Michael Van Eaton shares knowledge gained over his career for other teachers to thrive in education.
A career in education is a lot more than teaching the assigned subjects at prescribed hours. Over the course of a career, educators like Michael Van Easton become masters of the nuances of encouragement, motivation, planning and project management.
There are lessons to be learned inside and outside the classroom, and all of them can be brought to the table when planning a school year or assisting a student with a problem.
Michael Van Easton recommends acquiring skills from other fields
As education continues to evolve and technology dominates the classroom experience, it is important to stay on top of best practices in other industries, including management. Learning key skills, such as project management, leadership basics and motivational tools used in recruitment and retention can all find application in the classroom.
For example, project management best practices make it easier to plan expanded lessons with field trips, hands-on learning opportunities and events. Motivation is always necessary to inspire students and for the teacher to stay on track with a plan for the entire year. Recruitment and retention basics can help you inform potential students about the value of your elective course or class and determine if is it the right path. Michael Van Eaton also states retention practices, such as boosting engagement and considering feedback, lead to a more rewarding professional and classroom experience.
Diversify your own education
Continuing your education is important. Whether you are attending seminars centered around the application of new technology in the classroom or striving to earn a new degree, being brave enough to learn new things helps you relate to your students and stay fresh. Michael Van Eaton calls this a win-win for those adding new credentials. You acquire the ability to move up the ladder at a school or school district and help more students from larger roles or administrative positions and may earn access to a higher pay grade.
Familiarize yourself with other resources
Beyond the formalized implementation of new tools in the classroom, it is a good best practice to meet your students where they are at technologically speaking. Michael Van Eaton says to dedicate your time to learning the latest ways to use the technology at your disposal and research the tools students are using independently. For example, a physical education teacher or coach can better relate to students by learning how to use a smartwatch and physical activity tracking software to assist students in tracking their health and fitness gains. It can also help students avoid any potential pitfalls of certain features of smart devices, such as those that would lead to overtraining or away from dietary best practices.