Retired educators share their best advice for new teachers.
“Just remember, you’re not by yourself,” said NEA-Retired member Gerald Lillard when we asked him what he would like to say to a new teacher. Reach out to colleagues throughout the building, said another; don’t be afraid to ask for help, advised the next. Do you see a pattern here?
The advice and encouragement offered by these 14 retired educators come from years of experience—more than 515 between them!—and a heart-felt desire to help the profession's next generation get off to a good start.
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How to avoid isolation and burnout
Gerald Lillard, Tennessee
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Dress professionally
Ernest Holley, Virginia
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Relate to your students
Jack Rollins, Overseas Education Association
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Be real with your students
Morris P. Fair, Sr., Tennessee
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Ask for help
Barbara Snyder, Tennessee
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Students do not need another friend
Stan Nowak, New York
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Each day is a new beginning
Sid Johnson, Arkansas
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Be proud to be an educator
Nevada Banks, Arkansas
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Go slow to go fast...
Jan Olson, Iowa
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Develop positive relationships built on trust
Johnny Davis, Alabama
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The three Fs of teaching
Jean Dobashi, Hawaii
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Find a mentor
Paul Bouchard, Maine
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Find friends throughout the building
Patti Lochner, Florida
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Have students record their own misdeeds
Katherine Hairston, Virginia