Here’s what I wish I knew when I started teaching

Fifteen Junes ago, I moved to Philadelphia and became a 7th grade teacher. I think about my first classroom and students a lot. I was fortunate to have wonderful mentors, helpful professors, and caring families. The students were great.

And I was terrible.

Here was the worst part. My students were not disrespectful. They were indifferent. Often, they would just tune me out.

Here is what I wish someone told me.

Write down everything you want to say. Read it. Cross out anything that is unnecessary, unclear, or incorrect. Write it again. Practice saying it.

In fact, nowadays, when I interview a new teacher, it’s the feedback I share the most.

Why?

When we don’t know exactly what we want to say, we usually say too much. Research shows that we’re rarely at a loss for words. We’re at a loss for thoughts. According to researchers on speech and the brain, we struggle to think and speak at the same time. Filler words are a cognitive crutch.

Most people who speak and write for a living understanding this.

Mark Twain once sent a friend a letter. “I wanted to write you a short letter” he wrote. “But I didn’t have time. So, I am sending a long one.” President Woodrow Wilson was asked how long it takes him to write a speech. “It depends on the length of the speech,” he said. “If it is a ten-minute speech it takes me all of two weeks to prepare it; if it is a half-hour speech it takes me a week; if I can talk as long as I want to it requires no preparation at all. I am ready now.”

It took me a long time to realize this. As a first year teacher, I went to a workshop that changed my classroom. Students started to listen, engage, and learn.

Still, every year around this time, I think back to those days and what I wish I knew: it can take a lot of time to say a little bit.