by TeachThought Staff
Growing as a teacher is all about challenging yourself–moving out of our comfort zone, trying something new. Here are 50 ideas to consider.
- Learn a second language fluently (preferably one that is increasingly spoken in your geographical area).
- Create a closed Google+ community for your classroom, and use it.
- Challenge the district internet filter and win.
- Make sure every unit has a meaningful product of some kind that leaves the classroom.
- Read a balance of “Why teach?” with “How to teach” content.
- Describe the approach to learning taken in your classroom in one sentence, then ask for feedback via your professional learning network on social media.
- Make sure parents understand that sentence, too.
- Resist corny email signatures that don’t inspire anyone.
- Give equal credit for questions and answers. (Literally give “points” or whatever it is you use.)
- Know the difference between differentiation and personalization.
- Get rid of your teacher’s desk completely.
- Certify yourself in a second content area or grade level.
- Present at a local conference with a colleague.
- Present at state or national conference by yourself.
- Create a syllabus that’s actually useful to parents and students.
- Ensure that every single assignment is accessible to every single student in terms of reading level, background knowledge, and technology access.
- Write a research paper of at least 1000 words on the history of public education. (You may be surprised what you learn.)
- Read a book on education that seems to reflect the opposite of what you believe.
- Reach out to every single parent/family of students and create an authentic reason for them to visit your classroom this year.
- Connect every student with a mentor in the community.
- Flip your classroom.
- Laugh with your students, even if you have to play stand-up comedy.
- Shred all scripted curriculum.
- Have students record and curate the audio from every single group assignment.
- Smile at every student, every day.
- Throw out letter grades.
- Assign optional homework every night; encourage those that need the practice to do it, and those that don’t to create their own.
- Stay at home when you’re sick.
- Refuse to use cute little catch phrases (no matter how true) like “What I hear you saying is…”, or “We need more rigor.”
- Make sure students talk more to one another than they do to you during discussions.
- Throw out all of your lessons and units and start over from scratch.
- Read to your students (e.g., from a picture book or poem) at least 10 minutes per week no matter your grade level or content area.
- Use choice boards for every assignment. (Literally every one.)
- Co-create all rubrics with students.
- Make it cool to read.
- Admit when you’re wrong.
- End every class with “So? So what? What now?”
- For every idea you disagree with, present a rational counterargument or solution.
- Every time you correct a student, do so with a positive presupposition that’s authentic.
- Be honest at staff meetings.
- Run a book drive in the school’s community.
- Find the line between holding yourself accountable without beating yourself up.
- Memorize your academic “power standards” verbatim. Then create competencies for each power standard, and know those verbatim too.
- Create a lesson where you don’t say a single word.
- Let go.
- Refuse to serve on school committees that are functionally worthless.
- Videotape yourself teaching and share it with the world.
- Learn the exact differences between the academic standards from the year prior to the one you teach, and the one after.
- Make sure parents understand your grading policy.
- Bring every student to “proficiency” of every academic standard regardless of their literacy level, interest in school, attendance, background knowledge, or intellectual curiosity. (The ultimate challenge.)
