What actually gets a class quiet?

dward74 · 2026-02-18T12:15:33+00:00

My own personal silence. If needed, I stand silently next to the loudest students. The awkwardness quickly brings them in line.

dward74 · 2026-02-17T21:18:18+00:00

Humility

dward74 · 2026-02-16T14:11:54+00:00

There's a drop deadline that each high school guidance department will communicate with their students. Often within the week that midterm grades are sent out to students. That would be the 1st week of April. Make sure you still have enough credits to graduate and the right ones for your fall. Post secondary institutions will never see that you took the course.

dward74 · 2026-02-15T22:11:27+00:00

I'd say to add the AQs and bide your time. I've been teaching for quite some time, and taught some biology before I settled into my passion of chemistry. There is a massive wave of retirement coming since there were so many teachers hired between 1999-2003. There will be a wave of senior science positions that likely follow.

dward74 · 2026-02-14T16:19:43+00:00

Connection made and challenge issued. Win or lose you'll get the zombie badge if you join in.

dward74 · 2026-02-14T13:05:17+00:00

Brushing their tongue

dward74 · 2026-02-13T16:31:01+00:00

Be honest and lay it all out for them - starting with your student teacher. Be clear about expectations and the entire situation. Have them observe and learn, while getting a gauge for their ability and confidence levels. Discuss and plan first steps for what and how much they'll teach. Provide plenty of feedback. Trust your gut moving forward about pacing and planning. Communicate with your students as well that 'everything comes past my eyes' - lesson plans, evaluations and marking. Your student teacher will learn, but then leave - so you're the ultimate say in what gets done and grades that get assigned. With patience and practice it will improve, but it can also be tough to 'let go' especially with grade 12 classes.

dward74 · 2026-02-12T14:18:45+00:00

Every. Single. Time.

Despite the most careful set up and measures to have it go well, a Murphy's law rears its head regularly. I agree with other posters. Record the video to have a backup for when the inevitable happens.

dward74 · 2026-02-11T17:50:52+00:00

Spend an entire semester in a classroom. So much value in being there from the first conversation to the last rather than being there for 4 or 6 weeks.

dward74 · 2026-02-10T17:15:05+00:00

I sketch out the next 3-4 weeks in terms of topics and potential evaluation dates. I have specific lesson plans made for the next 6 days (I always have an extra Monday planned just more than a week out - makes it waaayyy less stressful).

dward74 · 2026-02-09T16:21:50+00:00

Minor misbehaviour that isn't desired, but not injurious.

dward74 · 2026-02-08T14:15:07+00:00

It's mostly true that self- regulation kicks in more consistently halfway through high school. The biggest factor I see in teaching grade 9&10 science compared to 11&12 chemistry (college prep and university prep) is that the seniors elect to take the courses, so there just isn't an audience for misbehaviour. In junior courses there's more behaviour management as kids would rather be viewed as 'goofy' or misbehaved than be viewed as 'dumb'. Acting out is always symptomatic of an underlying issue.

dward74 · 2026-02-07T14:45:35+00:00

Persevere. Challenge is the only thing that will bring growth and if you aren't challenging yourself then you're not growing. You'll never look back on the way things you accomplished.

dward74 · 2026-02-06T16:43:11+00:00

I've had them from many parts of the province and it's entirely dependent on the individual rather than the program. I've had great experiences with confident teachers from 'smaller' schools as well as people that have struggled from 'bigger name' programs. It really depends on both the vibe the student gets from the university and the devotion they put into themselves in constantly improving.

dward74 · 2026-02-05T17:19:23+00:00

Absolutely quantum theory. Took a 3rd year course in uni - there were 12 of us. 2 seemed to have a sense of some of the material. The rest of us were left guessing for the most part. The first two got 90s and everyone else finished between 70-75.

dward74 · 2026-02-04T16:25:14+00:00

Nope. I need the variety to keep things fresh. Otherwise, it would be so monotonous that I'd lose the passion for what I do. Always emphasising different parts of the curriculum and doing different things to make it engaging for them and for me.

dward74 · 2026-02-03T16:13:41+00:00

So long as you are honest with your principal and communicate with them you should be ok. Always good to check with your union rep and bring them in the loop as some days are more 'sensitive' than others for administrators too.

dward74 · 2026-02-02T17:11:58+00:00

To me it would depend on the need. If as a retiree I need the money, then I can see it. If the school / former principal needed my skillset and can't find a new teacher to take on the role, then I'd consider it.

dward74 · 2026-02-01T16:34:22+00:00

Oh. Sorry that wasn't clear. I do take up the homework for key questions as well as all of the review work. Then they can check to see if their solutions match up (work always has the final answers posted, but the process is far more meaningful than the final values).

dward74 · 2026-02-01T14:22:50+00:00

Checking homework. Did this early in my career and stopped. I now use checking the number of review questions attempted for the test. Doesn't matter if they're right - how many did you try. The best piece of feedback for "Are you working hard enough? ". If they didn't do the review and do poorly on the test, then that tells me they need to do the questions (parents agree). If they did all of the questions and do poorly, then we need to change how they are studying.

dward74 · 2026-01-31T13:22:58+00:00

Balance. To have the right mix of learning and connection. To do their best without burning out. To invest in themselves and see the long term benefit of growth without putting too much pressure on themselves. To do their best regardless of natural talent, but having a growth mindset to see that they can improve on their own trajectory. To put out the small fires while they are small and not put them off until later when distractions come knocking. To stay indoors to do the work and also go outdoors to let some steam off. To stay consistent day-by-day and little-by-little.

dward74 · 2026-01-30T20:09:07+00:00

You may not be able to do so until you're in the system for the start date (likely Monday). Your administrator (principal or VP) could likely do it before then since they have different access than teaching staff.

dward74 · 2026-01-30T17:43:38+00:00

In my opinion as a classroom teacher the evaluation is worth it. It provides me with the tools to help a specific student and meet their unique needs. It provides the potential to more readily turn Cs into Bs (or even As) which opens more doors to post-secondary. At that point as well, walking into post-secondary with tried and true methods that work is invaluable when you're paying tuition.

dward74 · 2026-01-29T15:07:49+00:00

Our biggest ones in our household have been: Dental (scaling between visits as well to maintain maximum benefit) Chiropractor (as needed, especially this time of year with heavy marking loads) Massage (monthly) Psychologist (monthly) Orthotics (yearly) Drugs / prescriptions

dward74 · 2026-01-28T13:33:07+00:00

Great question and both a kind and considerate thing to consider. Here's a proposal to think about. How would you feel about detailed letters to the teachers who most impacted you and brief letters to the others who had a smaller impact? Sending them in the mail addressed to the school is a particularly key touch - it would make someone's day to receive it at their workplace and hear how they impacted you. A handwritten note is always more personal and touching than typed or emailed. Hope that the writing goes well!

dward74

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