Don't Believe the Hype!!!

One piece of advice I would tell a new CTAE teacher is don't believe everything that you hear about teaching. One thing that honestly disgusts me is when experienced teachers (Teaching 5 more) say things like, "Don't smile before Christmas or whenever (As said as the example)......WHY??? Smiling is my personality and I smiled from my very first day of teaching until my most recent day of teaching, and I have had no major problems in terms of discipline. Definitely I would say to a new teacher, let your personality reign and adjust accordingly. Those same teachers who I've encountered who say, "Don't smile or don't take your job too seriously," have other life issues, so don't let them rain on your parade!!! Be happy, students love to see happy teachers! I know I did when I was a student, so just return the happiness to them. Another piece of advice that I am still working on is being organized. That is still something I am constantly working on and I've gotten better with it with different methods. The one thing that you don't want to do give too many assignments that back you up grading wise. I make it a point tell new teachers to pace yourself, with assignments and grading because eventually, you will have to grade them papers. The last thing I would tell a new CTAE teacher is to relate every assignment to your job experience. I know students in this generation want to know why they are doing something. The more you show that that whatever assignment they are doing relates to real world CTAE experience, the more enjoyable the activity will become. I can't tell you how much this little tip does for me as well as the students. Remember, students want credibility and they want to know whatever they are doing is worth their time and will help them. Remember, being a new teacher is trial and error and a new teacher is not going to get everything perfect during their first year. That's why I say you can't always listen to some experienced teachers because a lot don't like their job and they always see the glass as half-empty. Be yourself, be organized, and laugh with your students SOMETIMES, it takes the pressure off and you will love your job even more.