The Tips
One idea per video, from teachers who have already tried it both ways. Filter by who you are and what you’re wrestling with this week.
20 tips
0:56Be that teacher
Think of the teacher who changed something for you. Now go be that person.
With Tammy Striler
1:01Is this the hill you want to die on?
The answer is no. Save the hill for something that matters.
With Tammy Striler
2:18Call home with something good
Parents brace for the school's number. Break that pattern before anything goes wrong.
With Tammy Striler
1:24Fake it till you make it
You're new. The parent still needs to see that their child is in good hands.
With Tammy Striler
2:00Teach like there's a camera on your shoulder
Would the parent approve of what you just said? During COVID they were literally listening.
With Tammy Striler
2:26Relationships are the whole job
Get in the lunchroom. Know the secretary. She's the one running the school.
With Tammy Striler
2:06Don't spend your own money on incentives
Bribery works. The things kids want most happen to be free.
With Tammy Striler
2:01Use humor
Let them see you're human. It's what they'll actually remember.
With Tammy Striler
1:28Cry week is coming, and it's normal
Progress reports, report cards and conferences all land in the same stretch.
With Tammy Striler
1:25On breaks, actually disconnect
Get a book with nothing to do with school. The work will still be there.
With Tammy Striler
1:21If you're in it for the summers off, rethink it
One of the most rewarding things you'll do, and one of the hardest. Both are true.
With Tammy Striler
1:02Take the twelve-month pay
Teachers are paid over ten months, not twelve. Spread it out from day one.
With Tammy Striler
1:55Get out of your room at lunch
You have no idea what gets decided in the teacher's lounge — or in the line for the bathroom.
With Tammy Striler
1:48No surprises for your principal
If you think a parent might call, get there first. And invite them in before the formal observation.
With Tammy Striler
1:40Class parties: no glitter, ever
Cupcakes on the way out the door, and never hold the party on the last day.
With Tammy Striler
1:27Take work email off your phone
One message before bed and you're not sleeping. Keep it on the computer.
With Tammy Striler
1:29First day, back-to-school night, conferences
The three events that set the tone — and the mistake to avoid at each one.
With Tammy Striler
1:13The things people say when you tell them you're a teacher
“That's so fun, you get to play all day.” You'll hear it forever. Here's the answer.
With Tammy Striler
0:55What's said in the tent stays in the tent
Not an actual tent. Get invited into one, and don't leak it.
With Tammy Striler
1:34Be flexible — this job changes on a dime
A kid vomits. Someone pulls the fire alarm. Or there's a world pandemic.
With Tammy Striler