After reading this post, you’ll learn some actionable steps on how to master your craft as a teacher. If you have ever thought to yourself, I want to get better as a teacher but I just don’t know how.

The feedback you’re getting is not helping you or you’re struggling to see improvements in your student’s achievement then this article is a must read.

I will give you some actionable steps on how to improve your teaching.  The oxford dictionary defines master as “having or showing great skill or proficiency”  All teachers have the ability to reach this level if they are able to willing to do the work and take the necessary steps.

First, be honest with yourself about your skills and capabilities. 

One of the things that I did early in my career, was that I came to realization that as a new teacher, I didn’t yet gain the skills and the knowledge to make sure that my kids were achieving at high levels.  It was hard for me to come to this realization but I saw that my kids were struggling and I needed to find a way for them to go from struggling to learning. 

If I was not honest with myself, I probably would have put the blame on my students and not take responsibility for the fact that I am their teacher.  This initial honest reflection was a continuous process throughout my career and led me to become a master teacher.

Second, apply the skills and knowledge you learn in your professional development courses and training to your teaching.

Sometimes teachers may go to conferences and professional development training and just sit with the new knowledge. If you need time to process the information then that is ok but implementation is the name of the game.  Implementation will allow you to see what works and what doesn’t work so that you are able to master your craft. 

Third, read voraciously about teaching so that you can improve. 

To explain further, I am constantly reading educational books, books about improving my craft. I think this is one of the best things that I have done to get me to this point. Whatever I was lacking with the professional development at school, I made up for it with the books I was reading.

Fourth, constructive feedback will improve your teaching.

In other words, I took constructive feedback from my evaluations as opportunities for growth and development.  It was definitely painful for me to hear constructive feedback. Once I took a step back, I realized that the feedback had some merit to it. Therefore, there were some things that I needed to change.

For example, after an observation for my vice principal she told me that I needed to update my classroom management plan. At first, I was like, she has no idea what she’s talking about but that year I had some really difficult students and I was having a hard time with them. After doing some research, that’s when I discovered class dojo and it changed my classroom.

Finally, give yourself permission to say no.  I gave myself permission to say no when things were not in alignment with my well-being.  One of the things that I made sure to do was to say no.  My sacred time was the summer months where I was able to recharge and be ready for the next school year. 

I was always asked to do summer school every year and I said no every year because if I did, I would have felt like I never got a break and my school year would have suffered. I understand that this is a privilege but I knew it was important to maintain my well being. 

Being a master at something does not mean you never have problems or struggles. Mastering your craft is an ongoing process and when you have problems and struggles; it means you are able to face the problem head on and find ways to solve the problem and implement a solution. These are just a few of the things you can do to lead you on a path to mastery, to learn more you can download the Ultimate Guide to Mastering your Craft as a Teacher.