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I often encounter newbie teachers who have come from other professions. For obvious reasons, they come to the battlefield handicapped, since they didn’t go through 4 years of college to prepare themselves for teaching. At most, the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) requires a non Education Major to take up some 24 units in college prior to taking the Licensure Examination for Teachers, LET.
You can see a mixture of enthusiasm, wonder and anxiety in their eyes on the first day of school. Without proper guidance and inspiration, that look may be soon replaced by exhaustion and borderline dissolution after a month’s encounter with challenging students and difficult situations at school. I should know how it feels since I went through the same gauntlet for a bit. And, I didn’t start out my working years as a teacher. So, it is just fitting that I list some friendly advice for individuals from other professions who bravely ventured into teaching.
- Get yourself a mentor. A lot of current studies have given praise to the merits of having a mentoring system in the teaching profession. Fischer and van Andel in 2002 presented
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various models and perspectives that maximize the benefits for novice teachers and experienced teachers, as well. A fine tuned mentoring system can make the new teacher feel empowered, give him/her the helm in charting a lifelong career development, and enable him to embody the school’s culture and spirit. Of course, there are pitfalls to be avoided: a mentor is supposed to help you form professional habits that help you avoid getting in trouble, and not pull strings to get you out of trouble. And when difficult times happen, he should be there to help you identify alternatives and weigh your options, not make decisions for you. Teacher mentors are not omnipotent and omniscient. That only happens in myth, when the goddess Pallas Athene appeared in the form of Mentor, Ulysses’ friend, to protect Ulysses’ son, Telemachos, in times of danger.
- Find out what works. Read up on innovations and current trends in class management and
teaching strategies. The internet is a rich source of articles on education. Be discriminating enough to know which one will be compatible with your school’s curriculum, then coordinate your plans with your superiors. Also, read up on the research behind the innovation. Some may only apply to particular conditions and cultures. My favorite sites are http://www.edutopia.org/ and http://www.ted.com/. And when I need to attend a webinar, I go to www.ascd.org.
- Communicate with your superior at least once a month, for two basic things: feedback, and to observe how good decisions are made. The period leading to the opening of the school year is your best chance to set goals for yourself. At that time, your coordinator will have ample time to sit down with you and clarify expectations. Along with your career goals for the year, plan out also how the achievement of these goals will be evaluated and reported to you. Observe how your superiors weigh factors in making decisions. Taking their perspective will help you understand how decisions are made in school settings. Passively learn from their experience. Who knows, this learning collective will come in handy to you, soon.
- Write a journal in your free time. A simple and functional one is all you need. Write about
highlights of events in the school year and how things can be improved. Writing lengthy aragraphs will take too much of your time, phrases in bullet points will be sufficient. As the school year ends, summarize your notes and reconstruct your sentences in the 3rd person, then submit it to your coordinator. Any well meaning educational leader will appreciate your effort in giving constructive observation.
- Frequently remind yourself that you are an adult in a room of full of children. Act accordingly. The adage, “If you can’t beat them, join them,” does not and will not apply. Not now and neither in the future.
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While you are allowed to conduct yourself in a friendly manner when around students (and parents), remember that you are not their friend because you are their teacher foremost. There is a need for distinction because the term friend is relative. To students, a friend is one who will readily do favors for them without reservations – bending class rules included. If you are willing to do that, then you should rethink your decision to become a teacher.
The teaching profession is emotionally rewarding on its own right. Contentment made me stay, along with the wonderful things I found along the way. I also found out that passion for it won’t get you far. As much as it is an art (as many teachers say), there is a science behind it. And if you master that science, your teaching adventure can be as awesome as you want it to be. So, to new teachers, especially those who have come from different fields, I wish you the best. Remember, even if you have changed lanes, there’s no other way to go but to drive on forward – you still hold the steering wheel thus you are fully responsible for your teaching career.
(If you wish to get a PDF copy of the research on mentoring quoted here, please send me your email address.)
The Learning Chronicle 
