7 Common Mistakes Made by First-Year Teachers

We’ve all been the new teacher at some point. So lets learn from each other!

Every teacher has been a new teacher at some point. And we have all made mistakes that can affect the success of our students in our classroom. So let’s look at some of the most common and easy to fix errors made by new teachers.

1. Not correctly assessing the students’ cognitive levels. 

Every class is different, and if a teacher does not adapt to their students, no one wins, and few learn.

2. Not prepare our classroom.

With so much going on in our first few months of being an education professional, not having our classroom ready is easily overlooked. Not preparing the classroom is a serious error that is easy to fix. If a classroom is not ready for the students, it wastes valuable time to be used for teaching.

3. Not knowing what to expect from students.

If the teacher doesn’t know what to expect from the individual student and the class as a whole, they are committing a serious mistake since each student has a different potential. Therefore, it’s essential to understand the students to be able to maximize the learning of the classroom.

4. Not have a straightforward method.

When a teacher doesn’t have a precise methodology, that is also a mistake that can be easily fixed. Therefore, a clear and accurate lesson methodology is fundamental for classroom management and teaching.

5. Not knowing when the class is a “good class.”

Many “rookie” teachers also make the common mistake of not realizing when a class is good. Remember, a class is good when the students and the teacher have fun and learn simultaneously.

6. Demand too much from our students.

It’s normal for new teachers to want to impress. We’ve all done it at some point in our careers. We want to show what we’ve learned in our training. All those days and nights studying in college are hard work, and we might want to show off a little. However, this can actually be detrimental to our students since we might demand and expect too much from them. Therefore, it’s essential to be conscious of our own limitations and be flexible with our students.

7. Learning to manage our time in the classroom, our time at school and our outside of “teacher life” time.

Managing time is one of the most important things new teachers need to learn. Unfortunately, not all of us have learned to manage our time well, and in our first year, this can really show. Time management is crucial since we don’t want our students to get bored. When students are bored, a teacher can quickly lose control of a classroom. That’s why it is so necessary to be prepared and plan ahead of time. First-year teachers can never be over-prepared, but at the same time, we have to recognize that we are also learning.

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