Seven Insights for Teaching Success
A Teacher’s Guide to Producing Positive Outcomes
by
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There were lots of days, especially in the first few years, that I doubted my abilities and seriously questioned my career choice. Working as a teacher in the traditional sense can be extremely challenging and it takes a special individual who possesses incredible resilience and resolve to accept so much responsibility.
As a teacher you may spend countless hours developing lessons that you believe will be hugely successful only to discover that sometimes they are not as amazing as they looked on paper and in your imagination. You may feel compelled to spend evenings and weekends working on school-related tasks instead of enjoying time with your family. You certainly need to be prepared for the next school day, but be careful not to get too caught up.
Group dynamics plays an important role in how effective or ineffective a lesson will be as well. One negative remark from a student can spread discord throughout the classroom the same as a positive reaction from your “allies” can lead to greater buy-in. Readiness and willingness of your students to participate will ultimately determine the day-to-day success of your lessons. You will encounter so many personalities, attitudes and characters when you step to through the doorway of your classroom. You can be super-excited and well-prepared only to realize your students do not always share your enthusiasm, cannot comprehend what you are trying to teach, or are simply not mentally or psychologically ready for the information you are trying to get across. It is a constant process of trial and error, of developing and fine-tuning in an attempt to reach as many minds as possible each day.
And, as involved as all of the planning and executing, the first, most important step, is building relationships with your students. Students who know that you care about them, their lives and their well-being are much more eager to accept the knowledge that you are imparting. As you read through these pages, it is my deepest hope that you will see that you are already equipped with everything inside of you that will bring you a successful and satisfying career. My greatest wish is that you will be inspired to face your days in the classroom with confidence and courage because our children need you so much.
Oftentimes, we may represent their one hope of an understanding adult who is there to help them and not to criticize or condemn them. Remember that fact every time you enter into your school, as you walk through the hallways and as you greet your children at your classroom door. Understand that they are a product of what life has shown them and that they are likely coping the best way that they know how. If you want to be that change in someone’s life, do not discount them for their use of vocabulary, their attitudes, or their appearance. Get to know each individual’s story, find out the “why” in their life, and do your part to guide them on their path to success.
Yes, I know what I am asking seems impossible. It is indeed a challenge. However, as I see it, the only way to be truly successful as a teacher is to embrace the whole child with their imperfections and their awesomeness, their tragedies and their triumphs, their sadness and their joy. I believe that it is our perceptions of reality, our attitudes each day and our open-mindedness to understand and to seek knowledge that help or hinder us in building the necessary relationships in our professional and personal lives.
We must seek out mentors and serve as mentors to others. We must look ourselves in the mirror and be honest about who we see and what we want from this one opportunity, this one life we are given, this one chance to make our mark on history.
This book was written for you because I choose to be a servant leader who imparts the wisdom that I have gained from nearly 25 years in the classroom. If making a difference in the countless lives that you will touch in this noble profession of teaching is high on your list of priorities, I hope Seven Insights for Teaching Success will be the influence and inspiration that guides you on your journey.
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About the Book
As a teacher, you’ll encounter many personalities, attitudes, and characters when you step into a classroom.
Even if you’re super-excited and prepared, you may realize your students do not always share your enthusiasm, cannot comprehend what you are trying to teach, or aren’t mentally or psychologically ready for the information you are trying to convey.
Donna L. Holman, who has spent more than twenty-five years in the classroom helping students reach their potential, shares strategies to succeed in this guide for new and veteran teachers alike. Learn how to:
- foster a safe, supportive environment;
- encourage critical thinking and collaboration;
- establish strong relationships with your students; and
- leverage a mindset of daily commitment to personal growth and development.
You must believe that you are the best candidate to lead your students to success. You are their guide, their advocate, their protector, and their motivator. You have greatness within you—and must convince them that they have greatness within themselves.
Welcome to teaching-the most valuable profession that prepares individuals for every other occupation in the world.
Discover solutions-driven practices to help students achieve with Seven Insights for Teaching Success.
About the Author
Donna L. Holman has devoted nearly 30 years of her life to making the classroom an inviting, exciting and safe environment where students can be themselves while discovering their potential. She firmly holds that all children can learn and that they can achieve whatever they believe as long as they have devoted, caring adults to serve as role models and mentors.
Growing up in the rural midlands of South Carolina, she graduated Edisto High and Columbia College with honors. She began her career at Felton Laboratory School, a K-8 institution at SC State College, where she taught French and Spanish. She introduced the Aviation Club and served as co-advisor of the Broadcasting Club, an innovative, student-centered program recognized in Building Dreams, Helping Students Discover Their Potential by author and motivational speaker, Mychal Wynn.
After 12 years at FLS, Mrs. Holman returned to her alma mater, EHS and while there, she joined a school-to-work program for teachers which led her to a correspondent position at the Times and Democrat newspaper. She has received an M. Ed. in counselor education but remains in the classroom at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High as a French and Spanish instructor.
In addition to her SC teaching certificate, Mrs. Holman is an FAA certificated commercial pilot and an Independent Associate with LegalShield. She and her husband, William are the proud parents of a daughter and a son, Ashleigh and Dalton. They enjoy working together on their farm where evenings are often spent relaxing with their animals on “Holman Island.”