Dear first year teacher

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I’ve been there.  I’m a teacher who has mentored over a hundred first year teachers, and I’ve learned a couple things about not only surviving, but thriving in your first year. Here are the top ten things you need to know:

1. You’re going to fail.  This is important to put right out there first.  Teaching is a craft that takes decades to master, and when, not if, you fail, I like to remind my teachers that if you had wanted to do something easy, you wouldn’t be here.
2. You’ll worry that you don’t know enough. You’re right. You don’t.  AND giving 110% doesn’t mean having all the answers. Giving 110% means acknowledging your gaps, showing up anyway, and getting better. Every. Damn. Day.
3. Seek rhythm, not balance. Ebbs and flows exist, so give yourself permission to change your routine. Sometimes I stayed at school late, and other times I left right away to do an afternoon workout. Balance is elusive; rhythm molds around you.​​
4. You will not agree with things that happen at your school.  When you are frustrated, you have a choice: play the victim, or think, “This is why I’m here.”  I promise that the second will decrease stress, and ultimately make you a more effective teacher.
5. You have so many ideas, and you won’t get to do them all. Be patient. The education system is decades old, and you won’t change it overnight.  Bucking the status quo is complex, and your job is to make small changes until they become something big.
6. Progress, not perfection. 10 times out of 10, your coach or principal prefers hands down to work with a new teacher who has low skill but is eager to hear and implement feedback over someone with higher skills who isn’t coachable. Listen, learn, repeat.
7. Ask for help. I wallowed for weeks my first year because I didn’t even know what to ask for. Even if you don’t know what to ask for, show up in your colleague’s room after school or call your coach, and say, “I’m stuck.”  Teaching is not DIY.
8. Your best friends for the year need to include the secretary and the custodian.  Campus support staff are the actual backbone of the school.  They know all the things about all the things, and if you’re nice, they will be literal lifesavers.  Trust me.
9. You’ll have to play by the rules in order to play your own game.  You earn autonomy by doing what is expected, and producing the data your school wants to see. First deeply understand the system you’re in before you begin to try to change it.
10. Build relationships, LISTEN, and be yourself. Before you speak, listen.  Connect. Reach out. Build a community and share both your struggles and successes.Teaching is highly personal, and you can’t give your students your best without a team to support you.Do these things, and the rest will fall into place.  From one teacher to another, remember to breathe, and to smile.  You’ve got this!Always in your corner,
    Kiki