School Events

The job you do as a teacher is not confined to just you standing in front of the chalkboard, delivering information and knowledge. That's just a piece to the overall puzzle that is your school itself. Don't overlook that your role in this bigger picture by focusing only on the teaching aspect. Branch out and show that you want to get involved with extra-curricular events.

The best way to do this is to start getting involved with things in your school that don't have anything to do with what happens in the classroom. You may have decided to become a teacher because you love helping kids, but you also need to show that you care about your school as well as your colleagues. To be a successful teacher in your first year, you're going to have to put up some big numbers as far as hours spent after school go. You can be sure that your school administrators and other teachers will find out which car you drive, and will be keeping an eye out for when you arrive and leave. If they find that your car is always gone when they go out into the parking lot, they'll assume you're slacking, because they are aware that a good teacher is not a clock watcher.

Involving yourself in after school activities gives you a special chance to work with your kids and your co-workers in a much more lightened atmosphere. It sends the message to your students that you care about them, even when you're not being paid for it. It also shows your colleagues that you are able to carry your own weight. Here are two ways to get you started:

Sporting Events and Performances. You might be aware that some students put in tons of hours after school, either practicing athletics or rehearsing for a play. Nothing will mean more to a student than if you show up to one of their games or to the performance that they are in. They expend so much effort into these hobbies, that it shows them you care, even if they can't always get the right answer in your class.

A School Activity - You can pitch in with almost any school activity and you will be looked at as a God-send. Here are a few examples of some things you can do, to get your brainstorming going: keep time or scores at any of the sporting events, be the announcer at a game, patrol the parking lot during games, man a table during orientation night, serve as department chair, chair a committee, help with a fund raiser, participate in the D.A.R.E. program or your schools similar substitute, chaperon a dance, or help build homecoming floats.