How First-Year Teachers Can Build Resilience

2023-09-04From : 管理员Click : 359

·Build Resilience·

We understand that being a first year teacher can be overwhelming, so we would like to share some suggestions offered by Tyler Hester, an educator, for first-year teachers on how to counter the feelings of self-doubt, isolation, and being overwhelmed.

Use positive psychology: While this field has been around since the late '90s, it has yet to be incorporated effectively into the education sector as a basis for professional development with adults, Hester says. “[Teachers need] better and more holistic support and to be treated with dignity. We need to do a much better job of tackling these social-emotional challenges, and we need to do a better job of leveraging the science that’s out there.”

Develop a growth mindset

Psychologist Carol Dweck’s work on developing a growth mindset can be beneficial for adults, not just for students — acknowledge imperfections, see mistakes as learning opportunities, and value learning and process over immediate approval.

Practice mindfulness

When teachers are calm and collected, it has a positive impact on students, but teachers rarely get a moment to themselves during the school day. Make sure to build in time for reflection in order to incorporate feedback, to process what went well and what could have been done differently. Try to leave room for mindful moments at the beginning and end of the day or at the start of a faculty meeting, practice gratitude for yourself and others who may have helped throughout the day, and don’t forget to breathe.

Use active listening

Practicing listening without commenting and having someone listen to you without judgement helps to build relationships and fosters a critical sense of belonging.

Develop goals and prioritize

When faced with large class sizes, grading, ensuring quality of instruction, and other school requirements, it can be difficult to figure out what to do first and get everything accomplished in a set amount of time. “You need to think about what you value and what matters to you while still being open enough to hear what the school values and balance the two,” Harris says. This might look like keeping simple to-do list or it might take on a more formal structure with a mentor helping develop those goals and checking in on progress.