Thread: Tips for a New Secondary Teacher?

Hmm. Thorough planning, make all objectives as obvious as a coal pile in a ballroom, make sure that "is this for a grade" is a question always answered yes. Honestly, I am not sure I should even offer you advice- you taught a good many years longer than I have. About the only thing I can think of is, they may look like adults but they are not. Don't expect them to react the same as adults. And be prepared to hear some very adultlike problems- some things teens get into are positively awful. If I can think of anything that might help, I'd post it. But I'd say you know most of what makes a successful teacher at any grade level.

I have taught K-12. I don't find that I teach any differently -- just that my content and objectives are different. If I want them to do it, I teach it. If you want them to write a recipe on a card, teach them exactly how to do that. Don't make any assumptions because they are larger in stature (just like JB said).

AND just like he said, don't let anything they say surprise you. They are very needy.

You're not just teaching secondary school, you're teaching secondary school on a rez--as I'm sure you know, it can be very different. I think, especially at first, cultural factors will play as great a role as the "regular" classroom management issues.

I'd suggest reading Samuels' Putting a Song on Top of It: Expression and Identity of the San Carlos Apache; not because it will show you everything you should know (of course it won't), but because it will maybe help you start thinking about the things to watch for. By that, I mean . . . well, you know how in the Mideast, different hands are used for different functions, and how that is so ingrained into the cultures there? When you know about that, and have some ideas of what it means, you can start to see reflections of that in many aspects of culture and communication. In a similar way, I think Samuels' analysis of the role of popular music in San Carlos culture may help you see things to look for, and hopefully give you a bit of a headstart in understanding the role culture will have in classroom management issues.

Thanks all for your replies.

JohnBoy - thanks for the pointer about grades. The culinary program I'm starting should really have been started two years ago. There have been two previous chef instructors at this school - but to the best of my knowledge, neither of them taught to state standards. Neither of them had any curriculum. Neither of them even followed food safety standards with regards to sanitation, food rotation, etc.

The end result is that while enrollment has dropped, the students who have signed up for culinary class think it's a "cake walk."

These students are going to be in for a surprise because they're going to have to study nutrition, culinary math (measurement conversions, usable yields, food costs), chemical properties and colloid dispersions etc.

Bitsy - I appreciate the advise about not taking anything for granted. One of my big concerns is that I have a half dozen "advanced" students who ar probably not advanced given their relative lack of instruction. These kids will be pulling double duty. Not only do they have to learn everything that should have been taught last year, but I also have to get them ready for their senior externships. As much as I'd love to believe that they're ready for Culinary II lessons, I will have to assume that they don't have the level 1 prerequisites ... so remediation and work-work-work will be the order of the day.

And thank you JustJim for the book reference. I'll have to look it up.

Regards,

David