Author: Dr. Monica Bomengen
A first year teacher has a tough job. This is the time when an “ex-student” turns the table and realizes that he or she is finally in control of his or her very own class. Not only is this transition difficult because of that odd switcharoo, but it is also difficult because of all the other, little things that need to be remembered and accomplished. A first year teacher has many things to remember- things that, if not remembered, will surely rear their ugly heads at some point during that teacher’s career. Let’s take a look at some tips for first year teachers!
1. Remember the “Totem Pole”:
This may sound odd at first; you may be thinking, “What on earth does a ‘totem pole’ have to do with my first year of teaching?” Let me put it to you this way, you are the bottom of it. When in the teacher’s lounge or anywhere on school grounds with other teachers, keep. your. mouth. shut! This doesn’t mean you should be a hermit; it simply means that your ears should be better assets than your mouth. In fact, you should definitely be sure to utilize the teacher’s lounge. Never eat lunch in the classroom- get away! The best use of your time will be listening to other teachers- get to know them- and wait for them to try to get to know you. You do not want to be that person who just won’t stop talking! See what the other teachers talk about (what they feel is appropriate to talk about), but be wary of the fact that just because it is all right for them to talk about certain things, that does not mean it is all right for you, oh lonesome bottom-of-the-totem-pole teacher. They can also gripe about their home life, their classes, and their lives in general. It will do you well to remember this rule: the less griping, the better. As important as your rapport is with other teachers, remember who your true friends need to be: the custodian and the secretaries. Leave the custodian candy; bring the secretaries Christmas present. However you do it, make them your friends. Otherwise, your stay at the school will be oh-so-less-than pleasant.
2. Always Say, “Yes”:
Okay, so I know that this goes completely against D.A.R.E.’s philosophy, but I am talking about something completely different! If a seasoned teacher comes to your brand new, bare classroom with a box of classroom materials that he or she no longer wants or needs… say, “Yes!” and “Thank you very much!” Now you may be thinking, “What if some of the stuff is junk? What if I don’t want it all?” Not to be too blunt, but you are a first year teacher, you don’t know what you want! Perhaps there are some hidden treasures, some things with which you can use for your class. You do not completely know until you go through the items, considering each one. If some of it is junk, pitch it later and keep the goodies! Make sure that you keep what could potentially be useful to you because, let’s not kid anyone… a teacher’s salary does not encourage wastefulness. Just say, “Yes!”
3. Late Nights in Your New Classroom:
As with any new job, you are going to have late nights at the “office”- your office being the classroom. Do not think that just because you are a teacher you are going to skip off from work at 4:00-4:30pm every day- especially not in your first year. There are going to be some lonely nights for you in your classroom, preparing things, grading, making bulletin boards, etc., etc. So pump up your favorite jams in your classroom and get to working! Make the best of your time, and know that as each year passes it gets easier to set up your classroom and prepare for the next day. Hang in there!
4. Family First:
Never put business before family. Many times teachers will be the first ones to take on new, intense challenges- especially if it is for their students. That is wonderful; however, remember that if you have a family at home, they must always come first- always. Even if it is just you, don’t forget your friends and relatives; give them a call, set up dinner dates, or perhaps just shoot them e-mails a few times a week. If you have a family living at home, understand that you may need to bring work home- GASP! Oh yes, I said it. It sounds horrible to “bring work home”, but I can guarantee your family would rather have you and your work at home than miss out on both! However you plan on keeping in touch with your home life, just always keep this short, but packed, phrase in mind: “family first”.
5. Healthy Teachers are Effective Teachers:
In this day and age, health has become one of the most important things to society: health of our earth, health of our relationships, and health of our bodies. The health about which I am writing is of the body. You are literally stepping into a classroom full of smiling Petri dishes! They are cute, but they have naaaaasty germs! As a first year teacher, you should be exercising daily, eating nutritious meals, and most importantly, sleeping enough! If you deprive yourself of good meals and rest, you will fade faster than a flashlight getting its batteries ripped out of it! Get sleep. Eat well. Exercise. The more you do these things, the more alert you will be and thus, a more effective teacher you will be. If you are not healthy, you will find yourself planning less, managing less, and, overall, doing less in the classroom. Remember that the little ones you are encountering during the day have come into contact with things that have not hit your generation. Come to think of it, you are probably the “bridge” that germs use to reach the adult society! Hmmm… which do you like better: the “bottom of the totem pole” or the “germ bridge”? Take your pick. 
6. The More Preparation, the Better:
Through my experiences in the classroom, I have found that when I know what I am doing well in advance, I am much more relaxed, get better sleep, get through a lesson more efficiently, and feel more fulfilled after the lesson is finished. Remember that as a first year teacher, you will not have all of the materials you need at your immediate disposal (unless you live in a Michael’s store or something). Therefore, you must plan, plan, plan! Make sure you know what your lessons will include well enough in advance so that you can gather your materials and have them as prepped as possible when your door opens and students pile into your room! If you falter, even for a moment, you have lost the class. This is precisely why preparation is important. Now, don’t get me wrong, many times teachers have epiphanies about something great they could add to a lesson the night prior to that lesson, and they have to gather materials that night or the next morning. Is that bad? No! That is wonderful! However, it is preferable for you to have things ready much earlier than that. It will save you stress and time if you prepare. Think about it this way, if you set up your kitchen in a way where you know where every utensil, pot, pan, or food item is, you will save yourself a lot of time in the long run. When you decide to prepare a certain meal, things will be a cinch! (Well, providing you are a decent cook!) However, if you leave your kitchen in complete disarray, making even one meal might cause you more stress than you ever wanted. Preparation takes serious will power- fight that laziness! However, the way I see it, you are going to prepare either now or later. Later is attached to stress, insomnia, and an out-of-control classroom, whereas now is attached to “Man, I may need to lay off of the Internet or the television for a few hours” and nothing else. I don’t know about you, but I think the latter is the better choice.
7. If You Go the Extra Mile, They Will:
One week, I taught a brief summary of Mexico to a class of third grade students. Nothing made them happier than the lesson on how to make Ojos de Dios and the food lesson where they helped stir salsa and ate it during my lesson! They were jazzed to learn about such an interesting country. Why? Because I made sure that I made it interesting by “going beyond the book” and bringing Mexico to the classroom in a dynamic way. Was it extra work on my part? Absolutely. It was a pain in the booty to cut all of those stinkin’ tomatoes, onions (*sniff*), and peppers for that salsa! It was tedious to hot glue two sticks per student together and cut yarn for those colorful Ojos de Dios! Was it worth it? More than I can express. It was positively wonderful and more fulfilling than I could have expected. Another important reason you should incorporate interesting, extra material into your lessons is to encourage students to come to school. In many areas around the nation, teachers have trouble acquiring a full class for even one day. When a student knows that he or she will be missing out on something new and exciting if he or she is absent, I can guarantee he or she will be more likely to come to class each day. Who wants to miss out on all of the fun? No one! Make it worth it.
8. Reflect:
If there is anything I have learned through the Elementary Education program, it is reflect, reflect, reflect! This is especially important for first year teachers because now is the time to truly go through each lesson, correcting and polishing- trust me, you will appreciate it during your second year! However, I have one problem with the whole “reflection” thing. My problem is that teachers tend to be perfectionists, and with this “perfectionist” personality comes self-criticism. Yes, you should most definitely think of things on which you can improve from your day’s lessons. However, don’t ever forget to reflect on the good things you did as well. Remind yourself that you are a good teacher, you went to school for teaching, and you can do it. My advice would be to pick out three stellar things you did as a teacher on that particular day, write them on a sticky note, and post it somewhere you can easily view the next morning. Before getting started, read those three things on the list, and feel your spirits rise! This will remind you of the things you should remember during that day’s lessons, and it will also be a nice morning “pat on the back”. Just remember to reflect daily, weekly, and monthly. Then, at the end of your first year, reflect again! Think of “glows and grows” as my former mentor, Mr. Davis, would say.
9. Stay Consistent:
As a general note, remember to stay consistent. This is important for teachers at every level, but for a first year teacher, it is the most important. This is when you decide for the first time how you want to do things in your classroom. Not only are the students getting acclimated, but you are also! This ties into the need for preparation. Make sure that you know what you plan on doing, how you plan on teaching, how you plan to classroom manage, etc. Once you have your plans organized, you will be ready for action. Once you have begun, don’t change unless absolutely necessary! Stay consistent and neither you nor your students will be confused. Less confusion means less stress or management issues.
The list of tips for a first year teacher is lengthy, so I shall stop here for now, but stay tuned! The rest is on its way!
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