When you have a teacher who you love and who has the kind of attention span that can last for hours, it’s important to get the job done.
But that attention span can slip, so here are six tips to keep in mind.
1.
Ask about your kids’ grades.
Some teachers are particularly keen to find out what their students are doing on the computer, and if they’re taking standardized tests.
Some schools will even provide free online assessments for their students, which they can fill out on their laptops and tablets.
If you don’t know if they’ve been using the app or are just curious, you can ask them to sign in.
They’ll probably tell you they haven’t had time to download the app.
If they’re not getting the results, ask them if they have a tutor or are interested in working with a teacher.
If the answers are yes, you should give them a pass.
If not, ask why and make it clear that the student needs help.
2.
Ask for feedback.
When you teach, you need to have feedback from the people around you.
If someone makes a comment, for example, you want to hear how they feel about it.
But when you ask teachers, many are reluctant to give feedback.
That’s because they’re concerned about upsetting students or teachers.
Instead, it helps to get in touch with the students.
They might tell you that they have concerns, but are unsure if they can give an honest assessment of the problem.
You can ask what they’ve learned, whether they’re able to take notes, or how you might improve.
They can also provide feedback anonymously.
3.
Take notes.
One of the biggest ways to learn is to read.
When teachers take notes or send you their grades, you’re often reading their thoughts about the subject matter.
And sometimes, you might not know what to do with those notes.
So, if you have some notes to pass on, it can be a great way to get a sense of what you’re doing.
4.
Keep a journal.
You don’t want to write down every mistake you make.
That can get boring.
But you don.
If a student gets into a bad habit or gets upset, you’ll want to remember how that went and what you did to fix it.
If it takes a while to get into that part of the book, ask the teacher to write a short note on a piece of paper and bring it to class.
That way, you won’t be caught completely off guard by a mistake later on. 5.
Learn to share.
A lot of times, a teacher will share their feedback with the class.
Some students may take the opportunity to ask questions about it, and you can do the same.
But if the teacher feels that you’re being too negative or you’re too critical, they can take the feedback as a challenge to improve your performance.
6.
Don’t get stuck.
If something doesn’t go right, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep working on it.
As teachers, we have a lot of learning to do, and it can feel like a slog.
But the key is to be patient and not get stuck and not put yourself in situations that you can’t win.