Shownotes
Imagine this. You just finished your teaching degree, landed your first teaching job, and stepped into your classroom for the first time. You’re so excited to start this new journey, but then hit with a wave of emotions and stress realizing you have so much to do. This is the mindset of a new teacher.
Being a new teacher, there’s so many things you want to do and try, but what is actually essential for a successful school year? Since we are a community of educators, we wanted to help out our novice teachers, while also giving our veteran teachers a few reminders. So in today’s episode, we’re sharing our 10 tips for new teachers with help from our Teacher Approved community.
For all the resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes:
https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/tips-for-new-teachers
Resources:
Transcripts
Emily
Hey there, thanks for joining us today. In today's episode, we're sharing the top 10 tips for new teachers, and some good reminders for the not so new teachers as well.
Heidi
Normally, we start our episodes with a morning message. But this episode is full of responses from our community. So let's get right to the show.
Emily
Being a new teacher is exciting and daunting. I love new teachers because they bring so much excitement and energy to the school, you know that new teacher vibe. But we know from experience that being a new teacher is incredibly difficult. I thought I knew a lot from college when I was a new teacher. But I realized quickly that I had a lot to learn still.
Heidi
I think we were all in that same basket.
Emily
Well, there's so much that you can't learn until you just do it unfortunately.
Heidi
So we want to help new teachers feel more prepared and empowered for the upcoming school year. We've got some great tips from us and the amazing teachers in the teacher approved community. So let's jump in.
Emily
Our first tip is to set up your space for function. So one the first things that new teacher is usually super excited to do is get their classroom set up at the start of the year. I know I was the summer before my first year of teaching, the really only thing on my mind was getting my room set up. And setting up your room is a massive undertaking. So it's no wonder that it's many teachers first priority.
Heidi
It really is important to set up your space with care. But how it functions matters more than how it looks even though that's hard to remember, though, and that isn't to say that you can't have a cute theme, or trendy decorations. By all means decorate as much as you would like to.
Emily
Yes, just don't forget the function of the space is what's really going to matter.
Heidi
So Michelle said a wise teacher told me that it's okay if your room doesn't look picture perfect or magazine ready.
Emily
Yeah, I think I have actually been in very few picture perfect magazine ready Pinterest worthy classrooms in person because I think more classrooms than not, are not picture perfect. And that's okay. Because that's not what matters. What matters is how your space works for you. So when you're setting up your classroom, think through what you need your space to do for you, and plan it out with those ideas in mind.
Heidi
And adding to that Jill has this good tip. Don't spend a ton of money at first setting up your room. Yeah, we don't know what you need. Yes, you really don't. But if you want some more tips on setting up your classroom, with function in mind, go back and check out our episode 83.
Emily
Yeah, we just deep dived all into classrooms set up just a couple weeks ago.
Heidi
So our second tip for new teachers is to get organized. Classroom clutter is one of the biggest problems, even for veteran teachers, maybe especially for veteran teachers has to look at so much more stuff. I'm not I'm not looking at anybody, but I know who you are. me. It's me.
Emily
Stephanie said, create a place for everything and keep your lesson plans for next year. Start organized.
Heidi
Yeah, you definitely want to start off as organized as you can. It's so much easier to keep up than it is to try and catch up.
Emily
Yes, absolutely. And Gina suggested file or scan everything immediately. Don't put it in a pile for later. I wish someone had warned me of this, I threw away a lot of great resources at the end of the year because it was too much to sort through.
Emily
Oh, I feel this. I had so many piles of papers in my classroom of things I needed to deal with. And it's so hard to go through it later. Just make a rule for yourself that you're gonna immediately file or scan your papers.
Heidi
I remember complaining to our mom once that I was so overwhelmed about the mess of my class. And she gave me the guideline. And I know she didn't make it up that you should only Touch Paper once. Yes. So whenever you pick it up, the next place it's going is right where it belongs, you're not going to set it down somewhere and then have to deal with it later.
Emily
Which might be in the trash. And that would actually keep the clutter more manageable if you kept up with putting things just right in the trash.
Heidi
But you know, we can all work on that goal together because I definitely still don't have a master's I got to do that with my mail. Mail I have on my counter.
Emily
And that brings us to tip number three which is focus on procedures.
Heidi
Yay, we love procedures. One of the most common pieces of advice that our veteran teachers offered is to focus on procedures. And if you listen to this podcast regularly, it will not surprise you that we strongly agree with this tip.
Emily
If we could, we probably would have this podcast only be about procedures if we can figure out enough to say, because that's how much we like to talk about.
Emily
Your procedures and routines are what set the stage for the rest of your year. Getting those solidly introduced at the beginning of the year will save you countless hours of interruptions and correction and management all year long.
Heidi
Not to mention, it's the solid procedures that allow for the fun stuff. Yes, the fun teaching the lessons, the group activities, all of that. You can't do any of it successfully without having good procedures in place.
Emily
Yes, as Bill said, be consistent with expectations, teach them, practice them. Practice them again, as frequently as needed. Never settle for, oh, that's good enough for now, or I'll let it pass this time when it comes to expectations.
Heidi
Yeah, that's how you set yourself up for massive headaches. And Sarah said, management is critical and sets the tone for the entire year. You set the standard in the classroom. So don't ever say that they can't do that.
Emily
Absolutely. If you want to dive more into procedures and routines, we have lots of episodes about that. A great one to start with would be Episode 18, which is our procedures for success episode.
Heidi
Our fourth tip for new teachers is to build relationships with students and their families. So what matters most as a teacher, of course, is your students. And you want to have a strong relationship with them from the start, so that they feel safe and comfortable in your classroom, and they trust you as their teacher.
Emily
There are so many ways to build strong relationships from the start. One of the best ways, believe it or not, is to have those good procedures and routines that we talked about. Having clear procedures in place let your students relax and feel comfortable, because they know exactly what to expect when they come to school. And they also feel more comfortable because they know what to expect from you.
Heidi
Besides clear procedures, there are lots of other ways to build relationships with your students right away. One important tip is to display student names in the classroom, at least they should be on the door so that your students feel welcome when they arrive. It's also a good idea to make some form of contact with students and their families before school starts, like by mailing a letter home or even just an email.
Emily
And you'll want to give your students opportunities to share about themselves and their interests at the beginning of the year.
Emily
So we like to invite students to bring three things from home to share with the class. And we have several students share each day of the first week of school. And just make a note that those three things have to fit in the bag you provide them or in their backpack or something like that. So you don't get anything too wacky coming in.
Heidi
And, you know, remind parents nothing expensive, or breakable or electronic.
Emily
Yes, or pets. Oh yes. Jennifer said you will have many students. But remember that each one of those kids is someone's entire world. And that's a good perspective to keep in mind.
Heidi
And Tracy says, don't take anything that the kids or their parents say personally, and that's so hard to do. A good teacher is constantly learning and growing. You will make mistakes, you'll cry, you'll be exhausted and wonder what on earth you're doing. But seeing that smile on a child's face when the light bulb comes on, it makes it all worth it.
Emily
And parents can be the hardest part of teaching at times. So do whatever you can to win them over, make those contacts home early in the year so you can establish a good relationship with them about positive contact. If they see that you're making an effort to keep them informed of what's going on in the classroom, they're more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt when those hiccups occur.
Heidi
But no matter how great you are at parent communication, please just remember that you can never make everyone happy. Just make sure that you can back up your decisions with a well thought out reason. And that is pretty much the best insurance you can have against critical parents.
Emily
Yes. Our fifth tip is to build relationships with your teammates and other staff. And this is the number one tip we received from other teachers. And I think that's because those relationships can make or break your experience at your school.
Heidi
Oh, absolutely. You can't do it alone. So you need to have a good team on your side. It can be tricky, because you're not always going to have teammates that you connect well with. Yeah, I think anyone that's taught for very long, or maybe you've been just a few months can have some hair raising stories about teammates gone wrong.
Heidi
But when they're good, your teammates are so good. The teaching profession tends to attract people with strong personalities, which can lead to a clash at times.
Emily
But control what you can by choosing to have a good attitude and trying your best to connect with your fellow teachers. You may have totally different personalities and teaching styles, but being respectful and complimentary goes a long way.
Heidi
And new teachers don't forget to ask the more veteran teachers for advice. Teachers love to teach and that includes mentoring other teachers. In most cases, I have found that veteran teachers love being asked to share their expertise and they are happy to help a new teacher however they can, as long as they feel like you're trying.
Emily
Yes. And Summer told us to find your marigold. I love that one. And this is an idea that comes from our friend Jennifer from Coulter Pedagogy.
Emily
She shared how marigolds are a favorite companion plant for gardeners, meaning that they plant marigolds near vegetable plants because they protect against pests and weeds, and they help the vegetables grow and thrive. So in the school setting miracles are teachers who nurture, support and encourage new teachers to become their best. You may find them to be few and far between at your school, unfortunately. But when you do find a marigold, prioritize your relationship with them so that they can help you grow.
Heidi
And if you can't find them at your school, there are plenty online. So look for the people that are wanting to help you grow as a teacher.
Emily
Yes, let us be your marigolds. We'd love to be your marigolds.
Heidi
And to any veteran teachers listening to this, maybe you want to take on the challenge of being the marigold at your school. Be the teacher that encourages and inspires the new teachers. Be the safe space for them to come and ask questions and cry. It is one of the greatest gifts you can give another teacher and if you want to read more, we will link to Jennifer's blog post about finding your marigolds in our show notes.
Emily
Continuing on, Theresa said build relationships with students, parents, colleagues, secretaries, custodians and administrators. We cannot emphasize enough the secretaries and custodians. That's my own interjection to Teresa's comment. She continues, these relationships will help you be the best teacher you can be. Plus all of this will help your students. Before you know it, you will be doing your best work and it will be a pleasure to go to work.
Heidi
And Joy says Get to know your team and faculty, it is so important. Don't be afraid to share your data. That's how we make sure all kids are progressing.
Heidi
I think that's such a good tip. Because when you're the new one, maybe your scores don't match some of what's happening with the veteran teachers classrooms, it can be really hard to want to like discuss that information. But see your team as a team and you can lift each other and help all of the kids that you're responsible for.
Emily
Marty said be an active part of your team. You have lots of ideas, and they have lots of practical knowledge. So share, ask questions and do not criticize.
Heidi
Diana said find your teacher tribe can be your community to get through each day, and celebrate your successes no matter how small it might feel.
Emily
And Karen said find a good and trustworthy teacher BFF. They will have your back, listen to your moments and support you when you need it. You can't do this job alone you need a friend or two.
Heidi
Teacher BFF is such a gift.
Heidi
Tip number six is ask questions, but trust yourself.
Emily
Yeah, as Joyce said, ask for help. It's okay to ask and Angela agreed. It's okay not to know stuff you'll learn. Just ask. And Lauren said ask all the questions and don't be afraid to.
Heidi
So you should ask some questions. You really cannot ask enough questions.
Emily
Yeah, I remember being a new teacher at the ripe old age of 22. And feeling like I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But man, I was so nervous to ask questions, because I felt like I should know what I was doing. And it's easy to feel that way as a new teacher.
Emily
But nobody knows this stuff at the start. You'll learn it by doing and by asking the other teachers who have years of experience. There's absolutely no shame in asking for help and ideas and guidance. And like we said earlier, most teachers love to be asked to share their expertise. So ask away.
Heidi
But also keep in mind as Holly says, it's okay not to take any advice that you are given. And I'm going to add guess to that. Absolutely. As long as it's not like school policy. Yes, yes.
Heidi
Holly goes on to say it's not about hurting feelings, but finding your teacher voice and style. Do not be afraid of needing help. You are new, it's normal. It doesn't mean that you're not qualified. Find people you can trust and who will offer you support.
Emily
Yes, that's such great advice. I think the number one rule of teaching is that you have to find what works for you. Don't be afraid to take suggestions. But also don't be afraid of letting suggestions go if they don't work for you.
Heidi
Tip number seven is you can do anything but not everything. Yes so true. That just applies to life in general. But it is such an important thing to remember. Because you are going to be inundated with incredible ideas from other teachers in your building. But also on the internet.
Emily
Yes, if you're on the internet, you're about to see all the ideas.
Heidi
It's an avalanche coming your way. And it's really easy to want to tackle everything you see. But it's just not possible. You don't have the hours of the day, you don't have the money, and it's not sustainable.
Emily
So you really can do anything, you want to just choose carefully what you most want to do, because you truly cannot do it all.
Heidi
And try not to compare yourself to other teachers, I know it's hard. You have your own personality and your own style of teaching. And that's right for you. You should own that. You don't need to be like other teachers, as long as your kids are getting taught. So be the best version of yourself instead.
Emily
And I loved Amanda's tip, she says, don't expect to get everything right the first time around. It's probably good to just prepare yourself for that. But just know that.
Heidi
Yeah. Or the 30th time around, yeah, always, always gonna take some change in work. And Amber says it's easy to get overwhelmed so make it to do list and tackle a few things a day. Don't overload yourself, or you'll burn out quicker.
Emily
I love that. Tip number eight is to work smarter, not harder. As Jackie said, this is one of our favorite tips. She says don't grade everything. If you are grading, make it count, give them opportunities to redo their work to master the skill. So don't grade just for the sake of grading.
Emily
I didn't grade the majority of the work we did during the day because the goal wasn't to get a score from what we were doing it to learn and that will save you so much time.
Heidi
And try to keep your prep time sacred so that you can get as much done during those few minutes as possible.
Emily
That's so easy for that to just fly by.
Heidi
It gets eaten up easily. And other people will happily fill it for you. Try to make clear to do lists so that you are maximizing that time with the things that are most important so that you're not sacrificing your free time doing teacher stuff that you could have done during the school day.
Emily
Yeah, the more you get done during prep time, the less you'll need to do after school.
Emily
Tip number nine is be prepared. Fiona suggested have a few brain breaks the kids like ready to go for times when you need a few minutes to prepare for the next lesson.
Heidi
And if you are looking for some brain breaks, we have no prep brain breaks that you can buy and print. We've got some back to school ones that are brand new, and they're lots of fun. They don't require supplies, you can just do them on the fly. And we designed it that way on purpose. Because we know sometimes you just end up with these random times, or the kids are all drooping in their desks or the opposite. And they're climbing the wall. Yeah. So you just need the right brain break for the moment that you can just pick up and be ready at any time. And we will link to those in our show notes.
Emily
Some are suggested set your classroom up for the next day before you leave, it will make your morning so calm and easy to come into. That's like we say a gift to your future self. I love that.
Heidi
Absolutely. Kia has said Be flexible. Sometimes the best plans are no plans. So don't stress over the small stuff.
Emily
Yes, so be prepared and be flexible.
Emily
And the last tip, maybe the most important one is take care of yourself. We got lots and lots of tips about self care. And they all said basically the same thing. So let's hear the most popular tips.
Emily
First one from Sarah is stop and eat lunch. Yeah, that's an easy one to overlook. Yes. And you'll pay for it later. And you'll struggle more in the afternoon if you haven't just taken care of yourself and eating some lunch.
Heidi
Bridget says Don't let your job rule your life. And that's one I couldn't I wish I could go back and remind my like young teacher self about that one.
Emily
Yeah, and it's a hard one to do. Amy said, do what you can and don't give more than you can.
Heidi
And Karen said I would find a way to keep your work life and home life separated. Do what you can during your work day and then let it go. Don't drag home bags of work and work all evening.
Emily
For sure. Make that the exception not the rule if you ever do have to take work home. And Diana said also don't feel guilty about asking for help from family and friends for meals, class setup, mental health check ins etc. Definitely you need a strong support system in the early years and maybe every year. I think she's right.
Heidi
A couple of other good tips that can help you keep work life and home life separate are avoiding staying late all of the time. When your contract time ends, try to get out the door as soon as you can. And don't put your school email on your phone if you don't have to. You don't need that kind of stress.
Emily
Yes, save yourself from overwhelm by keeping firm boundaries between your work and your personal time. And remember, just treat yourself like you would a toddler. And make sure you get enough sleep, you eat nutritious and filling meals, get sunlight and exercise and drink plenty of water.
Emily
So get yourself that giant Stanley Cup and you stay hydrated. And also go to the bathroom every time you can, because you never know when you'll get your next opportunity.
Heidi
No joke, that should have been the number one tip.
Emily
We'd love to hear your tips for new teachers come during the conversation in our teacher approved Facebook group.
Heidi
To wrap up the show we are sharing what we're giving extra credit to this week, Emily won't get your extra credit?
Emily
I'm giving extra credit to the new word game from the New York Times called Connections. So we are still avid Wordle players. Every day, I have a friend that we all text our scores every day still. And and so I was really excited that they have a new one that we could add to our daily word games.
Emily
So with Connections, you're given a grid of 16 words, and you have to choose four words that you think belong in a group. But like Wordle, you only get a certain number of guesses. And then after you get a correct category of words, those words are removed from the grid. And you try again to find the next category of four from the remaining words.
Emily
And it's tricky because some of the words can often be in two different categories. They do that on purpose. So you really have to think. When I get all four categories, and only four guesses. It's so exciting. And it really is fun to play with friends, much like Wordle, you can send your score and it has little colored boxes that at first didn't make a lot of sense. But now that I've been playing, they totally make sense.
Emily
So it's fun to see how everybody else has experienced went with their guesses. It's just a fun word game to add to your day. If you enjoy a word game, and send us your score next time you play.
Heidi
I always feel so smart. If I get the advanced words earlier in the game. Yes. easy wins for yes.
Emily
And it's been fun to see what the other so the three of us that play, we almost never get them in the same order. So that's always kind of funny to see too. What could your extra credit Heidi?
Heidi
So my extra credit is going to all of our new teachers. It's a little bit like watching someone in the path of an avalanche. But you've got this you are prepared. It will test you in ways that you will not expect. But look around for the other teachers around you. They want to help you they want to lift you up. They want to give you the good advice that got them through the hard days.
Heidi
And your students are so lucky to have you. They're in your class for a reason because you're the teacher for them. Yes, for sure. So do your best this year. Reach out to us, we're happy to offer advice to chat and join us in our Facebook group. There are so many amazing teachers in there.
Emily
They all love to help, they really do.
Heidi
So you got this.
Heidi
That's it for today's episode, try out these tips for new teachers. And if you're a veteran teacher, please share these tips with the new teacher in your life.