Initiative in the Classroom

Initiative is the self determination to take action.

Here are ten ways to show initiative in your classrooms:

• Start working right when you walk in. Don't depend on the teacher to tell you what to do.
• Start thinkning of ways to help and sharing your ideas with the teacher
• Go on your own and make conversation with your students
• Start daily routines such as helping with attendence and warmups
• Asking questions
• Staying involved
• Talk to the teacher about ideas for future lesson plans
• Start creative activities and student led learning oppritunities
• Walk in with an attittude to succeed
• Stay proactive, do anything besides just sitting there.

For more ideas on how to take initiative or to get a better understanding of initiative go to this neat website!

Synonyms for the word initiative:

• Self-motivation
• Resourcefulness
• Inventiveness
• Imagination
• Ingenuity

This week we had a few moments of downtime and I wanted to make sure I didn't waste this opportunity. So, despite the chance of encountering an awkward situation... I went up to some of the students and started conversation. I thought I knew how they would react, with a "teacher-like" person bombarding on their student gossip...But they were quick to greet me. We then talked about their week, and before I knew it, they taught me a little handshake like game. This is just one example of how I used initiative in my classroom and it just happened to be my favorite example because I was able to get to know the students on a personal level.

Initiative is such an important quality that teachers must posses. Principals aren't going to beg the teachers to make lesson plans or to help their students. Teachers HAVE to be determined and have self-motivation. No-one will ask them do due their daily duties. If they don't have initiative, then the principal will find a new teacher who does.