I am just wrapping up my third year teaching. I can't believe I have been in the classroom for three years now! As I look back every year and reflect and make goals for the new year, I laugh at myself for some of the mistakes I have made. Here is a list of 10 things I wish I would have known my first year which would have made my first couple of years a little smoother.
1. Value your veteran teachers
Leaving college and starting my first job as an educator, I could not have been more excited. I couldn't wait to start making an impact in children's lives everyday. I was motivated. I was talented. And I was fresh. BUTTTT I didn't know as much as I thought I did. Of course, I knew the newest standards like the back of my hand. I had a lot of new fresh ideas to bring to the school and integrate into the curriculum. However, I soon found out, my fellow veteran colleagues came with tons of resources. They came with multiple discipline strategies. They have loads of advice to give when you are ready. And, the can predict a number of issues that could go wrong when your planning!
2. Set your hours
It is really easy to get wrapped up and invested in your classroom. This is especially if you are single person without kids or a significant other! From day one set a schedule. Only allow yourself to work until your set time. Then, go home! This will make you a better teacher. All teachers even the best take breaks!
3. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
Collaboration is your best friend, especially with those veteran teachers. I found collaborating with my third grade team happens pretty frequently, which is great! However, sometimes my ideas were not always valued because I was inexperienced. SOO, this is when I stopped taking credit for my ideas. I joined a ton of facebook and Pinterest teacher groups. This allowed me to collaborate with a ton of new and veteran teachers. I was able to compare and modify my ideas. Then, I brought them to my team and said I modified it with something I read off a blog. I have gained some amazing relationships from these collaboration groups. I strongly suggest as a new teacher, not only collaborating with your team at school but finding a social media group. Connect with educators outside your hallway. I have been able to not only collaborate but connect our classrooms together through pen pals and reading buddies as well!
4. Reflect!
Any teacher who has just graduated, I am pretty sure has been drilled with the act of reflection. I know I was. As you get wrapped up in everyday classroom routines, you tend to lose this or forget the value of spending the time to do it! You may not reflect about every lesson of everyday. Start with looking at one lesson a day. Write down on your lesson plans how you thing it went and one thing you can improve. Take a look what I started doing this year.
After each lesson, while the kids are transitioning, I put a start over the plan if it went well. Any notes I have are on the bottom. Anything I want to change or add or make sure I add in my plans for the next day or next week.
5. Prioritize your reflections
Many of the reflections that I made my first year were things I could work on the next day. Classroom management, prepping more in advance, differentiating were just a few of the things I could work on right away. Take the reflections that you have written down and work on them! prioritize and use the reflections. Work on one thing at a time, then move to the next.
6. Acknowledge your inexperience
Being a new teacher is an extremely wild ride. There will be times you will feel like you won't get it all done. You will think will it ever get better? Am I doing a good job? Yes. Yes. And yes. Know your inexperience and your busyness does effect your colleagues as well. My first year teaching I was so determined to make the most of EVERY moment I had with my students. This effected everyone around me and I didn't even know it! We were often times late to specials because I wanted to ask them questions out the door and didn't allow enough time. My inexperience effected the teachers around me. Some rules I found the school or my team made to be silly. So, I didn't abide by them or follow through with them. I didn't follow certain procedures such as listening to morning announcements or referral slips. Although ignoring much of these procedures made my life easier at the time, it annoyed and made life more difficult for the teachers around me and I didn't even realize it! Now as a third year teacher I found myself doing everything I didn't like doing or hated! Most of the rules and procedures that the school as put into place are there for a reason. Some of them are going to be hard to stick to or follow through with. However, acknowledge you are having a hard time with certain procedures to your colleagues and insure you are working on getting better.
7. Avoid gossiping
At all costs avoid gossiping at work! There are going to be days someone is getting on your nerves. It may be a student, a parent, a staff member, who ever it is do not gossip about it in the teacher's lounge or hallway. Yes, collaborating and talking about an issue in a tactful way is important. There is a time and a place for it and make sure you are discussing it during those times.
8. Check and Double check before you leave for the day
When the bell rings and your students are gone, go through the next day. Do you have everything ready for the next day? I like to do a mini walk through of each lesson. Do I have all of the materials I need? Do I have the date changed? Did I make the copies I need? Did I check the school calendar and am aware of any last minute assemblies or drills? I think making sure your next day is 100% ready trumps emails and phone calls! I am sure to do this, even today, before I do anything else.
9. Keep somethings simple
I am just now using this advice. Somethings are meant to be kept easy. This is for your sanity as well as your students'. Your first couple years keep aspects of your day simple. For example, I have started keeping my morning work simple. I used to hate having my kiddos complete a silly worksheet. I wanted them to be excited to come to school. I thought in order to do this I must start the day with a bang. ERR Wrong! Morning work is a time for me to get everyone organized so we can start the day off relaxed and on the right foot. Having students get on IXL or complete a worksheet is NOT the end of the world. I have this on my goal to one day change. As of right now, the 10 minutes students complete a worksheet is not the end of the world.
10. Don't compare yourself
My biggest advice is to NOT compare yourself to anyone! Don't compare yourself to the teachers on blogs or Pinterest. Don't compare yourself to your mentor teachers. Don't compare yourself with any other teacher! As long as you are doing your best and looking at what you can improve, your doing great!
Veteran teachers comment with advice you have!
New teachers tell me what you would like help on in the comments!
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