Being a Better Homeroom Tutor

Being a form tutor (homeroom teacher) is on of the most challenging and rewarding responsibilities a teacher will undertake in their career.

Almost all teachers, at some stage, will be a form tutor. The time a teacher spends with their forms or tutor groups are a vital part of secondary education. Many teachers welcome the opportunity to get to know a group of students well and play an integral part in their education, while others can view form tutor duties as an intrusion on their main role as a subject teacher.

It is important to realise that being a form tutor is not a just an ?add-on? responsibility; it plays an integral part in school life and the whole school experience for a student. Just remember back to how you felt when you were part of a form. Personal memories and experiences can help shape the kind of form tutor a teacher will become.

The main aim of being a form tutor is to deliver the social side of education to compliment the academic learning that is occurs in the classroom. As a form tutor, a teacher can counteract the de-motivation and sense of isolation that many students can experience at school.

The role of a form tutor is so vast that it is virtually impossible to define. The only certainty is that you will be required to perform many roles including communicator, problem-solver, morale-booster, administrator, nurturer, manager of behaviour and at times, a confidant.

Be organised

Being organised is probably the most important thing you can be when a form tutor. As well as the legal requirement to keep attendance records, as a form tutor, you will be expected to deliver important notices about school life. Keep a separate folder for your form group to manage information, records and correspondence from parents/carers. It is also important to have routines. For example, check diaries regularly so that you can keep track of whether students are recording their homework properly and any messages from parents/carers.

Lead by example

Arrive on time and keep on top of your duties to set a firm example to your form. Students are led by example and will help them to value traits such as punctuality and organisation that are vital for successful education and will establish good habits for later life.

Set the rules from the start

This seems obvious but it is vitally important to lay the ground rules from the very start. This means having a seating plan (you can always change it as the year progresses and you discover the different personalities of your students) and employing all the basic behaviour strategies that you would in the classroom, like waiting for silence before speaking and having a merit and sanction system. It is tempting, especially for new teachers, to try and be a friend to your tutor group and foe them to think you are ?safe? but a casual approach to form tutoring (not having a seating plan, having no structure to form time) will lead to more stress and start the day off on a bad footing. It will also store up problems for the future, as all experienced teachers will know. So, it is important to make form time matter and that students know it is an important time of the day, not just a time for the teacher to catch up on marking and subject-related paperwork.

Encourage ownership and responsibility

Encourage the students to feel a sense of care and ownership of their form room through use of displays, in particular the form board. Encourage student responsibility through getting students to keep the form room tidy, take on various roles like handing out letters and books, get register from the office, run errands and be responsible for the daily class behaviour and class work record.

Keep records

Monitoring attendance is a legal requirement for form tutors and it can also prove valuable in gauging if there are any problems that could be affecting a student?s performance. Keeping a track of your form?s behaviour and class work in individual subjects is also a powerful tool in performing pastoral duties effectively and ensuring that any behavioural problems are addressed. Rewarding your form for good behaviour, both collectively and individually, is also important to motivate students.

Meet the Parents

During the course of the academic year, there will be occasions, like parent-teacher evenings or school functions, that you will meet your students? parents/carers. Establishing a relationship with your form?s parents/carers is invaluable in helping to meet your responsibilities and duties as a form tutor.

Getting to know you

Developing relationships with your students is probably the most vital aspect of being a form tutor. As well as the daily administrative duties that must be done each day, set aside time to talk to students and get to know what is happening in their lives. You could also establish a regular session like ?thought for the day? or discussion of current events locally or internationally. Of course, with issues such as terrorism and war, sensitivity and clear leadership in any discussion is needed to avoid any potentially difficult situations. As a form tutor you may be required to deliver sex education, depending on your school?s policy. This also presents an opportunity to discuss with students wider issues of self-esteem, self-care and responsible citizenship and can help establish an environment of trust within a form group.

Top tips

Be organised so that you can keep paperwork under control and meet deadlines.

Be punctual to set good example.

Try never to be too busy or too rushed for your tutees to approach you with a problem.

Be diplomatic and try not to take sides, even when it is tempting, so that your form knows that you will treat them fairly.

Give your tutor time status and not just a period that you can use to catch up on your own work, or let students do what they want.

Be interested in your students and find out about their lives by talking to them, rather than interrogating them for information.

Emphasise ?we? rather than ?you? when addressing the form and school-based activities to build a sense of teamwork and cooperation.

Let your form know that you enjoy being with them. If you have a difficult group, try to find ways to engage with them.

Don?t expect all students to like you but try to be likeable without acting like their ?best friend?.

Establish a clear discipline and rewards system so that the form knows that there will be consequences for behaviour, both positive and negative.

Emily Webb is a trained teacher (England and Wales) and taught English in London High Schools for 3 years. She is the editor of http://www.licoricemint.com, http://www.bagdiaper.com and http://www.greathomebiz4mums.com