So, you have purchased your Shurley curriculum, you open the book or access your digital teacher’s manual…and then it hits you! “What’s all this? How am I going to cover all of it? Can I even do it?” If you have had these or similar feelings, don’t panic. It’s going to be all right.

My post today is about confidence. Yes! You can teach with confidence, especially if you are just embarking upon your first journey with Shurley English. I realize that the sheer volume of information about English that we teach might be enough to send you to the edge. But, pull back. Breathe. Help is on the way.

Narrow the Field: First, don’t view the entire bulk of the curriculum in preparation for your school year. Look at it in terms of only a school day…in other words, narrow the field. By nature, our brains can get way too overwhelmed by all the text you find in Shurley. Believe it or not, when I first started teaching this curriculum, I only needed to stay a day or two ahead of my students. Sure…preview the student objectives because they are a guideline for WHAT you will be teaching during a specific chapter and lesson. However, the crux of the teaching is found in the References. They are numbered for you, so simply read the teaching scripts and the References found in only the first lesson you plan to teach. Make any notes you might think will be handy when you start working with the materials and teaching the kids.

Pre-learn the Jingles: Next, make sure you know the jingles that accompany the lesson before you actually teach them. You will reflect confidence to your student if you already know each jingle well. Spend the first minutes of every session practicing the jingle with your learner(s). If you have our Jingle Posters, chunk the verses a bit to make them more bite-sized. With a marker, draw brackets around each section you want to rehearse. It’s easier to add on new verses of the same jingle over several lessons.

Pre-read the Scripts: As you move into the Question and Answer Flow, pre-read the scripts before actually teaching. Start slowly. You don’t even have to do all of the sentences required during the same lesson at the beginning of your school year. You and your student(s) will gain momentum quickly! (If you find that you would like to supplement your sentence work, you can check out our Sentence Booklets for extra practice.)

Pre-determine Words: Finally, to help build your confidence in the area of teaching writing, again, preview the Builder Sentence Blueprints that occur every so often in the program. The first time you introduce the concept, make sure you have pre-determined some of your own words you want to use for composing your sentence. That way, as you invite your learners to volunteer answers for the spaces on the grid, you have a pre-planned word to use if everyone gets stymied. You will appear to be completely in control and very confident during what might seem like an intimidating exercise.

The bottom line rule for growing in your confidence is more about a balanced ratio of pre-reading to avoid surprises and following the script when it is provided! You will quickly gain the confidence you need by rehearsing your lessons beforehand in the ways I have outlined above. Good luck! And, don’t forget, you can always call our office and speak with any one of our expert customer service representatives. If you just need to talk, or if you want a boost of confidence, don’t go to silence. Call us at 800-566-2966.

Go forth and teach confidently!