A New Series Just for Beginning Teachers 

When the pandemic began, I had five upcoming speaking engagements that I was particularly looking forward to. At all of them, I would be helping groups of teachers figure out ways to deal successfully with their most challenging students so that those students could be successful classroom citizens. And, of course, my hope was that their teachers could also enjoy their profession more without the debilitating stress that accompanies trying to deal with unruly and difficult students.

The pandemic changed everything. 

At home, I watched as teachers were hailed as heroes for the way they managed the incredible task of teaching kids during the pandemic lockdown. And not just teaching: seeing that their students were fed and cared for even when normal classroom support systems were not available. I watched with pride as teachers everywhere found the grace and patience to connect with their students in new ways. 

And then that changed, too. With growing despair, I watched as teachers were vilified for not doing enough. NOT DOING ENOUGH? 

Now there's the "surprising" news that there will be a record shortage of educators this fall. Of course, there will be. Incredibly difficult jobs + unrealistic expectations + stinking heaps of public criticism do not make make becoming an educator a popular career choice.

Old news, I know, to those of you who lived it. But, despite everything, better times lie ahead. I fully believe that. As the horrors of the pandemic begin to fade, education is still a worthy and personally fulfilling profession. You help people change their lives when you are an educator. 

To help beginning teachers adjust to their new profession, I plan to publish some of the slides that I had prepared for my pre-pandemic presentation. My hope is to provide a weekly framework of suggestions to help new teachers find ways to support and work well with all of their students--not just the most difficult or challenging ones. 

So, to start, here are a few thoughts about how to avoid one of the most common classroom problems: power struggles.