the "new teacher syndrome"

the art of teaching art
classroom management
technology in the classroom
beyond creating artwork
reflections on the STAAR exam
developing life-skills
the "new teacher syndrome"
q & a
curriculum vitae
student artwork

Many new teachers have unrealistic ideas about how they will teach. New teachers enter the profession to make a difference in the lives of students and instill in them a desire to learn. Often new teachers have an unrealistic, impractical idea about what kind of teacher they want to be. In this stage teachers often are unprepared for the disruptive students, behavioral problems, equipment malfunctions, bullying, tardiness, students’ disregard for assignment deadlines, and even cheating. In this stage teachers have illusions of a perfect classroom and may feel disappointed when faced with realities of the classroom. Failure to prepare and organize causes teachers to spend most of their time focusing not on education and learning, but on managing classroom behavior.

With preparation and planning teachers will be ready for the realities of the classroom.
With preparation, teachers can focus on students’ mastery of content and so impact students’ learning and education in positive, effective ways. When this is realized teachers are able to make a difference in the education of students. Students connect with content on a personal level.