Enriching your Teaching

http://www.edutopia.org/enrich-teaching-life

The article found above really hits on some of the key ways to enrich your teaching experience. The most important step in having a successful start in an school is to surround yourself with good company who will help encourage you, show you the ropes of what to do and what not to do, and most importantly share. Thankfully, the school that I work at has a shared drive on the computers where I can go to find materials that other teachers use in class. If I find a lesson or project that I like that a teacher uses in my subject area I can use it how it is or manipulate the lesson until it works for me. I can go to that teacher and ask advice for what methods of delivery work the best for them or ask the teacher how they would adapt their material. The shared drive allows me to avoid feeling like I am constantly bugging the rest of the staff to filter through their materials in order to prevent attempting to reinvent the wheel.
A mentor can also be a huge asset if they are used properly. Mentors have typically been around long enough to see what works in the classroom and what does not. Plus once you develop a good relationship with your mentor, you know have someone that you can ask the "dumb"questions to that you would not dare ask anyone else.
The end of the article hit on a topic that can be a touchy subject. We should stand up for ourselves as educator and not allow a district to force us to go above and beyond our contractual duties without compensation. I'm not saying that we should not help students after school or run a club that we enjoy running. I am talking about a new teacher feeling pressured to coach, run a club, or a multitude of other activities outside the typical day. Your first five years or so are tough enough as it is. While interviewing at the district that I now teach in, I felt like I was expected to coach or run other activities if I wanted to be hired to teach. Luckily, I love to coach anyways, but the idea that I felt pressured to coach should not be a part of the requirement in order to be hired as a teacher.