Advice to Rookies
by John Merrow
“My child/grandchild/sister/brother is joining Teach for America. What should she/he do?” I’ve been asked that question about a half dozen times every year for the past few years by friends, acquaintances or strangers.
So how do I respond?
First of all, I do not say, “Don’t smile until Christmas,” because that’s just plain stupid. Smiles are good.
Nor do I say “Remember that you are their teacher and not their friend,” because that equally stupid cliché implies the roles are incompatible. You are teachers first, of course, but friendships sometimes follow, and that’s good.
No, my advice to new teachers has nothing to do with students and everything to do with their
