Five Things Every New Teacher Should Know

You've graduated with an education degree and landed your first teaching job - now what? There are the obvious steps of preparation like preparing units and lesson plans, buying school supplies, and decorating your new classroom. But what most first time teachers don't realize is that your first teaching job as a new teacher is nothing like your student teaching experience. When you student teach, you're with an established, experienced teacher who already has a system of rules and procedures in place, not to mention clearly thought-out lessons and units. This person has already gained the rapport of his or her students and probably has many years of experience teaching the same or similar material. Yes, student teaching can give you the feel of what it's actually like to teach a classroom full of students, but in your first teaching job, setting the tone, pace, and feel of the classroom is completely up to you. Here are five things every new first time teacher should know before the first day of school.

Teaching is Nothing Like the Movies
You may be rolling your eyes at this first point, but hear me out. Most people go into teaching because they want to inspire others, and movies like Dead Poet's Society, Mr. Holland's Opus, Dangerous Minds and the like don't help to temper that stereotype. It's a wonderful thing to want to inspire and encourage students-I certainly hope my own children's teachers have this as one of their goals-but know that out of all of the students you'll have all year, you may only reach one or two. This might sound depressing, but it's realistic. Don't ever stop trying, but don't get discouraged if it seems you're not making a difference. You may not see the fruits of your labor, and for many teachers, that's what happens most of the time. But for the first time teacher, it can make you feel like giving up completely. Take heart-you're not a failure, you're normal. Continue to give your best, and don't get defeated when it seems your class isn't rallying around you, full of new hope and inspiration; life just isn't like the movies.

Discipline is Key
One of the things that was most lacking in my transition from college education classroom to the real world as a first time teacher was the lack of discipline preparation. Most new teachers don't have kids of their own yet, so discipline is more of an abstract concept than something concrete that's already practiced. Not one of my education classes had given me concrete guidelines on how to set up effective disciplinary measures within my classroom, and as a first time teacher, I felt lost in this area. I taught high school, and since I was only 22 at the time, many of my students were not much younger than I. Trying to command a classroom of 30 unruly teenagers was not something my classes had covered, and some days it felt downright scary. I quickly came up with some systems out of necessity, but I wish I had devised a more elaborate protocol before ever setting foot in my new classroom. Had I had more concrete systems of discipline in place from day one, I may have felt a bit more confident.

Teaching is Not a 40 Hour Workweek
You've probably guessed this one already, if not gotten a taste of it during student teaching, but being a first time teacher is a lot of work, and a lot of stress. It's rare the teacher who can leave her work at the door and go home when the bell rings; grading papers, writing lesson plans, changing bulletin boards, setting up projects, and more all require extra time outside of an instructional day. And when you're doing all of this for the first time as a new teacher, the workload is even more severe. Have a clear plan in place for the school year, laying out a timeline for each unit, field trip, and major project, and then fill in the details as you go along. Also, don't be afraid to beg, borrow, and steal material from those who have gone before you. It's wonderful to bring your own creative stamp to your lessons, and chances are you'll come up with new things that veteran teachers will want to steal from you, but don't burn yourself out reinventing the wheel. It's admirable to want to give 110 percent to your job, but burning the candle at both ends will simply result in less-than-adequate instruction for your students. Know your limits, plan ahead, and don't feel pressured to make every day a gold-star lesson.

Being Different is a Good Thing
Depending on the situation you find yourself in, you'll probably be presented with a certain amount of materials and mandatory units to cover throughout the school year, giving you a basic framework from which to work. But simply copying worksheets and tests from a set curriculum can get stale very quickly, as any student will tell you. Putting your own unique stamp on the material will not only compliment your teaching style, it will give your students a fresh perspective from which to view the material. Don't be worried if your units look different from the veteran teachers you're working with; chances are, they may pick up a few tips from you. As long as you're all covering the same material and your students are all getting the same basic information, challenging your students in different ways is a great thing, helping them learn in new ways.

Stay Organized
One of the great things about being a first time teacher is that once you do it, you don't have to do it again. Your first year only happens once, and when you're done, you'll have a year's worth of tips and materials from which to build each year after. To save yourself time and work in the years ahead, organize your units and lesson plans as soon as you've finished with them. Place everything into clearly-labeled files, including worksheets, assignments, quizzes, tests, and projects. That way, all you'll have to do to prep the material for the next year is pull out the file, copy what you need, and gather and relevant materials. This is also helpful if your instruction is ever called into question or you are evaluated. Being able to present a clear picture to administrators, teachers, and parents of exactly what you've been covering makes you look prepared and professional, adding credibility to your budding resume. Teaching may be a busy, time-consuming job, but taking steps now to organize and prepare will pay off huge dividends in the future, saving you time and stress down the road.