First-Year Teachers
Posted by Hope Spencer on 30 Jul 2009 | Posted in: Inspiration and Motivation, Meet the Mailbox®, Professional Development, Relationships and Team Building, Teachers and Teaching
I don’t have to tell you what a busy, exciting time of year this is. But it is an especially thrilling time for first-year teachers. My first year gave me some of the most wonderful, terrifying, and humorous memories of my life! This is such an important topic that I’ve decided to run a short series aimed at first-year teachers, with memories and tips from those of us who’ve been there. For the first blog, I’ve asked my good friend, editor Krystle Short Jones, to share some of her thoughts with us:
At the beginning of the school year, I always found myself overwhelmed with too many tasks and thoughts. I would make a daily list of all the things that needed to be accomplished and rank the tasks in order of importance, so I knew what had to be done that day! Each day, I checked off each task as I completed it. I know it sounds funny, but seeing that list with all the checkmarks at the end of the day made me realize just how much I had accomplished. This allowed me to focus on what I had accomplished and not what I had left to accomplish. I had to remind myself that Rome wasn’t built in a day!
As a new teacher, I had the misconception that I was the only teacher who was nervous. Every teacher tosses and turns the night before school starts. We are just as nervous as the kids. That will never change, no matter how many years you teach! That is the fun of it all. Each year you will be both excited and nervous. Personally, I believe that is what makes great teachers!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice. Visit veteran teachers and ask for suggestions. Sometimes more seasoned teachers may seem standoffish, but it isn’t because they don’t want to help you. They understand how much you have going on and don’t want to bother you. So go to them. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Who knows? Talking with you might be just the inspiration they need too!
Here’s to a great year!
Krystle
Congratulations to Diane Fangmeyer, Director/Teacher of Covenant Kids Preschool, Covenant Presbyterian Church; Omaha, Nebraska! She is the winner of a copy of the Big Book of Monthly Ideas, PreK-K.
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38 Responses to “First-Year Teachers”
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This is great advice that has been given. I would add that you take help when people offer. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re not sure. The other teachers in your building will have lots of advice for you. Be open and honest with your parents. If you find yourself confronted with an issue with a parent and you’re a little unsure. It’s okay to say, “I’d like to think about some ways we could help your child. I would also like to ask some other teachers for advice.” Take pictures of things that went well, activities that look good, and what other teachers are doing. I totally agree with this: Don’t try to fill your day with too much. You’ll go home with a headache and feel unsuccessful. Relax, have fun, and REALLY listen to the children. They will teach you more than you will ever realize.
Just relax. The children are unsure of what to expect. Keep it simple and make it a fun experience. Make all children feel you care for them and are happy they are with you. If you try to do too much, you will feel frustrated, incompetent and wonder why in the world you thought this would be a good career choice.
Don’t overload the environment with bright colors. I think all the colors just add to the confusion. Keep everything simple.
Go home at the end of the day, make notes about what worked and what did not work, plan a quiet evening and get a good night sleep.
I always make notes at the end of every day so when I start planning for next year and look back on my notes, I have a good idea how to really plan for the new year.
It is so wonderful that there are many publications (such as The Mailbox) that provide help for teachers. They have been an enormous help during my first year. Taking the time to read what has worked for others makes the job a little less overwhelming. I have found a few staple activities that the kids and I both love!
Just remember to have age appropriate materials and keep in mind that you have a classroom of wonderful children who are eager to learn. It made my day to see the light bulbs glowing above their heads. Remember to have fun.
My first year was such a blur I’m not sure I was even there. Just like every other teacher, caregiver, The night before school was hard. I sat up or woke up wondering if I had everything ready. Standing in front of the children, meeting the parents, Was so nerve racking. In the end everything worked out great and five years later I still wake up the night before school.
My first year teaching I was hired 3 days before school started. No time to feel overwhelmed just had to do it.It was a 1 yr. contract and I had to look for a position for the following year. The following year I was hired on in a different grade level and school on a Friday, school started on Tuesday. Again no real time to plan just had to do it.
I am now finally returning to the same school and grade level…time to plan finally. Now I feel overwhelmed. Really so many things to think about I never really had time to deal with before. I am more nervous now than my first year. I feel like this time I will be expected to do so much more since I now I have time to plan. I feel like I am all over the place, I will try making a list like suggested.
The first thing I would recommend is that you go in as early as you can to explore your room and materials that may be left in the room. Get a current list of SOL’s that you will be teaching and reserve one cupboard/shelf for stuff that you are not sure what to do with. Some stuff may be obvious trash and that should be pitched. Worksheets/copies that you don’t think you will use toss. Then I’d recommend measuring the room and all the furniture in it. Then make a mini map on paper of the set up you’d like before moving your furniture around and setting it up the way you think you’d like for it to be. Use post it notes. Then get friends, family or the custodial staff to help you set it up. Be careful if your room has already been cleaned not to scrape the wax off those high glossed floors! Get help to move things around. If you have a chance read Debbie Diller’s Spaces and Places book about room set up. Wonderful book! Wish I had it when I first started! Sit in different places and be sure that all can see the board or where you will be for whole group instruction. Do not over decorate your walls. I have learned that it is fine to have a “Under Contruction” note posted with a sign that says “Our Spelling papers will go here” or whatever will be posted. Be careful how much stuff you set out for open house and the first few days. It can overwhelm kids, plus many parents forget to watch their kids while they are meeting you. You don’t want to have to corral kids out of things you don’t want destroyed… Don’t have any chalk near your chalk board, no dry erase near your white boards… you may even want to have a hands on activity that they make and take with them. Keep it simple! Playdough as long as you have no carpeting, or food in individual packets like chips. Count on serving extras. I have had whole families including grandparents show up to meet me! When you meet your students get down on their eye level and shake their hands. If you can have a friend come to take a picture of you two together. I miss my Polaroid days but it was so much easier for the K kids to have that picture to take home of the two of us. I would talk about how much fun we were going to have and ask the child to bring the picture the first day of school. (I usually stuck it in their pencil pouch/BUS TAG and had them wear the bus tag home. Safety policy in my district is K’s have to be tagged.) I also told them to look for my door decorated with my theme and often I would wear exactly the same dress I met them in. That way they could remember who I was more easily. LABEL EVERYTHING! Remember that to try to treat each child like you’d want your own family to be treated and remember to laugh each day! Keep a journal of the funny and horrible moments as you will treasure those memories later on! You are going to do just great!
Great advice!
The first day is nerve racking for everyone, students and teachers alike. Finding someone that knows the ropes is always a good plan. They were always and continue to be great sources of advice and ideas for dealing with situations that will inevitably arise, not only on the first day but throughout the year! Remember, as others have said, have a sense of humor, it will carry you through those hard days!
Great advice, everyone! The first day of school always flies by for me and I never accomplish half of what I wanted to accomplish! The one thing I have to always remind myself, as I battle with first day nerves, is that the students are twice as nervous as I am and that once we all make it past that first day, the rest of the year is a breeze! As someone else said, you have to just remember to keep a sense of humor.
Keep the envioment simple. Don’t overwhelm the children with too many choices. Have fun and enjoy your children!
First year teacher with too many to do list as well. I have copied many list from websites and there seems to be so much to prepare for the first week of school. My problem is most of the items are based on school procedures and I don’t know how my school does everything and so it’s very frustrating.
I began my entry year of teaching the same year that a brand new reading series was adopted. I asked for help from my cooperating/master teacher with this reading curric. and she said it’s so new to her that she could not offer me much advice. I decided then to follow the Teacher’s Editions and guides as closely as possible and this helped me considerably. I also decided to really emphasize phonics instruction since that is what I was taught at the university. So, use those T.E.’s!
Also, I began a filing system. Every time a ran of a worksheet I would hold back one copy, label a file folder, and then file it away for future use/reference. This will help you be more organized for the next year and years to come. I am about to begin my 19th. year of teaching first grade and I still file. Happy filing! ☺
P.S. Also, expect to make mistakes and learn from them. Lastly, HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR!!