5 Things to do to Become a Boss Teacher

So maybe it’s winding down in your academic year, maybe you’re in Costa Rica and just getting started. Either way, there are a few things you can do right now to get your year going right now, and right for when!

There are 5 things you can do right now, in less than 30 minutes to make your life soooooooooooo much easier. Later on, I’m going to expand on these things and hopefully give you templates as well.

1. Remind account - parent communication is paramount. In fact, that’s one of the interview questions for these big name private schools. ‘How important do you feel the relationship is between the school and the parent?’ Everyone has a darn phone, maybe not an email address. - so you have a better chance at maintaining meaningful contact with parents via their phone! When students experience a sense of belonging at school and supportive relationships with teachers and classmates, they are motivated to participate actively and appropriately in the life of the classroom (Anderman & Anderman, 1999; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Skinner & Belmont, 1993).

2. Yearly objectives - print them if you have them, if not, list 9 things you love to learn (not teach) The thing here is to get you thinking about what YOU like to do, not what you have to do. This way, we can incorporate what you like to do with what they need to learn. Heck, they shouldn’t be the only ones having fun. I’ve made natural deodorant with and for my 5th graders during a measurement unit. We’ve baked cake with the 1st graders and had the instructions written only with words that we’ve learned previously (and it didn’t come out half bad) - that was our spelling/vocabulary test that week.

3. Find your grade level - email your department head or principal or whomever is in charge of scheduling… we’ve even included a sample template :-) you need to know what you’re working with, so let’s send a quick email

   Sample Letter to Principal to Inquire about Grade Level

   Dear Dr. Malik,

   Thanks for being a great principal at P.S. 723. Overall, I was very happy with the my second graders this year, and as you know, they achieved 83% at or above grade level on the mandatory state testing. I feel blessed to have the group I did.

   I am writing to inquire if you know, by any chance, the grade level for next year? Will I be looping up with the students, or working my magic with a new set of second graders? I’d like to get a jump start this summer with new activities for the kiddos.

   Thank-you so much for considering my request. Have a great day!

   Sincerely,

   Best Teacher-Ever

4. Make a teacher pay teacher account (it’s free) - Soon we will start looking for free items and paying for only what we are missing - Who are we fooling? We know that curriculum they give us the teacher’s guide for is never complete! We will eventually start selling the things that we create for our classes :-)

5. Head to the Dollar Store and purchase dice, playing cards and dominoes - We can do almost every math center with these items, you can get them at the dollar store, if you don’t already have them. Nah! Click below for the link to the things you’ll need when class starts. The little kids LOVE the big playing cards, and they are so much easier to keep track of, and the inflatable dice are quiet, so you can still hear their convo’s and make sure they are on task! Qualitative Research studies have shown how teachers can use Learning Centers to differentiate instruction.  If you are lucky enough to teach math, please think about getting one of the books below. I’ve had them for years, and the students really enjoy discovering math on their own and in groups with these activities.