Start the School Year Off Right - Helpful Tips for Beginning Teachers

The time has finally arrived. After years of study and observation, you have your own classroom. You have your own desk, your own students, and your own young minds to mold. Now what?

Being a first year teacher can be an overwhelming experience. There are so many different aspects to become familiar with and different facets to manage. There's everything from learning the physical layout of your school to memorizing school policies. Not to mention establishing the policies that will be used in your own classroom. Where do you begin?

Take a deep breath and begin at the beginning. Focus on what you need to know, right now, to accomplish the first task on your list. Maybe it's finding your way to the school's main office to pick up a class list. Maybe it's figuring out how to run the photocopier to make copies of a welcome letter you want to copy for your students.

The good news is, in most cases, other school staff will be willing to help answer questions you may have and offer advice for specific issues you are facing. Use your colleagues as a resource. They can often provide practical insight about the students of your school. They may be able to familiarize you with some of the unspoken habits, and traditions, the school body may have as well.

As you begin the final stages of your preparations for the first day, prioritize your to-do list. What must absolutely be done, without question, before the first day? You must have the student's desks available for use and set up in some sort of orderly fashion. But do you have to have that detailed interactive bulletin board done by the time the bell rings on the first day? It may be possible to move it down your priority list a bit and finish it after class ends on the second day. Don't stress yourself out trying to make every aspect of your classroom perfect for the very first day. Expending all your energy on cute bulletin boards and intricate name tags will leave you exhausted for your important task of teaching.

On a final note, make your first day of class a real one. Introduce, and implement, the policies and procedures you have decided are important from the beginning. No, they won't be executed flawlessly but your students will begin to understand what you will and will not tolerate. It is important to establish the foundation for learning, in your classroom, from the beginning. Of course, you will be doing some housekeeping things such as distributing materials and touring the school building. It should be a priority, however, to find time for real learning experiences on that first day.

Preparation, and realistic expectations, will help you to have a successful start to your school year and will give you momentum for the remainder of the year as well. Best of luck as you begin your rewarding career as a teacher.