Just Ask
Posted by Barb on March 31, 2010
Whether you are new to teaching or just new to a school, there will come a time when you don’t know what to do. It might be a form that needs to be filled out, database to be accessed, or place to find materials. So, if you don’t know what to do, ask for help. Some teachers are often in their own world and don’t recognize you need help. But when asked, they are very helpful.
We tell our students all the time that if they don’t understand something to ask for help. Why is it that often we don’t take our own advice when we don’t understand how to teach a particular lesson, where to find a certain form, or deal with a difficult parent? Is it because we are so conditioned to just help others? Or is it because we think if we ask for help it is a sign of weakness or lack of knowledge?
Personally, I think it is the latter, especially in the school environment. Teachers think that once they earned their teaching degree they should know exactly what to do. It only takes a few months, weeks, days or hours, to realize they don’t understand something. that is the time to ask someone to point you in the right direction.
And if you are a veteran teacher, at your next faculty meeting look around the room. If you see someone who has a puzzled look, go to them after the meeting to offer help or support. You wouldn’t believe how far that small jester will go.
Denise Graab said,
Great post Barb!
In addition to the suggestions you provided, I also invite teachers to ask their questions in Education.com’s Q&A forum, JustAsk (http://www.education.com/answers ). There are many different types of experts in JustAsk (including seasoned, certified teachers), who can offer helpful information and supportive advice. For those teachers who are too shy to go on record with their questions, they may post their questions anonymously.
While in JustAsk, we appreciate teachers also taking the time to answer a parent question or two. With tens of thousands of visitors to JustAsk each month, one answer could potentially help hundreds of parents to improve their child’s academic performance and/or behavior and development.
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