7 Tips for Beginner Teachers

Congratulations! You are starting your first year of teaching! I’m sure by now a wave of emotions have hit you; excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and so much more. Despite the culture of teaching these days, I really hope that doesn’t diminish your excitement for the career. The excitement of getting into your first classroom and it being 100% yours is an amazing feeling! These 7 tips for beginner teachers will help you stay on a steady course through your first year of teaching. 

Over the years I have mentored tens of teachers through their first year of teaching, both in a general education and special education setting and it’s one of my favorite parts of my job. I love being witness to the excitement of teaching and being there to support when things are feeling like they’re falling apart, because inevitably that will happen.

So what is it going to take to make your first year a success? These tips for beginner teachers are guaranteed to help reduce stress and make it easier to show up each and every day for your students. 

Hold off on buying all the things

I know, I know! This one is hard. You want the Pinterest perfect classroom. The one that has a cute theme, matching bins, and the adorable carpet rug. Trust me, don’t do this to yourself. You’ll want to check with your school or district to make sure you know what is supplied for your classroom first. This will save you time and money. You’ll also want to ask yourself (or others) these questions; Are you inheriting a room full of items already? Do they provide carpets for you? Can I move furniture out of my room? Are there other furniture options in the building?

You’ll also want to make sure that what you are purchasing, because I know you still can’t resist, will fit into your classroom. Ultimately, I know there will be purchases because if you’re anything like me, I just couldn’t resist. I would encourage you to hold off purchasing as much as you can because you want to make sure you’re going to use what you’ve purchased. I can’t tell you how much stuff I donated or sold after my first year of teaching. When I bought it, I simply thought I would use it every day and it collected dust all year long. 

Find your people

You are not alone. You will go through a rollercoaster of emotions in your first year of teaching. Find people you can trust. This could be your grade level team, a teacher friend down the hallway, your instructional coach, your admin, or maybe a stranger on the internet that you follow on Instagram. Whoever that may be, make sure they’re bringing light into your life and building you up. 

You want the kind of people that are going to bring good into your life. The ones that will celebrate your successes, cry with you, and give you honest advice. 

You’ll need help – ASK FOR IT

It’s going to happen, you’ll have an upset parent, a student behavior, or a bad day and maybe you won’t know how to handle it, you’ll need help. Do not be afraid to ask for it. This does not tell anyone that you are weak or incapable, it shows that you are willing to learn and grow. You will go through many phases within your first year of teaching and leaning on others will be the only way you can get through it. 

It’s totally okay that you may not know everything. Even a teacher who has been teaching twenty years will still have questions or reach out for support. We work in a career field that values lifelong learning, so it’s okay to ask for help! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten texts, calls, or have had first year teachers stop by to laugh, cry, vent, and ask questions because they needed help. It will help you show up the next day or the next hour knowing you have support and that you’re not alone in what you’re going through. 

Set boundaries

This one may be a hard one to swallow, but teaching shouldn’t be your whole identity. When I was in my first year of teaching, I made it my whole life. I worked sun up to sun down making sure I was the best teacher for my students and I literally made myself sick. I wish I could say I learned after my first year of teaching to find that balance, but I didn’t. I had very unhealthy boundaries with work. I would show up two hours before school started, leave right at the end of the day and go home and work all night. I lost who I was because I thought all I wanted to be was an educator. 

What are you going to do to protect some of your time? Is it dedicating one night a week to lesson planning and prep? Utilizing your plan time as much as you can so you don’t bring work home? How late will you allow yourself to stay each night? How accessible will you be to families? I would strongly encourage you to stop responding to emails after a certain hour. If you are available all the time then people (parents and administration) will expect that of you. Will you keep your email on your phone or just on your computer? 

It’s taken a few years for me to establish healthy boundaries and I’m still not perfect. You truly cannot pour from an empty cup. It’s impossible. Your first year of teaching is hard work, it takes up a lot of time, but don’t be like me. Don’t let your first year take up ALL of your time. Set boundaries, you’ll thank yourself. 

Take time for yourself

I’ll say it again, you cannot pour from an empty cup. I want you to write down goals for your first year of teaching that protects time for YOU. Do it, write them down right now. What will you do each day that will allow you to have time for yourself? This can go hand-in-hand with boundaries. If those are not set, you will not be able to make time for yourself and it’s important you do so. 

There needs to be time each day that you dedicate to yourself. This can be anything that helps you for the better; working out, reading a book, cooking a healthy meal, drinking a gallon of water. Make sure you put yourself first in little ways each day. Let someone else know your goals so they can be your accountability partner throughout the school year. 

Build relationships

Building relationships with students should be your main target in the classroom. When you are able to establish strong relationships with your students, everything else will be easier. What is your game plan for making sure you are dedicating time to build authentic relationships with students? Will you greet them by name at the door every morning? Will you build time within your day to make sure you can have conversations with them? I have found that dedicating a little bit of time each day to intentionally get to know your students helps establish a strong relationship. 

Stay consistent

People crave consistency and predictability. Stay focused on making your routines, procedures, and expectations remain consistent. It’s crucial that the classroom expectations, daily schedule, and overall flow of the classroom stays steadfast. This will allow for students to pick up on the expectations quicker, eliminate cutting into instructional time, and create a sense of calm in the classroom. If there are changes make sure all students in your classroom are prepped ahead of time so they are able to anticipate any changes that may occur. 

Your first year of teaching is a whirlwind, I remember mine like it was just yesterday. If you use these 7 Tips for Beginner Teachers, you surely will be set up for success. I wish you all the best this school year!