You must enter your first week of school with a positive attitude and the desire to succeed. That first week can be very scary and nerve-wracking at times. However, realize that in just a few weeks you will have figured out much of the everyday tasks and will be able to truly focus on teaching effective lessons.

Staying Positive

Positive people are ones who succeed. They do not necessarily believe that everything is rosy, but they do believe that even if bad things happen, in the end everything will work out okay. Have this attitude as you teach, and you will be well rewarded. When you feel that things are going pretty badly, it may help to remind yourself that this, too, will pass. You basically have two choices in life: let events “happen” to you, or actively participate in each event in your life. Positive people are proactive; they strive to make the best of every situation.

Clear Expectations

Start the year off right by letting students know your expectations for yourself and for them. Tell your students that you know that they can learn and you expect them to put forth their best effort. Further, help them understand what they should expect from you.

A common theme throughout this book has been that your expectations are truly essential. They are important for student success and your own career as an educator. Do not underestimate the power of high positive expectations.

Remember, there is a difference between being in power and being respected. As a teacher, you are in a position of power; however, this does not automatically mean you will be respected. Only by acting consistently and fairly will students begin to respect you.

Enjoying Interaction with Students

It is amazing that some teachers do not like young people. These teachers typically love their subjects, but they consider students to be a necessary annoyance factor that comes along with the job. Thankfully, not many people like this stay in the teaching profession for long.

You will spend the majority of your time with your students. It is essential that you like them and, more importantly, like the people you hope they will become. The education profession is all about being positive. If you cannot look for the good in your students, then you should not be teaching.

You will find that in your local community there is a perception that kids today are worse than in the past. This is a mistake; kids today are no better and no worse than they were yesterday. However, the few truly disruptive students are the ones who garner all the press.

Youth culture may be different and sometimes hard to understand, but if you look back to when you were a child, you may have heard adults questioning the values of your peer group. The generation gap is a known phenomenon that spans history. Because students are just children looking to find their own way in life, their attitudes, likes, and dislikes may seem foreign to you. Just because something is different does not automatically make it bad.