A Letter to all First Year Teachers

I can’t believe I’m about to start my ninth year of teaching. I feel like each year goes faster than the one before. This summer has flown by even faster and as I'm working on items to get ready for the school year, I realize how far I have come. My classroom has changed, my planning has evolved, and my confidence in teaching has increased.

I wanted to take this time to write a letter to my former “first year teacher” self. Including things I wish I would have known or done during that school year. Thankfully you’re only a first-year teacher once and then the rest of the years go by much easier.

Dear me during the first year,

You’ve just spent at least four years learning what it looks like to be a good teacher. You took classes on child psychology, method courses for math, and how to incorporate literacy into lessons. But what they don’t tell you (even in student teaching) is how to handle all of the unique things you will witness as a first-year teacher. Students going through tough times at home, students who have not received the differentiated instruction they need and are now three grades behind, and the list goes on. That’s one of the best parts of being a teacher- you are the one that gets to make a difference in their life. Here’s my advice for gracefully surviving that first year:

1. Ask for help. This is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign that you want to learn everything you can about being a good teacher for your students. Go to your mentor, go to the teacher next door, just please don’t suffer in silence.

2. Have a trusted colleague (or administrator) proofread e-mails when dealing with a hard situation. We’re human and sometimes people can forget that. You will get a not-very-nice email at some point in your career. It’s easy to type a response and hit send, but always take a moment to cool down before doing so. Find a colleague you trust to read your response to make sure it is appropriate. Just remember not to forward emails to others without the sender’s permission. Dear Aunt FERPA is always watching and you don’t want to get in trouble for sharing confidential information. 

3. The work you need to complete will still be there tomorrow. Now don’t get me wrong- it’s never cool to miss deadlines or just flat out not be prepared for the day. But as teachers we tend to be perfectionists and therefore are very self-driven to complete everything ahead of time. I can’t tell you how many nights I was the last to leave school that first year. I would even come in on Sunday afternoons to try to get ahead. You’re only in your early-twenties for a few short years. Enjoy them (safely of course).

4. With that said- block your social media. Back in my day all we had was Facebook. Now I'm filtering what I post/like on all sorts of accounts. Be careful of what you share and who you share it with. That picture you posted your sophomore year of college may not be as cool when your new set of parents are googling you. ;) We all know the story of Roseanne's negative tweet, and the recent let go of James Gunn for something he posted ten years ago.

5. Find your tribe. Hopefully your new team will welcome you with open arms, but unfortunately it’s not always like that at schools. Find people that you can trust at your school, other schools, or even through Instagram and the blogging world. Use these people to share ideas with. The idea is never to try to outdo each other but to find ways to thrive in this crazy world we call teaching. I met some of my BEST friends my first year of teaching. I really don’t think I could have survived without them.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, just remember "this too shall pass." Before you know it, it'll be winter break and you'll find yourself recharging and ready to return in January.

Enjoy this adventure.