• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

September 4, 2012 Ask a Teacher

{Ask A Teacher} I Hate My New School!

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Adrian Layne

Hello! I’m Adrian, a public school educator who teaches students in grades 9-12 in Louisville, Kentucky. I teach in a magnet program for students who are interested in careers in the field of k-12 education. I am in my seventeenth year of teaching and I absolutely love what I do every day. I am originally from Pikeville, a small town nestled in the beautiful mountains of Eastern Kentucky. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in English and Allied Language Arts and 7-12 teaching certificate from Western Kentucky University. My Master’s degree and Rank I were earned at University of Louisville. I am currently working on a second Master’s degree from Western Kentucky in Library Media Education. In my spare time I enjoy the company of family and friends, the beach, and volunteering with the Lupus Foundation of America. Giving to others and lifelong education are of utmost importance to me.
  • {Ask a Teacher} I'm an Assistant Principal But I Want to be Promoted! - November 15, 2012
  • {Ask a Teacher} Help! I Need Materials for My Classroom! - November 6, 2012
  • {Ask a Teacher} I Feel Like I'm Stuck In the Teaching Profession! - October 31, 2012
  • {Ask a Teacher} Help! I'm Overwhelmed! - October 22, 2012
  • {Ask a Teacher} A Parent is Ruining My Reputation! - September 25, 2012
  • {Ask A Teacher} Help! I Want to Use Social Media In My Classroom! - September 18, 2012
  • {Ask A Teacher} I Want to Be A Teacher But I Don't Know What To Do! - September 11, 2012
  • {Ask A Teacher} I Hate My New School! - September 4, 2012
  • Consistency is Key: 4 Tips to Ensure a Successful Learning Environment - July 20, 2012

Are you an educator or parent who has a burning question that only a "seasoned teacher" would know the answer to? If so, look no further than "Ask a Teacher"! Every week we highlight one reader's question and answer it on our site. If you'd like  your question answered email us at info@theeducatorsroom.com! 

Question: I have been teaching for 3 years and recently I was placed (unwillingly) at a new school in a new area of town. Needless to say I hate the kids, the staff and my administrator. The kids keep complaining about my teaching and since I'm used to teaching seniors (now I have 9th graders) I'm lost at what to do. Help!

  Answer: As cliché as it may sound, you must make the best of your situation. I know how it feels to be placed in a school unwillingly. I do not know the reasons why you were transferred, but now that you’re there, do what you know how to do best! The students can sense the fact that you’re unhappy there, and they are using your own unhappiness against you; don’t let them win that battle. Instead go in Monday morning with an attitude that exudes your love of freshmen! Yes, freshmen are another species, but they, too, are trying to find their place in a new school/environment, and your unease isn’t helping them. Here are a few quick tips that I used when I was placed in a middle school, after all of my training was geared toward high school students:
1. Seniors and freshmen do a lot of the same work. You can use the same basic lessons and activities, but for freshmen, you may need to break-up the activity into a few more steps; add more collaborative learning groups and projects. This will also mean less time you are up teaching, and more time they are actively learning.
2. Be honest. Again, your students sense you are unhappy. Share your feelings with your students (within reason—maintain your professionalism). Then, make a pact with your classes that you’ll try your best to adjust to their learning needs, as long as they are honest with you and are patient with you as you learn a new demographic. Consider having a lock box where students place their concerns, and have a “Discussion Day” every so often to discuss what’s going on in your classroom community.
3. Sponsor an extracurricular activity. This will help you find your niche in the school and to learn more about the new area of town, as well as help you form an alliance with some students who will spread the word that you’re “Ok”, which can help you win them over in the classroom. It will also show your colleagues and administrator that you are working hard to become a part of the school community.
4. And lastly, laugh, laugh, laugh. Humor brings everyone together. Find ways you can work in humor into the classroom. If you teach math, find some funny math cartoons to project as students enter the room to begin their warm-up.
Hang in there. Change is hard, but we all know change can be good. Freshmen are people, too, and they simply want to know their teacher cares about them. Take it one class period at a time, and this might just be your best year ever! Good luck, and keep The Educator’s Room updated on your progress!

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailStarting Your Own School: Life Is Full Of Choices - Part I Using Current Events in Teaching the Executive Branch And We Will Rise: Day 3 of the Oklahoma Walkout Civility in the Classroom and the Rise of American Fascism
« Pulling Back the Curtain: You Can't Save Them All...
A Homeschooling Mission Statement. Do You Have One? Should you? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katherine G says

    September 05, 2012 at 4:20 pm

    These are some great tips.

    Reply
  2. Marla says

    October 06, 2012 at 7:07 am

    I would disagree with sharing your feelings with the kids - there is no way you can be professional and do this. There is a big difference between grade 12 and grade 9, but focus on positive differences. 9th graders have more energy, they tend to be more enthusiastic about school. You can ask them to do silly things, like break up into teams to answer questions and race to the board to move their game pieces and they will DO them. Try getting a 12th grader to stop being cool for long enough to do that - it will not happen. 9th grade is an important year and you are a part of it - take lots of time to turn these big 8th graders into students with high school habits. If you haven't done it before, go through procedure training with them - they truly need to be taught how to be high school students, how to organize themselves, how to set priorities in studying, how to study at all. It's a different way of life than teaching seniors, but once you decide to do your job properly instead of being miserable about it, you may find you actually enjoy it. And I'm speaking as a 20 year veteran who has taught all levels 7 - 12.

    Reply
  3. Dave G says

    January 01, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    Grade 9s -- and Grade 12s -- are not just different: they are almost a different species!

    The advice to share feelings is HORRIBLE ADVICE. Grade 9s by and large will EAT YOU ALIVE if you take this advice.

    I'm a 20 year veteran, and I mostly deal with grade 8-9 students now (by choice). Many lesson plans might work from your senior files, but here is my advice for dealing with younger students:

    Grade 9s may be 'bigger in body', but they still (often) have the heart of a younger child. Some of them still (secretly) play with toys, though they will NEVER admit this to anyone but their closest friends.

    Most will still happily do 'coloring' activities in class, if it is appropriate. Grade 12s would look at you cross-eyed if you asked them to do that. Further, they are more likely to enjoy ANY art-based activity if you give them the chance. In my French classes, grade 9s will turn in amazing artwork surrounding the day's lesson on, say, the Avoir verb.

    The advice from Marla (above) is also great. The kids, if you can get them onside, will often do MORE for you than any grade 12 would, because of their boundless enthusiasm. This is why I CHOOSE to work with grade 8-9 students now.

    Best of luck to you younger teachers. More than EVER, this is one of the HARDEST PROFESSIONS in the Western World, and more than ever it is one of the most DEVALUED professions in the Western World.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • Ask The Educator's Room: I'm dating a student's dad. Should we tell the school?
  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.