How I Survived My 1st Year Teaching & How You Can Too

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The 2016-2017 school  year was an exciting one for me- I got married, cleared my CA credential, and survived my first year teaching! There are many things I wish I could have changed about year one and lots I learned. Here are some of my Do’s and Don’ts for making the most out of your first year in the classroom!

TLDR (too long didn’t read) Version
·      Teaching is really hard, but also really enjoyable- so celebrate the awesome work and relationships that come out of your room but also reach out and lean on others for the tough days.
·      Have fun
·      Don’t compare yourself to others
·      When your friends tell you about their fancy jobs and big paychecks celebrate with them but remember this job is important too!

Do’s
·      Do ask a lot of questions! Ask your administration or fellow teachers questions about the culture of the school, how teacher evaluation work, if you are having issues with a student, etc. It can be intimidating to reach out, but principals will appreciate you for you for being a learner/team player. I was SO LUCKY to have a great team of teachers I now call my friends! One thing I found exceptionally helpful was to ask teachers in my building if I could come and observe their class. Ask veteran teachers questions about how they run their classroom, how they’ve implemented strategies such as flexible seating or interactive notebooks, etc.
·      Do get to know your colleagues outside of the classroom! Teaching can be isolating- you’re stuck in a classroom all day with kids and some days you’ll be dying for adult contact by the end of the day. Developing a relationship with fellow teachers mean you have a group of people who “get it”- they’ll listen to you groan about the kid who constantly blurts out and offer understanding.
·      Do realize that you can’t do it all. My bulletin boards were never “Pintrest Worthy” – and that’s ok because I wanted to use my time elsewhere. Social media is constantly showing me inspiring and beautiful classrooms- but I have learned to pick and choose what things I want to implement in my room. It is ok to leave a stack of papers ungraded until the next day or not change your bulletin board for months- kids care about the relationships and skills you are building with them- the other stuff is just extra.
·      Do reflect on your work and do some research about how you can get better. I quickly realized that even though I have an MA and credential I still had A LOT to learn. For example I realized that my student’s needed more individual attention in math and decided to implement small group math. I had never done math centers before and educated myself by reading teacher blogs & videos.
·      Do remember that you and your students are only human! Sometimes your students will be a pain in the butt and sometimes you’ll have woken up on the wrong side of the bed- its ok. If you are having a bad day try to make a connection with a student or colleague and it’s ok to share that you are having a bad day- people will understand. Likewise it is important to understand that students might also be having a bad day and they might need more time to finish an assignment or talk to you.
·      Do ask for help & put your kids to work! Create class jobs for students and have them help you do tasks like passing out papers, checking HW, etc. It is so hard to run a classroom – the kids are great helpers so use their enthusiasm. I teach 5th grade so I have kids who are very organized and like to help with everything and I let them! Send a Google Form out to parents and ask them to volunteer to run class parties, graduation, etc.
Don’ts
·      Don’t be a dictator! Yes- your name is on the door- but really it belongs to you and your students. Listen to their ideas about what they want to see their classroom – giving students ownership makes them more invested in the class. At the beginning of the school year my class and I created a class constitution with behaviors that we thought would help the classroom run smoothly. Get students input- but don’t give them control- its still your ship!
·      Don’t think you can remember everything/Do invest in a planner. I made the mistake of not keeping a consistent planning system for the entire school year or not writing things down. I tried planbook.com and a paper planner- the advantage of planbook.com is that you can drag & drop standards into your plans, but it doesn’t have a monthly layout where you can note important dates. I bought an Erin Condren planner this year and will let you know if I like it or not!

·      Don’t be afraid to take a sick day and have sub plans ready. Getting sick is inevitable- kids are gross and you will get sick. It is ok to take a sick day- the world will go on without you!

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