Monthly Archives: May 2013

Before my 5th graders move on to middle school, they’ve shared some of their expertise in their Advice Columns. Here are some tips for teachers.

1. What I want in a good teacher is one that is nice, but isn’t totally lame and just lets you do whatever so you don’t learn anything.
2.  I want a teacher that will still teach you so much and have a good time while doing it.
3. You need to be funny.
4. Make sure everyone is in a group and no one is left out.
5. Try to collaborate with another class/school on a project.
6. If there is a natural disaster, don’t freak out. Instead try to help out and start a fundraiser with your students.
7. Be the kindest you can be.
8. Don’t assume what a kid might say and ask, but listen to them.
9. Try to help the world.
10. Get kids involved.  Try to do as many projects as you can.
11. Get attached to your students. Make them feel welcome and happy to be in your class.
12. Try KidBlog. It is a safe and easy way to blog with other kids on a kid safe website where you can track your kids’ writing.
13. Don’t always be so serious.
14. Trust me, I learned all this the hard way. I started the year by asking my teacher everything, instead of just doing what I need to do. She sure changed that. If you still can’t take charge of your own life by middle school the only thing I have to tell you is: good luck.
15. I want a teacher that can take charge when they need to. But not a teacher that yells at you all the time just because she wants to.
16. Make sure that you wear cute outfits all of the time.  It not only makes you look better, but I think helps.
17. Be a good combo of stern, nice, taking control, and teaching. I think that is the best kind of teacher to be like.
18. When you have a sub, assign (within reason) fun things to do! DO not assign a boring thing just because a sub is there. It is like when I babysit. If I am boring or if their mom tells me to do boring stuff, then you have a big job to make it fun, but you will pull it off!
19. It is not right to think that you know what is right for your students. The kids probably know what is good for them. I think you should know that the students know what is in their mind.
20. Encouragement is one thing and Toughness is something else. I think that you should encourage the kids to think.
21. Let us figure out things on our own so we get more responsible.
22. Have a little fun with us.
23. Do a lot of global projects.
24. Think outside of the box when you are teaching.
25. Look for a fun way to teach things.
26. If you are a nice teacher who reprimands when needed and has fun with teaching and is fun to kids when you teach, then you are golden.