August 26, 2022

I start my 36th year in education (28 as a classroom teacher) and below are the lessons I have learned hanging out with teenagers for so many years. Here are my 36 lessons from my 36 years in education:

1. Learning their names early matters a great deal to the students.
2. They know if you care. They have very fine-tuned BS detectors.
3. They don’t care what you know until they know you care.
4. Have fun!—Being a teenager is hard—very hard.
5. Give much grace because being a teen is hard.
6. But still hold them accountable—Though they may complain—if you hold them to a high standard, they will thank you for it later—really!
7. Listen! Really listen to your students!
8. They are awesome if you take time to listen.
9. Always tell the truth—unless you are doing a magic trick…
10. Ask them about their lives outside of class—in fact, know something about them so you can ask how the (play/game/match) was.
11. Laugh with them.
12. Cry with them
13. Never allow students to mistreat each other—you MUST deal with mistreatment right away.
14. Never mistreat a student.
15. Always believe the best in your students and they will start to believe the best in themselves.
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