You’re the Spark – a Letter to Teachers Starting the Year

Dear teacher,

The new school year is here – exciting, busy, perhaps a little nerve-wracking. It’s good to get back to the school routine after an unscheduled summer (as fun as that was). It’s fascinating to meet your new students and reconnect with old ones – full of their own questions, hopes and fears for the year ahead.

No doubt, you have a lot to do. Lesson plans, rosters, new classrooms, new names to learn. Perhaps new programs to get to grips with. But in all that bustle, it’s worth remembering how you got here – and why you chose to become a teacher.

You’re here because you want to make an impact on your students and their future lives. You know that the work you do now, could still be paying off for your students in several decades’ time. Not just in the form of successful careers (though of course, that’s vital), but in confidence, knowledge and friendships.

Of course, the work has to come from your students. But they need you to be the spark. 

What it means to ‘be the spark’

Most of us remember at least one teacher from our own schooldays who stood out. They’re the teachers who:

• Make it clear they care for their students as people, and not simply in academic terms. This might mean noticing things like a previously model student being regularly late with homework, or a normally chatty student seeming anxious, and taking the time to check in with them.
• Teach students in the way they need to be taught. Differentiating assignments, trying new ways of explaining things, showing flexibility when one approach doesn’t work for every student. These teachers know that it doesn’t matter how they want to teach – it matters how their students want to learn.
• Never give up on a student. Great teachers know that even those students who struggle with learning or seem uninterested can learn successfully, with enough persistence. They also know that struggling students will often feel ‘written off’ by others – and will make sure they keep on supporting, rather than criticising.

In other words, inspirational teachers are their students’ cheerleaders – regardless of those students’ abilities or home lives.

Do you remember a teacher like this? Perhaps that teacher (or teachers) is part of the reason you joined the profession. Even if you weren’t taught by a teacher who felt inspirational, perhaps you work with one (or several now).

But how about you – do you feel as if you’re an inspirational teacher, one who can ignite a spark in your students?

If you care enough to ask the question, the chances are that you are. But if you want to make sure, here’s how.

5 Practical Things You Can Do To Be an Inspirational Teacher

1) Share stories

Stories create connections between people – including teachers and their students. And you don’t have to be an elementary school or language teacher in order to use stories in this way.

Use stories to get to know your class at the start of the year. But rather than asking them to start, tell them your story first. Share how and why you got into teaching, your family and where you live, or talk about your own schooldays.

Try and pick out stories that you know will build rapport with your students – for example, if you know many in your class struggle with aspects of learning, share a story about something you found hard at school. Older students might also be fascinated by stories about your subject and what it means to you, especially if they’re at a stage where they might be thinking about their own future education and careers.

2) Create classroom rituals

Developing consistent, welcoming rituals helps build a culture within your classroom. Students know what to expect from you and each other, which helps them feel relaxed and ready to learn.

Rituals could be simple things like greeting you and each other at the start of each lesson, and saying goodbye at the end of the day. They could also be things like circle time, (where every student gets the chance to speak or ask questions they might not otherwise), movement breaks (especially for younger students or in long lessons), and learning games.

3) Relate learning to experience

Students learn best when they can understand the purpose and relevance of what they’re learning. This may be easier in some subjects and topics than others, but there’s usually a way – and you can often make it fun.

For example, most students know that math is useful for budgeting, but they might still find the idea of budgeting boring and not relevant to them. But a student who can understand that algebra could help them with video game or sports strategy? They’re much more likely to engage and understand the concepts you’re teaching.

4) Vary your approach

When every lesson starts to feel similar to the last, even keen students can start to disengage – often without realizing it. Small changes to the way you teach and the materials you use can help students to refocus and re-engage – plus, it’s great for supporting different learning styles too.

For example, if you usually use lots of multimedia, try teaching with simple printouts for some lessons (or vice-versa). If you usually use whole-class teaching, try a lesson based on small group work

5) Collaborate and learn from colleagues

In many workplaces, people naturally share ideas and learn new ways of working from their colleagues. When you sit at a desk surrounded by others, it’s almost impossible not to.

But in teaching, you’ll usually work in separate classrooms for much of the day, which means you miss out on these natural learning opportunities. Instead, you’ll need to create them. Make a point of sharing wins, discussing problems and asking for support when you need it.