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Survey: Unprepared for teaching
Responses (generally unedited and in alphabetical order) to the following question used in a survey to collect data for Becoming a Win-Win Teacher:
In which areas of education were you least prepared?
Note to site visitors: If you would like to respond to this question to post on this site, click here. Please include how you would like to have your response attributed (name and position or position only).
I was best prepared in the humor category, but that was personal not through training. I was least prepared for the paperwork and that was before NCLB.
—Mel Alper, retired high school history teacher
Knowledge of content area and my general interactions with the kids were and are my strongest areas in teaching. I was the least prepared with student grading, organization, parent contact, positive behavior incentive, and planning.
—art teacher (first year)
[Best prepared in] my subject area, English. [Least prepared] trying to differentiate instruction.
—assistant superintendent
I was best prepared for technology and classroom management. I was least prepared for phonics and Phonemic awareness. I was also not prepared for all the special education students in the regular education room.
—Jennifer Burkholder, first grade teacher
I was best prepared to evaluate students and instruct. I was not prepared to deal with antagonistic parents.
—Maryann Caprioli, fourth grade special education teacher
Nothing prepared me for the students I taught that first year. I was in a low income school, with students whose only meal was lunch provided by the school. When I first started teaching, I had no books, period. I bought index cards and had the student tell me one word a day. The next day I would review the words with the student. Any word they recognized, they kept. Any word they did not recognize was put in another pile. The students soon learned to put the words together to form a sentence, and then paragraphs. They read the words and wrote sentences using those cards. I had to write the math problems on the board, and the students copied the problems. We worked through math using Popsicle sticks I had the students collect. That first year was a real learning experience.
—Sallie Chaffin, professional development project coordinator
I was prepared with special education knowledge. I knew the overall components of an IEP and how to write one. I was least prepared with classroom management and establishment of classroom routines. I was also not prepared for supervising a paraeducator! So difficult to be young and responsible for someone else's duties without any management experience.
—Amy Donner Chait, special education teacher
I was prepared to plan for and implement lessons although not as ready to make adjustments when things didn't go quite right. I was least prepared to deal with difficult parents. They made some years especially trying.
—Christie DeMello, eighth grade teacher
I was best prepared with planning. My undergrad courses taught me that it’s always good to have a back-up plan. I was the least prepared for all of the social and emotional issues that our students face on a daily basis. We talk about Maslow and basic needs being met, but you don’t fully understand that until you get into the classroom.
—eighth grade English teacher
[Best prepared for] assessment (school psychology). [Least prepared for] behavior management.
—educational service center director
I think I was probably best prepared academically. However, I have discovered that academic preparation in the subject matter is really a small part of what is essential in order to be a good teacher. Academic preparation is certainly required; none of the rest of the skills would have a chance to flourish without that foundation. I suppose there should have been some of that kind of information sharing in a student teaching experience, but that was not the case for me. I know that there are some things that you can really never know until you just get into a classroom and start teaching, but there is an entire aspect of the experience that was missing from my education courses in college. (and I attended a satellite campus of The University of Michigan!).
—Anissa Emery, high school counselor and English teacher
I was definitely prepared in lesson planning. I have really had to work on finding classroom management skills that work for most students. I find that what worked for one child didn’t work for the next. I have discovered it is a mix of everything and that one style won’t work for everyone.
—Michelle Erickson, first grade teacher
The area that I was best prepared in was lesson planning with Blooms taxonomy, and making sure that the lessons incorporate more than one subject. The area I was least prepared is time management. It is difficult to make sure that 19 students are all getting all of the help and support that they need and are able to get all of their work done. Time is always an issue for me. Some students take five minutes to do an assignment, when others need twenty. I believe with more experience I will fell more confident that every student is getting all the help that they need.
—Suzanne Faas, fourth through sixth grade teacher (first year)
I knew my grammar and my vocabulary. I could also translate from Old English and Middle English and could recite John Donne and Andrew Marvell any time of day. In primary school these special translation and recitation skills have not been of any use, though. I was also thoroughly prepared to make extra material, cut out pictures from magazines and make brilliant lesson plans. However, I was not at all prepared to deal with kids with ADHD, dyslexia, various other learning difficulties, behaviour problems, kids from broken homes or dysfunctional families, parents...I could go on and on with this list.
—Tuija Fagerlund, primary language teacher
I was prepared in writing lesson plans, IEP's, making modifications and accommodations. I was the least prepared in dealing with parents.
—Ashley Ferris, sixth grade teacher
I feel that I was very well prepared to teach children. I don’t feel that I was as well prepared do deal with parents (especially the difficult ones). I feel I learned this through experience and by learning from more experienced teachers and principals.
—first grade teacher
I get kids. I have a strong intuition that guides me through most days. I was prepared to teach academics. I was ill prepared to effectively deal with mental health issues in my students and their parents.
—Julia Frascona, EBD (emotional and behavioral disabiity) teacher
I was best prepared for the content. I was least prepared to deal with the foolish antics of the students.
—Jeremy Freedman, high school science teacher
[Best prepared:] I was fortunate to have a great undergraduate education where the concept of “mind-body-spirit” was incorporated in all aspects of education. As time goes on, it is good to rely on that foundation, because the success of students is often found in addressing the emotions and attitudes of students first—then the knowledge (cognitive) will follow. [Least prepared:]
February. 28 (sometimes 29) days, but February is the longest month of the school year.
—David Friedli, secondary principal
My subject matter (math) was the easiest thing to be prepared for. Relationships with thousands of different types of kids is the hardest thing to prepare for.
—Bill Funkhouser, middle school math teacher
The areas that I was best prepared for were communication with parents, coworkers, lesson preparation, and using various technology in the schools. By far, the least prepared area for me was discipline, something that doesn’t come in a textbook or in a course. At least when I was in college, there was no discipline course, no materials to look through in preparation. Another thing that I was not prepared for was parent-teacher conferences and how to deal with angry parents. That took me a lot of time to get down and to be comfortable with.
—Jason Gehrke, third grade teacher
When I entered teaching we were well prepared to keep students busy doing tasks teachers set. They were simpler days but now, as then, students still need to know what they are expected to do. I wasn’t prepared for the diversity of students’ backgrounds and ways of learning, and the whole area of relationships. Perhaps this was not such an issue in earlier times because student individuality was not as valued as it is today.
—Bruce Hammonds, independent educational advisor
I was best prepared for the organizational part of teaching: the lesson planning, unit design, test construction, all the paper work. I was least prepared for dealing with oppositional students who needed first to learn to trust me before they would ever consider respecting me. Only then could I reach them academically.
—Tammy Hanna, middle school administrator
Best: Behavior management. Least: Specific programs used in schools
—Stacy Harris, second grade teacher
I was best prepared to handle a classroom of severely handicapped kids. It was the children with all the emotional and behavioral issues that stumped me.
—Marti Johnson, ED behavior specialist
I was able to write lesson plans like a pro. My organizational skills were excellent. My weaknesses were the politics of teaching.
—K-3 teacher
[Best prepared] in planning. [Least prepared] in dealing with difficult students.
—Seta Khajarian, academic advisor
Best prepared in the use of textbooks. The least was in the area of social-emotional needs.
—Marilyn Lane, former principal, president CA Association Gifted
I was best prepared for my content. I was trained to be a high school English teacher and knew British and American Literature thoroughly and how to teach theme, character, etc. I was prepared to teach writing—all aspects of the process—and knew the rules of grammar. I was least prepared fro dealing with parents. Nothing prepared me for that!
—Diane Laveglia, instructional specialist for staff development
I was best prepared for using best practices in teaching an array of lessons, and dealing with classroom management.
I was least prepared for how to formulate and calculate grades in the best way. How much different projects, activities should be weighed against each other. And how to deal with parents reactions to grades, etc.
—Sherri Leeper, fourth grade teacher
I was best prepared academically, with good communication skills and a good work ethic. I was least prepared for the specifics of the job - handling multiple grade levels, subjects and disabilities, along with discipline, parents, and school responsibilities.
—Berna Levine, special education supervisor
[Best:] Classroom management. [Least:] Differentiated instruction
—Marvin Marshall, author and educator
I was best prepared for the actual teaching and classroom management aspects. I was less prepared for the politics of dealing with parents and knowing what paperwork to complete that was unique to my school and district.
—Michelle Mayrose, Title I reading specialist
[Best:] Bulletin boards and how to make a correct lesson plan in way too much detail. [Least:] I guess I really didn't even know how to read a teacher's manual. We should have classes in how to use one and how to pick and choose which activities to use. Also classroom management.
—Wonell Miller, elementary teacher
[Best prepared] to teach curriculum. [Least prepared] to teach unmotivated students.
—Chick Moorman, author, educator
I am a born student, an academic. When I learn content or pedagogy, I have it down cold. However, my first year, I felt tremendously inadequate because the methods courses I was required to take were not practical. The college and the school systems just were not collaborating. I just had no idea how to go about teaching a subject. No clue.
—Aili Pogust, educational consultant
I was lucky in that I was given the opportunity to do a ten week internship in the fourth year of my degree. In the final two weeks I was required to take over the class without the safety net of a mentoring teacher in the room. This really prepared me for the reality of day to day life in the classroom. I was required to contribute to reports, plan consecutive programs and manage a very difficult classroom environment. This scared me like hell but taught me ‘I can do this.’ Saying all that there is nothing that can truly prepare you for that first day when you step into your classroom and get told here is your class you now need to organise the physical environment, implement behaviour management strategies, start reports (I took over a class in term 4), get your programs ready… oh and you have two new students starting today. That bit is trial and error.
—Sione Quaas, elementary teacher
I was best prepared for behavior and management. I was least prepared in strategies to teach students math who did not learn in the way I did.
—Jean Ramirez, positive behavior support specialist
I was best prepared in the area of developing lesson plans. I feel I was least prepared in the area of discipline.
—Lois Romm, elementary readng teacher
I was best prepared to present lessons, in the academic sense. I really needed help with classroom management.
—Marcia Rosen, reading teacher, specialist, facilitator
I was best prepared to deliver the actual academic curriculum. Planning and teaching the academic content is the easy part. I was least prepared for the demands of required testing, concerned parents, as well as the inundation of paperwork related to students who have special needs.
—Adrian Schaefer, third grade teacher
I was best prepared for my subject area, music. I was least prepared in actually teaching and what to do in specific situations.
—Sherry Schafer, K-8 music teacher
[Best prepared for] creating new ways to teach old concepts.
[Least prepared for] the time it takes to be a good teacher, always staying on top of your discipline, the intensity associated with trying to be your best all of the time.
—Lindsay Shepheard, executive assistant to the superintendent
As a beginning teacher I was best prepared for teaching the curriculum. It is definitely a learning curve, but after you do it a year or two it becomes easier. I was least prepared for handling the behavior problems that would arise. Specifically, how to handle them with the student and then with communicating my concerns to their parents.
—Jill Snyderman, kindergarten teacher
I was best prepared in how to find and create lessons. I was least prepared for student management ideas.
—Shelly Traver, seventh grade life science teacher
I was best prepared to teach in my content area because I had great English teachers growing up. I was least prepared to deal with all the needs these kids have today—whether they are self-imposed, parent imposed, or biological.
—Theresa Weidner, high school English teacher
I was best prepared in teaching the curriculum. I knew how to write lesson plans and meet the standards. I was least prepared in dealing with the management side of the job. I did not know how to lead the group.
—Kim Wilson, teacher
I was best prepared for my subject areas. I was least prepared for teaching with very little equipment and supplies. I also think more information and preparation for teachers in handling difficult students and parents would be extremely beneficial.
—Dot Woodfin, director of character education program
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