I don't know if this applies to many people here, but I thought that teachers should have a thread to discuss what they went through on their first day/week of teaching. I'm not a real teacher yet. I've only just started my Graduate Diploma of Education, but that requires us to go on Prac 4 weeks into the semester. I'm planning to do secondary schools, but because of the lack of spaces, they threw me into a media program at a Primary School. I was scared shitless this morning but the kids were great in the end.

I walk into this class of year 4-5 students and they all look up and me like "what the hell is this guy doing here?" Then the teacher goes "This is Mr Scufka". I'm like "ummm, mornin' everyone", then they respond with "Goooooodddd Moooorrrnnniiinnngggg Miiisstttteeerrr Sssssscccuuufffkkkaaa". It's been about 8 years since I've seen that so I just let out one of those uncontrollable laughs with my mouth shut. Quite an embarrassing start.

I'm not used to being an authority figure (apart from banning noobs on Neo XD). This wasn't helped when I walked around a corner and a little year 2 gasped and said "sowwy. we werent fiteing. we were just pwaying". I'm like "uh what do I do?", so I smiled and walked away.

Then I was going around marking maths quizzes and these two kids were talking really loudly, so I say to them "Keep it down guys, you have work to do" and they're like "Sorry mister Scufka", while I'm thinking in my head "Why on earth are you listening to me? I'm a student myself!".

It's my first day there and I already had a lesson to teach. My mentor teacher gave me 7 kids, sent me to another room (no supervision. I would have died if they were all really bad behaved), and told me to teach them how to do stop frame animations. I think it went well. They were all over the place (my classroom management needs work) but I managed to teach them what they needed to know (makes it hard when you're only a student and you don't want to go against their real teachers rules).

Anyway, has anyone here ever taken a lesson of some form? If so, how did you deal with your first day? I have a lot to learn. Any tips would go down well.

I've done a fair amount of tennis coaching, but outdoors education is much different to classroom, in good ways and bad ways. On my first day, while the head coach was talking to the kids, and I was setting up for the next drill, I turned too quickly and spilled an entire basket of tennis balls (nearly 40) all over the place, disrupting the lesson and causing everyone to turn and look at me. Luckily I kept a brave face, and the kids just ran over to help me pick up the balls, without noticing my embarrassment. So, I think most people have a few tricky moments when they start teaching, or any job for that matter.

Sounds like you had a good time, despite some awkward moments and uncertainties. I think the key is to just try to learn something new each time you're teaching, try to improve yourself as an educator, and really try to listen to the kids, to see if they're bored or confused, and try to handle the situation as it arises.

My first major teaching experience was a year or so ago, running a Japanese style art workshop at a local library that was being attended by several of the local schools. The group was large, close to 40, and made up of different schools and age groups.

I wasn't technically alone, I was aided by my boss, who whilst confident and knowledgeable, is a terrible artist, meaning I was forced to quickly come to terms with both the class material and the use of whiteboard markers. Honestly, as a digression, has anyone else here had the joy of using whiteboard markers? They are lame enough to write with, let alone drawing, but what can you do. Digital whiteboards are rarely much better, even expensive ones lack any decent accuracy.

I wasn't nervous per se, for some reason I find teaching a bunch of strangers like that fairly straightforward (I still got nervous for school orals though, strange). I was, however, teaching something I had never taught, and worse than that it was a class where not everyone was necessarily interested, though all payed attention, to a degree. The class was, although a 6 hour straight (with lunch) unit, pretty within my ability, so I was ale to take the reigns for the majority of the day despite being new.

Interactions with students was interesting. Honestly, don't envy my last name, it is a colour. I tend to just go by my first names in a lot of the art classes I run, purely for familiarities sake though. Not suprisingly, despite being 5 years older than the oldest people in the group (the oldest was 16), most presumed I was around 17, though that didn't prove the biggest issue. No, the biggest issue was one of the students rather straightforwardly hitting onme the whole day. I didn't notice it at first, but when she called me over twice only to say 'Hello Trevor' to me, it set into motion (over the next few months of doing those classes) me coming to the conclusion that contrary to what many people presume, that students hate teachers, the opposite is very much the truth; and many students, male and female, scramble for your attention, even if you are a stranger only coming in to teach them for a few hours. Its really quite surreal.

It was a really interesting experience for me. Although not typical of most of the other classes I have done (where I would go to a highschool, say, and perhaps teach all the year 8s in succession for shorter amounts of time), it was by far one of the more memorable days of my life. Even without that jailbait hitting on me.

I teach a fifth grade CCD Class every Wednesday, I'm heading there in about and hour actually. I teach with a friend so it isn't too bad. My first day I was a little nervous but the kids were fine. We just read the chapter outloud together and then they did review questions. In later weeks, kids started misbehaving but it is now under control. We have done all the chapters though so we just kind of fool around now. We are having an Easter Party today.

The most teaching experience I ever had was at a mentoring facility in Harlem, where you would pretty much hang out with the kids there. =p

Hell_Fire, your students sound adorable. XD

I don't teach, but I can easily see this turning into a teaching thread, so I thought I might tell you about the most effective teacher I've ever had.

I won't mention his name, and also keep in mind that he taught year 6s and above. Most people have him for the very first time as a substitute teacher when their year 6 or 8 normal teacher was sick, or something. That first lesson, he was an absolute prick. He had a sensational voice when he was angry. He went off about absolutely nothing, e.g. he would stand up in front of the class and wait for the first person to sit down. And then he'd scream "DID I SAY THAT YOU COULD SIT DOWN? GET OUT!!!"

Which of course seemed ridiculously unfair, but the whole class was scared shitless of him from that point forward. He'd do the same thing should anyone step out of line for the rest of the lesson, and when not screaming he'd have an eerily quiet and to-the-point style. We were dead silent for the whole lesson, though we hated him with a passion.


Then, you wouldn't have him for a year or so, at which point he became one of your regular teachers for history or something. And then he was the nicest, funniest teacher you could hope for. He had a great approach - he'd crack jokes all the time, and yet in the back of your mind you always knew what he was capable of if you ever pissed him off. For that reason, you never did, and he never had to raise his voice again.

Absolutely sensational.

I teach a Nanotechnology class.

On the first day, we all lol'd, getting the fact that I was their age and had way more educationally approved knowledge than them, and we got off to a good start, everyone took notes, I gave them a survey about how they like classrooms to be, and we left.

I really, really, enjoyed it, and it's only gotten better.

I have often wondered what it would be like to teach a class. I am suspecting that I would be a strict teacher, and would do little to tolerate misbehavior, that is, if it were my age group.

Really, it seems like they have more respect for you, because you understand them far better.

Or they take advantage of the fact that you are their age. Well unless of course you are teaching like a smart/honors class but then you yourself would need to be like a genius.

The only thing I have ever really taught involved marching band.

I was a section leader. We basically teach people how to march, work with them, help them out, and keep them in line. I had to teach about 300 people how to march backwards. It was quite amusing, but apparently, I did a great job.

Regardless of what you're teaching, be it a mentor or a marching band leader, it's sensational.

Wow, very interesting, I have respect for all of you then.

I taught my nephew how to walk, it was a great day I feel proud every time he takes a step.

quote HBK616

Sounds like you had a good time, despite some awkward moments and uncertainties. I think the key is to just try to learn something new each time you're teaching, try to improve yourself as an educator, and really try to listen to the kids, to see if they're bored or confused, and try to handle the situation as it arises.

Yeah. I'm having a such a great time. In 3 days I've learnt so much and I didn't realize how much work teaching is.

quote Dearest Apollo

Hell_Fire, your students sound adorable. XD

Haha. Yeah, they totally are. The students were told to vote for someone else in the class for a merit award, and one of the student voted for me for being "Such good teecher". I loled

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I've been doing it for three days now, and I've taken quite a few lessons on my own. I just can't believe how bloody hard it is to get them all focused and on task. I told them to do brainstorming in groups and then handed out markers. They were winging about other groups having more markers than them, and then when I evened it out, they complained about not having good colours. Bah, that was soooooo annoying. I felt like screaming at them haha.