10 Ways to Survive Your First Year of Teaching

Starting your first year of teaching can be stressful and exciting all at the same time .

From setting up your classroom, attending pre-planning meetings, attending open house to meeting parents and students. It’s all so new! Most teachers get a bit more anxious as the first day of school approaches.

The first year of teaching is a year you will never forget. You will either love it or hate it. Of course, I am hoping that you love it because teaching is one of the most rewarding careers ever!

There are times, however, that it can be taxing and you need to be as prepared as possible for all that will come your way. Here are a few simple tips for transitioning into your first year of teaching.

My number one tip is to be confident.

There’s no doubt that you will be a bit anxious for the first day or two, but it’s important to remain confident. Be confident in who you are, what you know and what you can offer as a teacher. Your little ones are just as nervous. The energy that you display will assure them and help to keep them calm. Be the most authentic version of yourself. You’ll learn a lot as a new teacher.

If you didn’t get hired with the school that you did your student teaching, you will be entering a new school or new district with different ideologies and expectations. You will definitely need to bring all that you have learned through your student teaching experiences with you to this new environment. Remember, your energy carries. People tend to mimic or reflect what you put out. You especially want to be confident and comfortable in your classroom so that your students feel comfortable and safe.

Remember, your students may be nervous as well during the first couple of days. Here is your opportunity to make them feel safe and comfortable by exuding confidence. Those peeking in your classroom will be comforted in knowing that students feel safe and warm in your presence.

Be mindful of how heavily decorated classrooms affect students.

While you want to prepare a warm and welcoming place for students, you don’t want to overdo it. Save lots of space for student work.

Decorating the classroom space is lots of fun, but I’ve learned over the years that you can do less in this area and still have a great space that your kids will love. During my first year, I spent over $500 of my personal money between Target and Lakeshore Learning. I know teachers who spend way more!

Look at the layout of your classroom and make sure you are leaving enough space for students to feel free in their classroom. Make sure they can easily access things. Some teachers I spoke to were surprised by how much they could get for their classrooms through donations from retired teachers, daycare centers that were donating items and working with places like DonorsChoose.org. Check around before you spend that credit card at Target.  The second year of teaching, I was able to get funding through Donors Choose. I received library furniture which included two small couches and a coffee table. Do some research to see where you can get donations and save your money.

Prep as much as you can whenever you have opportunity. I think one of the best times to prep is over the summer. School prepping over the summer was the single most effective thing that helped me survive the school year. I prepped so much during the summer that I had more time to nurture my relationships with my students which was a great trade-off. Good planning can definitely make a big difference.

Get to know the curriculum you will be using for the year and start planning around that. If you know your school requires you to do bulletin boards outside your door every year, start planning for what you will do each month. Those pesky little bulletin boards can take up time that you could be using for something else.

If you know you will need homework folders for all your students, start prepping those over the summer. If you know every child is going to need a data folder, start organizing and getting those together. Homework folders, open house items, first day activities, first and second-week lesson plans, center activities, and anything that needs cutting and laminating. Get it done as early as possible so you can focus on other things.

CLICK HERE FOR RESOURCES YOU CAN USE AS A FIRST YEAR TEACHER

Classroom management is super important. I’m sure you already know this or maybe you don’t. You are not a pro as yet, and maybe you will never be, but your management style should improve over time.

You definitely aren’t going to master most things the first year, but have some strategies in your toolbelt to get your classroom in the right direction at the beginning of the year. For the first year, it’s gonna be a trial and error type of year. What works for the teacher next door, may not work for you. You must hone in on what management strategies are most effective in your classroom.

Your unique personality will be reflected in the way you manage your classroom. Seek to build strong relationships with your students and watch your classroom thrive.

During the Christmas break, make a list of strategies that worked for you and what didn’t work for you. Maybe you will have to rearrange seats. Maybe you will need a different folder system. Maybe you will need to work on forming stronger bonds with your students. When you get back to school in January, implement those changes.

Educate yourself on practices and strategies that work. This includes reading good educational literature.

Read, read, read and then read some more.

Read content that will benefit you as a teacher. There are so many great books out there. Much of what I implemented during my first year teaching, came from educational literature and student teaching experiences. A good bit of knowledge also came from following great teaching blogs. 

You can definitely get ahead of the game by investing in good books. Ask colleagues about good books in education. Your list should include books on classroom management, technology, classroom engagement, and setup.

Get a teacher bestie! It’s wonderful having someone in your corner. Your teacher bestie is going to be there in your times of frustration. They are going to be there to help you out with so many things throughout the year and just be a support for you as you begin your teaching career. Gravitate towards the friendly and encouraging colleagues. Be helpful to other teachers as well, and build those relationships that are going to help you in your teacher journey.

Don’t take work home, and don’t stay late.  This one will be hard, I know. I did this for years and eventually decided it made no sense. I still had to come in to find a new pile on my desk and a new list of things to do.  What worked for me was coming in early in the morning to get things done. I would leave everything with sticky notes on my desk, and I would come in extra early to get tasks completed.

I found this worked better for me because I was able to shut my brain down at night, and wake up refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead.

I can’t stress how important self-care is. If you’re not at your best in the mornings, that will be reflected in your classroom and how the day goes. Take care of you so you can be equipped to take care of others. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Join KadeenTeaches !

Become a part of this growing family by joining the mailing list. Simply add your name and email below. Get informed when new teacher resources arrive . Get content that’s important to you as a teacher.

Get a stash of your favorite goodies. A stash of candy, chocolate, gum, fruit, whatever floats your boat. That little stash is going to help you during those trying moments. Best thing ever! I don’t think I could survive without my little stash.

The great thing to know is that even though there’s a learning curve your first year teaching, you have the opportunity to sit down, assess and restructure as needed. Do mini checkups in regards to how you feel your class is going and how your year overall is going. You definitely don’t have to wait until the year is over.  A great time to do this is over Christmas break or some other time midway through the year. Think about all the things that are going great. Think of all the things that need improvement and implement plans to improve those things.

If you know teaching is your passion, and it’s what you have been called to do, you will be an unstoppable force. 

Here’s to rocking your first year of teaching.

If you are a teacher that has taught before, we would love to hear your ideas below for getting through the first year of teaching.