For Teachers: How to Fix Your Mistakes

In my previous post, we talked about how to find our mistakes. It is so important to do this because our mistakes are the only thing we can change -- they're the only thing we have control over.

If we want our situation to improve, we cannot cross our fingers and hope things get easier for us. And if our desire is to become better personally and professionally, we cannot sit back and hope this happens on its own.

We cannot blame our shortcomings on anyone or anything else. Once we have discovered where we need to improve, it is our responsibility to grow in these areas.

Be SMART

A great way to work on improving as a teacher is to create a SMART goal for yourself. The criteria outlined by this type of goal provides an organized way to help people track their progress. My previous post walks through the steps of creating a SMART goal.

Although a SMART goal is a great way to layout your intentions, it does not provide the resources you may need to achieve your goal. Instead, you may need to consult other sources for this.

A Coworker

One of the best resources I have found to help me meet different goals is another teacher.

I have had to deal with many different issues in the classes I have taught: aggressive behavior, a talkative class, work with no names, a class clown, a lack of resources for a particular lesson ... The list is endless.

As soon as I talk about one of these issues in front of a coworker, I start getting solid advice that works!

Our problems and inadequacies are rarely unique. Other teachers have dealt with the same issues and have struggled with the same deficiencies. This means that someone in our school building has probably dealt with the same thing we have and overcame it. Find that someone and listen to his or her advice.

Educators are usually willing to help a fellow teacher. And when you only have to walk down the hallway to ask for advice, that's a pretty accessible resource. The close proximity also means that you can check-in multiple times so that you can tweak a strategy until it works.

So, if you have a problem you need help with, go to the veteran teacher who has a lot of all-around experience. Ask for advice from a teacher who excels in the area you struggle with. Present the issue you are dealing with at a team meeting so that you have multiple teammates to help you.

Use the resources you have right next door.

The Principal

Another source of sound advice is your school principal.

The availability of your principal as a resource will depend on them. Do they have an open-door policy? Would they mark you down during your performance review if you admit to struggling in certain areas?

Think through these things before approaching them.

My principal was a 4th-grade teacher for years before she went into administration, so she was very helpful when the other literacy teachers and I had very little experience and needed guidance on what to cover for the year.

Principals have usually worked in the classroom as teachers first. Consequently, they usually have a wealth of knowledge and resources that comes from their experience as a teacher (and a principal).

As long as they're available to help you, and you feel comfortable going to them for help, principals can be a great resource for self-improvement.

The Internet

It's embarrassing how many times I have tried to just "think up" a solution to a problem I was having instead of doing a quick search on the internet.

As I stated before, our problems are rarely unique. If the other teachers in our building are likely to have dealt with the same thing we're dealing with, how much more likely is that teachers on the internet have dealt with something similar?

You may be surprised at how specific of a problem will be discussed on another teacher's blog - the exact problem you're dealing with.

The internet pulls from so many different resources written by so many different teachers. I have never had a problem that was so specific that I couldn't find advice on the web.

Self-Reflection

When you have identified an area of weakness in your teaching, it may be time to do a little self-reflection.

While you can reflect on what works and what doesn't in your head, this strategy makes it hard to look back at what you discovered, and it's harder to keep yourself accountable.

Instead, consider keeping a weekly journal about your teaching practices. This way you know whether you actually practiced self-reflection, and you can look back and see the progress you have made.

If you keep your journal on your computer, you can even search for keywords when you want to look back at something you discovered.

I am required to keep a weekly journal this year as part of a program I am in, and I have loved how this practice has helped me become more intentional about self-reflection. I have also been impressed with some of the insights I have come up with just because I took 5 minutes out of my week to think back on my teaching.

Professional Development

In some cases, the area you struggle with may be a topic that will be covered in a local or virtual professional development opportunity.

As teachers, we are required to continue learning how to become better teachers through training. Why not use these required hours to work on something that you struggle with?

Your school may even provide relevant trainings or help you find opportunities that would help you with your specific needs.

Have your goal for growth in mind as you listen to the speaker. Have specific questions ready for the Q & A session, if there is any. Take notes and bring back resources. Make sure you capitalize on this experience so that it is as beneficial as possible.

Your Willingness

As you can see, we are surrounded by resources to help us grow. Some resources require more effort, such as researching strategies on the internet, taking time for self-reflection, and finding and attending professional development. Others utilize the relationships we have built with our colleagues and principals, who have the experience and expertise to help us.

Either way, these resources are within grasp, if only we reach out.

If we are going to become better teachers, we cannot blame others for our mistakes. The only way we can improve is if we take responsibility.

Then, once we understand where we fall short and know that it is up to us to change, it only takes our willingness to do so -- our willingness to take the time and energy to solve our problems.

When we are willing to try different strategies and seek out resources to help us fix our shortcomings as teachers, we will see growth. This growth will start small, but it will become more significant the longer we stay at it.