Getting your first job as a new teacher can be pretty daunting. (Trust me I’m feeling it over here). However, there are some steps I’ve taken to help make it a smooth transition once the first day comes.
1.Know the standards! This one is SUPER important. The standards are what you are required to teach based on your state. If you have some time before your new position make time to read, read again, and read another time the standards.
2. Reach out to veteran teachers. I am very blessed to know many veteran teachers and even have a few veteran teachers on my teaching team that I can reach out to for advice.
3. Prepare, prepare, prepare. The more prepared you are the more likely you are to feel confident on your first day. Reading over the standards and starting to gather materials and build lesson plans makes it great to know what is coming up next and not feeling so overwhelmed.
4. Make goals. Any kind of goals. Goals for yourself in your first year. Goals for your students. Personal goals for yourself.
5. Have a first day and a first week plan. Already having a pretty set plan in place (with room for flexibility of course) makes it so there are less first day jitters.
6. Give yourself grace. Everything is not going to go according to plan and that’s okay. Laugh and move right along. Don’t beat yourself down over.
7. Have a plan to get parents involved. Whether that is through weekly emails, surveys, coming into the classroom. Connecting with parents is something that will help strengthen your classroom.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Just because you’re the adult doesn’t mean you don’t need help sometimes too. Ask other teachers for help, ask the principal for help, even ask your students for help when necessary.
9. Set a routine from the beginning. Students thrive on structure and starting that from the very beginning will help relieve their first day jitters and help to curb any unnecessary behavior problems.
10. Have some supplies ready and set your classroom up. The first day is way too late to figure out your classroom, having it all ready to go makes it easier on everyone. Now making changes as you go along is perfectly fine but have something already set up that you like.