winter system in place, you can fine-tune it and slush through whatever winter has to offer!

Look at the calendar! You’re shifting into second semester and life is good, right? Well, just in case you need a little cheering on–and maybe a smile or two, we’re going to provide the following stories in our next issue:

• Assessments—how you AND your students can succeed!
• Silly first-year teacher mistakes your professors made.
• Ideas for collaboration with other secondary teachers.