**ADVICE+from+your+PEERS

= The following is advice that PAST Breakthrough teachers would like to give you about teaching in the program! After you finish teaching in the program, please feel free to add to the list! =

** Really try to catch the students' attention in the first week! **
==== Make sure to have fun and meaningful activities to HOOK the students the first week and to set the tone! I wish that I had engaged the students more effectively earlier in the summer; I think that it would have gotten students "on board" sooner. ==== (David Froomkin - BT Teacher @ Ransom, 2011)

= Keep to a routine! =

...and keep to it ALL SUMMER LONG! Middle schoolers thrive on structure and organization. If you provide both - and STICK TO IT - everything will run more smoothly!
(Danny Diaz - BT Teacher @ Ransom, 2011 - BT GRAD 2002)

Don't take it personal.
==== Your students can have a lot going on in their lives. If they are misbehaving in your class or not doing your homework, don't immediately label that student as a "problem child" or think that they don't like you and treat them accordingly. You may be surprised what they are going through and your class might just be a place to express himself/herself. TALK TO YOUR STUDENTS! Get to know them. If you are genuine in wanting to get to know them, a door opens through which the most meaningful things will pass. ==== (Paul Natland - BT Teacher/Mentor @ Ransom 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012 - BT GRAD 1998)

= BE PATIENT with students! = ==== ....although some students may seem like "trouble-makers" at first, they may surprise you as the summer progresses! Some of the kids I taught were frustrating at first, but were among my brightest students by the end of the summer! ==== (George Florez - BT Teacher @ Ransom, 2011)

Allow students to MAKE DISCOVERIES !
==== ....and give students enough time to come up with answers for themselves! That way you establish a pattern through which students will feel empowered to share their thoughts and advance the discussion without being lectured to. ==== (David Froomkin - BT Teacher @ Ransom, 2011)

Don't move too FAST.
==== There are many important goals to have for your students in the summer, and one of them is to expose them to a lot of very useful, interesting content. But there are many other goals including fostering a meaningful connection, getting students interested and excited about the content, helping them to gain confidence, aiding with social interactions, being a role model, etc. Feeling like you need to expose your students to as much as possible can leave the students in the dust....and make both your and their experience harder and less meaningful. Be ambitious with what you require of them, but make sure you are not sacrificing quality with quantity. ==== (Paul Natland - BT Teacher/Mentor @ Ransom 2000, 2001, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2012 - BT GRAD 1998)