And so it begins…
Another year is under way. It’ll be another week before classes are settled in our school, and so we engage in planning and activities to reconnect with former students and to learn a bit about new students. Having students create a classified ad / job posting for the sort of teacher they would like to “hire” is a quick activity that can be done with little preparation and results in some rather humourous responses (and sometimes less than subtle student requests for their preferred teacher).
I typically engage students in a brainstorm, asking them to list 1) words that describe them, 2) things they like, and 3) things which are important to them. Words that describe them can range from physical descriptions (height, hair colour, eye colour…) to words that describe aspects of their personality (responsible, athletic, opinionated…). Things they like can include hobbies, activities, favourite foods, genres of books, and essentially anything they deem worthy of mentioning. Things which are important to them can include traits they appreciate in others, preferences for how things are arranged, and strong opinions about topics that matter to them.
Once they have generated several examples in each dimension, I share with them the example of my posting for the type of students I would like to fill my class with – Seeking Ideal Students for Year Long Positions: Start Immediately. We isolate some examples of the aforementioned brainstorm categories, and students are provided with the instructions and the example to use as a model to create their own examples. Completed examples make for a great beginning of year bulletin board and outstanding examples are fun to include in newsletters to the school community or on school websites.
The text is provided here for your reading pleasure as well as a word document at the end of this post, so you can edit and adjust for your scenario. I’ve done this activity with positive results in classes with students from Grade 4 – 7.
Best wishes for a rewarding and productive school year.
Student Classified Ad / Job Posting
Draft a classified ad, advertising the kind of teacher you are seeking for this school year. You need to identify a number of things about yourself in order to make potential candidates willing to apply. Use the list of words that describe you, things you like, and things which are important to you to make your sentences.
- Give lots of interesting details about yourself
- What types of things do you do well?
- Are there things you have difficulty with that applicants should be aware of?
- Talk about the things you are willing to do to make this a successful year
- Talk about the things you hope to accomplish or participate in this year
- Describe precisely what kind of teacher will make this a rewarding year for you
- What kinds of things could this teacher do to make your year memorable
Seeking Ideal Students for Year Long Positions: Start Immediately
Energetic, adventurous teacher with great sense of humour seeks ambitious, enthusiastic students with positive attitudes. I am entering the twenty-first year of my teaching career. I’m 5’10, have dark hair, and blue eyes. I have a variety of interests and try to keep physically active. I enjoy escaping to a local mountain for a day of snowboarding fun. I enjoy soccer, kayaking, cycling, swimming, and camping. One of my favourite things about camping is telling stories around the campfire. I like to laugh often and try to make other people laugh by sharing funny stories.
My favourite subjects are writing and P.E. I like to do jigsaw puzzles and love to colour, design, and create. I prefer action or suspense movies. I enjoy working with kids, traveling, and the company of my cats. I’m a vegetarian who is very selective about the foods I eat (and I don’t like different foods to touch each other on the plate).
I’m looking for a number of students who will treat each other (and me) with respect, who will strive to achieve great things, and who like to laugh. I’m willing to work hard and to make learning enjoyable for open-minded, playful students interested in learning new things, and in working cooperatively to solve problems. I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect the best effort you are capable of. I’m willing to coordinate memorable field trips and to plan exciting lessons about interesting topics.
I have plenty of energy and patience for students who ask for help. I hope to set a good example and I expect to learn as much from you as you learn from me in this coming year. I hope to inspire students to achieve and find success in the classroom and beyond. If you are the kind of student looking for a challenging, fun-filled year, who likes surprises, and can take a joke, please forward your application to Mr. Gidinski at Chaffey-Burke Elementary School. Deadline to apply: Thursday, Sept 10.
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