Ifueko Thomas' Radio Interview Inspired Me

Mrs. Ifueko Thomas' name got me glued to 92.3 Inspiration FM, on Sunday, 11th September, 2016. It was so exciting to keep tabs on the time in order to listen to this woman who I admire immensely. I have been privileged to attend a number of training that she facilitated.

Ifueko Omowunmi Thomas

You would wonder, if it's the tone of her voice, her depth of knowledge or just her persona that gets me so thrilled about her, I don't know. She is a teacher who has risen gracefully in her profession and she makes me feel proud of being a teacher.

Why was she on radio? She spoke about education in Nigeria, it's challenges and suggested solutions. She said a lot of things but the one thing that hit me hard was when she said that no matter how expensive the building or facilities in the school are, the real thing that gives quality to a school is the quality of the teachers in it.

I began to think about her statement and asked myself some vital questions. At the end, I told myself some real truth. I personalised Ifueko Thomas' statement  and began to tell myself, 'the quality of my classroom is not based on the number of high flyers I have but is highly dependent on me,the teacher.'Then, I began to see my classroom as my school with me being the proprietress. This made me to begin to appraise myself and  strive to be a better teacher. 

There is a mixed multitude of teachers reading this now, those who have the opportunity to work in schools conducive for learning and filled with an assortment of facilities,the ones with as little as a black chalk board and those who have only a little or nothing.  One thing to note is that at whatever level your school is: 

• The teacher should be able to adequately connect with and impact the children positively
• The teacher should be able to give the students things to think about
• The teacher should make them increase in knowledge
• The teacher should be able to stir up the quest for life long learning in the students
• The pupils should feel loved and cared for
• The teacher should strive to bring out the champion in every child

There are so many more things that can get on the list.Let's learn to assess ourselves and practice with the students at the centre of our thoughts. I hope you would have an exciting time with your new pupils/students....cheers!

8 Things Every New Teacher Should Know

For teachers entering the classroom for the new school year, anxiety is normal. For most, they are meeting a whole new group of students with their own issues, strengths, weaknesses and more. For new teachers, however, the stress is magnified to a whole new level. 

EducationWorld has curated a list of 8 Things Every New Teacher Should Know from two sources, We are Teachers and eSchoolNews.com. On their own individual lists, there are veteran teachers giving their own tips on what every new teacher needs to know before they step foot in the classroom. Here is EducationWorld's list with quotes from real-life teachers:

We Are Teachers:

1.    Wear Comfy Shoes: “Number 1: It's all about relationships. If you make the students feel that you genuinely care about them, they'll do what you ask and then some.

Number 2: The decorations on your walls don't need to come from Teachers Supply stores, because the ones from Dollar Tree will do the job.

Number 3: Invest in a good pair of shoes that fit you well, because you'll be on your feet all day.” -Mari Lyn Stangland

2.    Get this book: “Go out and purchase The First Days of School, by Harry Wong. You may not have the money to do it, but it'll be the best life-saving purchase you'll ever make in your teaching profession. Read it cover to cover and then implement!” —Amy Galloway

3.    Try to Grow Every Day: “Remember that this is one of the only professions that expects us to be perfect with little to no on-the-job training. You can eventually change lives, but your first year is growth. Find a few strong, positive teachers on your campus and observe, observe, observe. Treat every kid like your own—because someone loves him or her more than anything, no matter how they push your buttons. There’s probably a reason why they push buttons in the first place that has nothing to do with you. Don't take unruly behavior personally. Like Covey says, ‘seek first to understand...’“ —Carissa Hairrell

   4. It's Ok to Have Fun: “Don't be afraid to laugh. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher and she said (in April) that is was the first time she actually laughed in her class. If you aren't having fun, neither are the students. But also classroom management is key. Be tough in the beginning because you can always get softer. It is hard to go the other way around.” —April Nelson

eSchoolNews.com:

5.    Make Friends with Custodians and Secretaries: “Your ‘best friends’ in running your department or school are the custodians and the secretaries. Without a good relationship with both of these important groups, you are doomed to failure. Among many other ‘hints’ I share with my current teacher candidates, this is one of the first.” —Dr. Susan A. Smith, associate professor, Division of Education, Molloy College, New York

6.    Lashing Out Will Get You Nowhere: “Screaming ‘shut up’ has absolutely zero effect on kids. In fact, it most probably signals to them that they have gained control and forced you into desperate hollering.” —Bob Longo, President, SchoolOne, Cleveland, Ohio

7.    Students are Not Your BFFs: “I wish I had been told that I was now going to be a professional and I was not hired to be the student’s friend. I was hired to be an adult. I have to deserve and demand respect, at all times, from my students. If I respect my students and my students respect me, we can develop a relationship that will do justice to/for my students, and I will be fulfilled and proud. Unfortunately, now and then, beginning teachers do not understand the above. Someone tells them they must be friends with and must make their students like them. I have had students [whom] I struggled with for four years, return and thank me for what I did. Oddly enough, they don’t stop and talk to the teachers that treated them as ‘buddies.’” —Bob Icenogle

8.    Focus on the Positives and Not the Negatives: The best you can do is to take students from where they are at the beginning of the year and encourage them and teach them as much as you can. If you have done this, you have been a successful teacher! I am an adjunct professor in Education, and I make sure my students hear this several times during the semester.” —Dorothy Miller, adjunct professor, School of Education, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor

Building Connections Make a More Friendly Classroom

Arrrgh!!! It was only a week ago that I realised the holiday was coming to a complete halt.  The beginning of a new session is one with mixed reactions for the children, parents and teachers. It is such a time when you have children who are just starting school, you have children who have been transferred to a new school, children who are changing to a new class  and have probably been mixed with children who were not in the same class in the previous grade, the list goes on and on.

So, I began cracking my brain for new ideas, things I have never done, things that would help me make the start of the session easier for the children in my new class. Surfing the internet and reading ‘back-to-school’ materials was all I did for 24hrs (I am not exaggerating). Loads of interesting materials on setting up classrooms, routine, discipline, methodology, making connections and many more were what I found but, only one of them really got me this time, making connections.

In my own words, building connections in the classroom involve creating deliberate and practical activities that the class community feel linked to one another. This enables everyone, including the teacher to be more at ease and ready for the session. So, I would share with you some activities that I found and also some that I came up with.

Ways to Make Connections with your Students

POSTER MANIA

You need:

•  A4 paper or cardboard
• Colour pencil/gel pen
• Paper glue
• Passport photograph (personal and family members)

Steps:

• Draw a border on your paper
• Sort your materials and organize where you want to paste them
• Paste your pictures
• Write a sentence each about yourself and members of your family
• Write other things you want others to know about you
• Decorate your work and wait to present to others
• Each person’s poster (including the teacher’s) would be displayed.

MY NAME

You need:

Paper with typed questions like…

• What's your full name?
• Were you named after someone?
• What does your name mean?
• What names did your parents consider before deciding on the one you have?
• Why did they choose your name?
• What is your name's country of origin? (ex. "Ivan" has Russian origins)
• What is your nickname? How did you get that nickname?
• If you could change your name, what would you name yourself?

Steps:

• Students take the questions home and ask parents to give them the answers to the questions
• Fill the form
• Write your name in a stylish way at the bottom of the sheet.

FUN CLASS SLIDESHOW

Teacher shares a PowerPoint slideshow with students. Teacher includes pictures of family, home (and all of the rooms in it), pets, what he/she did over the summer, things he/she does for fun, etc.

Steps:

• Students write an introduction of themselves
• Students type and edit the work
• Teacher makes a slideshow of their introductions and include their picture on the slide
• Leave the slide running at break and school over, students would be glad to see theirs and learn about others in a fun way.

Credit: Kelly, Grade 3 teacher, Main Street Elementary, Shelbyville, IL