“I’ve learned that
people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget
how you made them feel.” 
Maya Angelou

I was recently asked what advice I would give young teachers today. Having spent more than four decades in education, I guess I’m qualified to respond to such a question. I remember sitting in a workshop in the fall of 1979 listening to a seasoned educator share her thoughts and experiences about teaching. I found her advice to be both helpful and wise. I don’t recall much of what she said that afternoon, but I do remember walking out of the session feeling optimistic about having chosen a career in education.

So what advice would I share today? Five thoughts come to mind.

1. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing as an educator, if you look upon your work as a job rather than as a calling, you might want to consider another professional endeavor. Not all who earn a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and teaching credential should be teaching. The academic preparation is only a small part of what it takes to be an effective educator.

2. Change is inevitable. The art of teaching continues to develop year by year. New strategies and technologies are introduced each year. Some of these (though not all) will enhance your ability to better meet the needs of your students. Effective teachers make an effort to integrate these pedagogies into their craft.

3. Preparation is everything! Rarely, during my years in the classroom, did I have to deal with discipline issues. I learned early-on that the best tool for effective classroom management is a well-prepared lesson plan. Discipline problems most often arise when gaps in the teacher’s preparation, often in the last ten minutes of a class period, provide students with the opportunity to misbehave. Ending a lesson with time remaining in the class period, or gaps resulting from a lack of preparation during the class period, leave kids looking for something to do to entertain themselves, and, often, those around them.

4.  The quote above from Maya Angelou is also wisdom I would share with young teachers today. It is said that you can lead a horse to water, but we cannot make him drink. This is true of our students, as well. Dr. Jane Nelson, in her book Positive Discipline, wrote, “You have to touch the heart before you can reach the mind.” Research indicates that the main predictor of achievement in students is the students’ perception, right or wrong, of whether or not the teacher likes them. Effective educators must seek ways to get to know their students as individuals, recognizing and appreciating the uniqueness of each one, and nurturing a positive teacher-student bond.

5. All teachers have the opportunity, and I would add obligation, to help students to recognize our shared responsibility to care for one another — especially for the most poor and vulnerable members of society. In my experience, students are not just willing, but eager to engage in activities which benefit those in need. School- or class-sponsored events such as seasonal collections of toys, gently-used clothing, new socks, food, and school supplies can bring a student community closer together — in gratitude, for the gifts with which they and their families have been blessed, and for the opportunity to share some of what they have with those less fortunate. If you look closely at the image above, you’ll see a framed quote on the wall by the philosopher, Aristotle, which reads, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

By sharing these five pieces of advice, I am not suggesting that a focus on academics is not important. Of course it is! What I’m saying is that a focus on academics alone is insufficient. There is so much more to school and learning than reading, writing, and arithmetic.