Dabbling in the World of Web 2.0

I enjoyed reading a blog post by Doug Johnson on his BlueSkunk Blog. Here are the top ten things he wishes he had known as a first year teacher. It’s quite a list!

1. Leave your ego at the door.
2. Admit ignorance or uncertainty.
3. Let the kids teach each other.
4. Don’t play gotcha on tests.
5. Some administrators are incompetent.
6. The majority of parent complaints will come from extracurricular decisions.
7. You’ll never be able to live on a single teaching salary.
8. If at first you don’t succeed, try a different age group to teach.
9. Lighten up on yourself.
10. Some kids will do well because of you; some will do well despite you.

I started teaching in 1975. I have certainly learned many lessons myself since then….and there’s always more to learn!