10 Habits of an Effective Teacher
1. Come prepared
One of the best habits to have as a teacher is to always stay prepared. A little bit of planning ahead of time can save you a huge headache later in the day. This ultimately comes down to knowing your schedule, activities, and commitments in advance, so that you can come ready to class. This step may help you save time and energy, but it also makes you much more effective for your students! A well-prepared kaiako comes across as more confident, making it easier for little ones to follow along and listen.
2. Prioritize self-care
Being a teacher means that you often give a lot of yourself to the job, but setting professional boundaries and taking time for self-care will actually make you a much better teacher! Be sure to take time off for yourself once in a while. Or alternatively, if you like to stay busy, create little moments for mindfulness throughout the day. This habit prevents burnout and makes you more productive, keeping you in the best shape possible to teach. Self-care has many proven benefits, including better memory, reflexes, good mood, lower stress, and increased creativity. Remember, your health is important!
3. Practice a positive outlook
Positivity can be the key to making a tough day seem like an educational one. And positivity is a muscle that you do need to exercise to get the full benefit. Though it is a huge task, reframing the negative situations that you face and instead focusing on why you love teaching is one of the many habits that can make the job feel more rewarding. While teaching is undeniably tough, many teachers stick with it because all the positive enrichments it brings to life! This positive outlook won’t just help you, it also makes you an effective role model for tamariki. You’ll create a positive environment for them, where things such as constructive criticism, helpful praise, and team work come more easily.
4. Seek professional development
This is an important step for all teachers looking to stay at the top of their game. Searching for the latest conferences, debating new and emerging teaching techniques, or reading articles to further your professional knowledge is always a bonus. Not only will these activities help you develop new skills and methods of teaching, it’ll also help you feel much more confident in your abilities.
5. Be communicative
On of the key traits of an effective teacher is great communication. You need to always be on the same page as your team, so that you’re implementing strategies in tandem. Being a great communicator means that all the work gets done effectively and without conflict. Moreover, it means that people will enjoy working with you. So, if you want to be the type of teacher that’s effective and a joy to work with, make sure that you always show up on time, reach out, and ensure you’re on the same page with your coworkers.
6. Stay organized
The best teachers are highly organized. It’s no surprise why this habit results in an effective use of time, you’re making every part of your work much easier to manage by staying organized. Organization, whether its planning ahead, keeping folders of work, setting reminders, or the like, will keep you at the top of your game. Even the busiest days become a breeze for the organized teacher.
7. Reach out to others
It takes a village to raise a child, and sometimes it takes a village to support an effective teacher. Be sure to seek out some mentors. Having a community of experienced teachers means that you have access to an opinion that you trust whenever you encounter a problem you can’t tackle alone. This sort of friendly outlook means that you’re involved with the community of teachers around you. Reaching out and forming good connections is also good for your mental health, we all need friendships to keep us in a good headspace.
8. Embrace change
Nothing ever goes entirely to plan, and this is especially true of teaching. Be flexible and go with the changes. Though an unpleasant hiccup in a lesson plan or an unexpected rainy day can seem like a bummer, being adaptable and able to roll with the punches can be your strongest personal asset. You’d be surprised at the good that can come from it! The teaching profession is always changing, so make sure to keep up with the times so that you can hit every curveball that comes your way.
9. Admit mistakes
Invariably, no matter how many great habits you build, mistakes will happen. Rather than letting them shake your spirit or throw you off track, accept them for what they are: a learning opportunity. This is a great chance to reach out to the network of mentors that you’ve built and get their input on how to move forward. Being able to recognize your mistakes and accept them is the first step in using them to develop your skills and become more effective in the future.
10. Consider new and efficient methods of work
If you’ve been following the same formula for a while and are beginning to stagnate, it may be time to branch out. Look for new ways to make work exciting. Maybe there’s a new system of education you’ve been researching that you can’t wait to implement.
Alternatively, if you want to try your hand at becoming a reliever, Jitbug is an app that takes care of all the tricky parts of arranging work for you. The app aids in making you more prepared and organized, connecting you with a variety of centres (and potential mentors) through its user-friendly interface. If it sounds like the sort of work that appeals to you, then this is a great method to pursue, as it allows you to free up your time and energy to focus on the other parts of your life.