First Year Teacher Archives - The Present Teacher

The Ultimate First Year Teacher Classroom Checklist

Congratulations on starting your first year as a teacher! As you prepare for the school year ahead, it’s important to have a checklist to ensure you have everything you need for a successful classroom. From classroom supplies to lesson planning, this ultimate first year teacher classroom checklist will help you stay organized and prepared.

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Set up your classroom layout.

One of the first items of the first year teacher classroom checklist is to set up your classroom layout.

Before the school year begins, it’s important to plan out your classroom layout. In fact, I would argue that before you even start picking out a theme or purchase ANYTHING, figure out the flow of your classroom to minimize the chance of making unnecessary purchases.

Consider the flow of traffic, the placement of desks and tables, and the location of important items such as the whiteboard and storage areas. Some areas you may want to consider are:

Whole Group Area
Classroom Library
Line Up Area
Independent Work Area
Small Group Area
Student Resource Area

Make sure to leave enough space for students to move around and for you to move freely around the classroom. Once you have a plan in place, start setting up your classroom and arranging furniture accordingly. After you take inventory of what you already have and the flow of your classroom, it’s a good idea to stock up on essential items.

Which brings me to my next point…

Stock up on essential supplies.

Another important item on the First Year teacher classroom checklist is to stock up on essential supplies. As a first year teacher, it’s important to have all the necessary supplies to ensure a successful school year.

After you take inventory on what your classroom already has (some classrooms have supplies already in them) or what your district will provide, it’s important to stock up on all the essential day to day supplies you will be using. Make sure to stock up on essentials such as pencils, pens, markers, paper, notebooks, folders, and binders.

You may also want to consider purchasing classroom decorations, bulletin board materials, and organizational tools such as bins and trays. Don’t forget to also have a first aid kit and cleaning supplies on hand for any unexpected situations. By having all the necessary supplies, you’ll be able to focus on teaching and creating a positive learning environment for your students.

Create a classroom management plan.

Arguably the number one thing you want to do on the ultimate first year teacher classroom checklist is to figure out your classroom management plan.

One of the most important things you can do as a first year teacher is to create a classroom management plan. This plan should outline your expectations for behavior, consequences for misbehavior, and rewards for positive behavior. It’s important to communicate this plan to your students and their parents at the beginning of the school year.

By having a clear and consistent management plan, you’ll be able to create a positive and productive learning environment for your students. Which is why it’s number three on the Ultimate First Year Teacher Classroom Checklist.

Plan your curriculum and lesson plans.

One of the next steps on the First Year Teacher Classroom Checklist is to plan out your curriculum and lesson plans.

As a first year teacher, it’s important to have a clear plan for what you’ll be teaching throughout the year. And let’s be honest, lesson planning can be a tedious task if you let it. That’s why many teachers including Veteran teachers use the summer to get ahead of lesson planning.

Start by reviewing your school’s curriculum and standards, and then create a detailed plan for each unit or lesson. Consider incorporating a variety of teaching methods and activities to keep your students engaged and motivated. Don’t forget to also plan for assessments and evaluations to measure your students’ progress and adjust your teaching as needed. By having a well-planned curriculum and lesson plans, you’ll be able to provide your students with a structured and effective learning experience.

Establish communication with parents and guardians.

One of the most important aspects of being a successful teacher is establishing open communication with parents and guardians. Which is why it definitely needed to be included in the first year teacher classroom checklist.

This can help you build a strong relationship with them and ensure that they are involved in their child’s education. Consider sending out a welcome letter or email at the beginning of the school year, and schedule regular parent-teacher conferences to discuss their child’s progress. I personally like to call all of my families the week before school to introduce myself, especially if you don’t have a parent night.

You can also use online tools such as a class website or email newsletter to keep parents informed about upcoming events and assignments. By keeping parents involved, you can create a supportive learning environment that benefits both you and your students.

One of the best mindsets you can have with family communication is “we work as a team.”

Overall

All in all, there are several items you should be completing from the Ultimate First Year Teacher Classroom Checklist. These items include:

Classroom layout
Stock up on essential supplies
Create a classroom management plan
Get ahead of your curriculum and lesson plans
Decide and incorporate early and consistent family communication

Here’s the thing, I know you probably have a million questions about teaching. So if you want to learn more, check out the Ultimate First Year Checklist where I walk you through all of the things you should be doing to make your first year of teaching a success.

As always, we are stronger together!

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Categories: First Year Teacher

The Top 7 New Teacher Myths You Shouldn’t Believe

Let’s be honest, there are so many new teacher myths going around these days. And the worst part is, many of us don’t even realize they are myths until later…. Much much later!

In this article, we’ll debunk some of the most common myths and provide you with the truth about what to expect as a new teacher.

Did you know all 7 of these were myths?

P.S. If you are a new teacher and want help setting up your classroom, download this Ultimate First Year Teacher Checklist!

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Myth: You have to be perfect from day one.

Let’s be honest, this is a new teacher myth not only society places on us, but we tend to place on ourselves. This is a common myth that can cause a lot of unnecessary stress for first year teachers.

The truth is, no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, especially when starting a new job. It’s important to give yourself grace and remember that teaching is a learning process. Seek guidance from experienced teachers, reflect on your lessons, and make adjustments as needed. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because that’s the best way you will learn!

Your students will appreciate your effort and dedication, even if everything doesn’t go perfectly from day one. So don’t believe this new teacher myth for one second!

Myth: You have to be strict to earn respect.

A common new teacher myth you might hear is “Don’t smile until January.” This is a common misconception among new teachers, but it’s simply not true.

While it’s important to establish boundaries and expectations in the classroom, being overly strict can actually hinder your ability to build positive relationships with your students. Respect is earned through mutual trust and understanding, not fear.

Instead, focus on creating a safe and supportive learning environment, and your students will naturally respect you as their teacher.

Myth: You have to be an expert in every subject.

Another common new teacher is that you have to be an expert to be a good teacher. The truth is, no one is an expert in every subject and it’s okay to ask for help or do some extra research to prepare for a lesson.

Additionally, many schools have resources available such as curriculum guides and lesson plans to help teachers plan and teach their lessons effectively. Don’t let the fear of not knowing everything hold you back from being a great teacher.

Myth: You have to do everything on your own.

As a first year teacher, it’s easy to feel like you have to do everything on your own. However, this is simply not true. There are many resources available to new teachers, including mentorship programs, professional development opportunities, and support from colleagues.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or guidance when you need it. Remember, teaching is a collaborative profession and everyone benefits when we work together. So don’t let this new teacher myth get in your way of being the teacher you were meant to be.

Myth: You have to sacrifice your personal life.

I’m not sure how many times I have heard this new teacher myth but it’s simply not true. In fact, if I were to be completely transparent with you, I believed this myth myself until year 2.

This is a common myth that can discourage many potential teachers from pursuing a career in education. While teaching can be a demanding job, it’s important to remember that you still have a life outside of the classroom. It’s important to prioritize self-care and make time for hobbies and activities that bring you joy.

Additionally, many schools offer a work-life balance and encourage their teachers to take time off when needed. Don’t let the new teacher myth of sacrificing your personal life hold you back from pursuing your passion for teaching.

Myth: You have to work 24/7.

Again, a new teacher myth I believed myself, this is a common myth that can be discouraging for new teachers. While it’s true that the first few years can be challenging as you adjust to the demands of the job, it doesn’t mean that they have to be horrible.

With the right support, resources, and mindset, you can have a successful and fulfilling experience as a new teacher. Don’t let this myth have you grinding your entire first year. You might just miss making those important memories… like I did!

Myth: Your first couple of years are going to be horrible.

I’m going to say it louder for the people in the back… YOUR FIRST COUPLE YEARS OF TEACHING DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DIFFICULT! Just because other teachers had a hard first couple of years, doesn’t mean you have to. In fact, that’s one of the reason The Present Teacher began. I help new teachers learn from my mistakes so their first couple of years can be the best years of their life!

While it’s true that the first few years can be challenging as you adjust to the demands of the job, it doesn’t mean that they have to be horrible. With the right support, resources, and strategies, you can have a successful and fulfilling experience as a new teacher. You can have an amazing first year of teaching.

In Summary

Overall, there are several new teacher myths that definitely put a damper on being a new teacher. These new teacher myths include:

You have to be perfect from day one
You have to be strict to earn respect
You have to be an expert in every subject
You have to do everything on your own
You have to work 24/7
Your first couple of years are going to be horrible

All in all, there are so many new teacher myths out there that can really get in the way of you making an impact in the education world. Don’t let these myths stop you from being the teacher you were meant to become!

P.S. Don’t forget to download the Free Ultimate First Year Teacher Checklist!

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Categories: Uncategorized

From Surviving to Thriving: Tips for Teachers in End of the Year Survival Mode

As the end of the school year approaches, many teachers find themselves in “survival mode” – just trying to make it through the last few weeks.

And exactly 4 years ago today, was the day I wanted to give up on teaching. You see I had been wrapping up my first year of teaching as a Kindergarten Teacher in a small town in New Mexico. It was my students graduation, and as I watched their little hands hold their diplomas, I started to lose it. I started tearing up because at that moment I realized…

I. Had. Failed. Them.

The entire year I was so wrapped up in the doing that I forgot in the being.

I wasn’t the teacher I knew I could be at 5 years old when I decided to be a teacher. Not only had I failed my students that year, but I also failed myself.

It was at that moment that I decided enough was enough. I am going to figure out a way to get out of survival mode and start being the teacher I know I could be.

And I did!

Not only did I finally start becoming the teacher I knew I could be, but I have helped teachers around the world do the same.

You see, with a few tips and strategies, it’s possible to finish the year strong and avoid burnout. You don’t have to be in “survival mode.” If anything you can continue thriving and being the teacher you were always meant to be.

With that in mind, here are some ideas to help you get out of survival mode and end the year on a high note.

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Prioritize self-care.

One of the best ways to get out of teacher “survival mode” at the end of the year is to focus on taking care of yourself.

It’s easy for teachers to put their own needs on the back burner during the busy school year, but self-care is crucial for avoiding burnout. Now when I say self-care, I don’t mean the buzz word admin throws around.

What I mean is to start incorporating these simple steps:

Ask yourself what you need right now.
Take action.

That’s it! It’s that simple. Do I mean start a crazy workout routine in the morning before school at the gym? Of course not!

What I mean is it’s important to start showing up for yourself and giving yourself the time and space you need throughout the day. Remember, taking care of yourself is not selfish – it’s necessary for being able to take care of your students.

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Simplify lesson planning and grading.

As the end of the school year approaches, it can be tempting to try to cram in as much content as possible. However, this can lead to burnout for both teachers and students. If you are feeling exhausted, your students are most likely feeling it too.

Instead, simplify your lesson planning by focusing on the most important concepts and skills. Consider using project-based learning or other hands-on activities to engage students and make learning more enjoyable.

When it comes to grading, consider using rubrics or other streamlined methods to save time and reduce stress. Remember, the goal is not to do everything perfectly, but to finish the year strong and set yourself up for success in the future.

Celebrate accomplishments and milestones.

As the school year comes to a close, it’s important to take time to celebrate the accomplishments and milestones of both yourself and your students. Instead of getting caught up in all of the “to-do’s,” Make sure to set some time aside to enjoy these last few weeks with your kids. I guarantee over summer you are going to look back at the memories you made this year, NOT how much work you got done.

Set some time aside to celebrate the progress your students have made, and most importantly that YOU made. This can be as simple as having a class party or creating a bulletin board showcasing student work. Looking at where your students were at the beginning of the year to now is also another way to celebrate. And taking some time to reflect on how much you have learned this school year.

Recognizing the hard work and progress made throughout the year can boost morale and provide a sense of closure. It also sets a positive tone for the next school year and helps students feel motivated to continue learning and growing.

Stay organized and focused.

With the end of the school year comes a flurry of activities and tasks that can easily overwhelm even the most organized of teachers (trust me). To stay on top of things, create a to-do list and prioritize tasks based on their importance and deadline.

This is where those systems at the beginning of the year are really important. Use a planner or calendar to keep track of important dates and events. It’s also important to stay focused on the present moment and avoid getting too caught up in planning for the future. Take breaks when needed and remember to take care of yourself both physically and mentally.

Collaborate with colleagues for support and inspiration.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, it can be helpful to lean on your colleagues for support and inspiration. Collaborate with other teachers to share ideas, resources, and strategies for managing end-of-year tasks and activities. You don’t have to do this alone. Whether it’s a mentor online, or the teacher next door, it’s important to lean on your support group during this time.

You can also use this time to reflect on the school year and celebrate your successes together. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice when you need it – remember, you’re all in this together!

Overall

All in all, there are several ways to get out of teacher survival mode at the end of the school year. Some strategies include:

Prioritize your self-care
Simplify lesson planning and grading
Celebrate accomplishments and milestones
Stay organize and focused
Collaborate with colleagues and your support network

As always remember we are stronger together!

Love,

Helena

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Categories: First Year Teacher

The Secret

Now whether you have to answer 30 interview questions in 20 minutes or not, answering teacher interview questions can be very intimidating.

In fact you might be feeling like:

You want to make a good impression and stand out from the other candidates but you secretly hate talking about yourself.
You are absolutely terrified you are going to say something wrong OR WORSE freeze up completely.
You are struggling to find the time to prepare for your interview.

If you can relate to any of these first off, don’t worry, I felt the exact same way when I last interviewed. But also there’s a secret method I use to answer interview questions that make me feel confident and I want to share that with you.

And that is the following steps:

Restate (Restate the question to give you some think time)
Experience (Relate the question to an experience you had to build credibility)
Mission and values (Relate your answer to the mission and values of the schools)
It Factor (Answer the question using your “it Factor or what makes you stand out)

To demonstrate how to answer teacher interview questions using this method I compiled a list of the top 10 teacher interview questions and how to answer them to help you feel confident and prepared.

So grab that cup of coffee (chai for me please!) and let’s get started!

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What inspired you to become a teacher?

This is a common question in teacher interviews and it’s important to have a thoughtful and genuine answer prepared. You might talk about a teacher who inspired you when you were younger, a personal experience that sparked your interest in education, or a desire to make a positive impact on young people’s lives. Whatever your answer, be sure to convey WHY your passionate about teaching and your commitment to helping students succeed.

My example would be something like:

“One of the reasons I am excited to be a teacher relates a lot to this story of when my brother was 5 years old. He had just entered kindergarten and was learning to tie his shoes. Well being the big sister I am, I sat there and helped him learn to tie his shoes. It was in that moment that my little brother tied his shoe for the first time and I saw that “light” in his eyes. That moment of pride is what I fell in love with. I am dedicated to making sure all students (myself included) become passionate about learning and being life-long learners. I love showing students the love of learning.”

Confidently prepare for your next interview in a single weekend with the Teacher Interview Workshop.

How do you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students?

Another common teacher interview question I have seen a lot. Differentiating instruction is a crucial aspect of being an effective teacher. In order to meet the needs of all students, it’s important to understand their individual strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles.

One way to differentiate instruction is to use a variety of teaching strategies and materials, such as visual aids, hands-on activities, and technology. It’s also important to provide opportunities for students to work in small groups or one-on-one with the teacher. By tailoring instruction to meet the needs of each student, you can help them reach their full potential and achieve academic success.

My example would include a story about how my brother and I had different learning styles and that growing up I learned the importance of incorporating that in everything you do. There for I have a particular passion for incorporating different learning styles and student choice during lessons.

How do you handle classroom management and discipline?

Another common teacher interview question you might get is something around classroom management. Classroom management and discipline are important aspects of being a teacher. It’s important to have a clear set of rules and expectations for behavior in the classroom, and to consistently enforce those rules.

As an example, when a student misbehaves, it’s important to address the behavior calmly and respectfully, and to work with the student to find a solution. It’s also important to communicate with parents and other teachers to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to classroom management and discipline. Use this question to highlight your classroom management plan.

For instance, I would talk about how my first year of teaching I learned that consistency in a classroom management is key. Therefore here are the different stages of my plan (Insert plan here).

Having your classroom management plan thought out ahead of time will help you be consistent if they decide to give you another question about it.

How do you incorporate technology into your lessons?

To be honest, this has become a more popular teacher interview question as of late. Incorporating technology into lessons is becoming increasingly important in today’s classrooms. As a teacher, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest technology and find ways to integrate it into your lessons.

For instance, this could include using educational apps, online resources, or interactive whiteboards. It’s also important to ensure that all students have access to the technology and that it’s being used in a way that enhances their learning experience.

For instance, I would talk about a certain class I took in college where I learned some of my favorite resources for technology and have incorporated them since. I might even emphasize some of the success my students have had with these resources.

How do you assess student learning and adjust instruction accordingly?

Utilizing assessments to drive instruction is another common teacher interview question you might get. As a teacher, it’s important to regularly assess student learning to ensure that they are understanding the material and making progress. This can be done through a variety of methods, such as quizzes, tests, projects, and class discussions.

Once you have assessed student learning, it’s important to adjust your instruction accordingly. This could mean re-teaching certain concepts, providing additional resources or support, or modifying your teaching approach to better meet the needs of your students.

In response to this question, I would speak about a specific lesson where I used a pre assessment, 3 formative assessments, and a summative or formal assessment at the end to drive instruction. I would then expand on how I refer back to those assessments to gauge if I need to adjust or reteach a part of my lesson before moving on.

Can you tell us about your teaching experience?

This is a common question in teacher interviews, and it’s important to be prepared with a clear and concise answer. Start by highlighting your relevant teaching experience, including the grade levels and subjects you have taught.

Also, be sure to mention any special certifications or training you have received, as well as any notable achievements or successes in your teaching career. Emphasize your passion for teaching and your commitment to helping students succeed.

Similarly to my answer to the first question, I would talk about a story of when my students thrived and then what grade levels I have taught and how I have been consistently passionate about instilling lifelong learners for future generations.

How do you effectively communicate with families?

One of this administration really wants to see is your ability to work as a team with your families. That’s why how you effectively communicate with families is another common teacher interview question.

As you answer this question, talk about instances where you have worked alongside families. Also don’t forget to reiterate why you are passionate about working with families in the academic setting.

One way to answer this would be to restate the question, and then I would talk about how I started communicating with my families on ClassDojo during the pandemic. I would expand on how I was passionate that all my students and FAMILIES felt seen, heard, understood, valued and supported no matter what was going on.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

This question is often asked in teacher interviews to gauge a candidate’s long-term goals and aspirations. As a teacher, it’s important to have a clear vision for your professional development and growth.

For instance, you might discuss your desire to take on leadership roles within the school or district, pursue advanced degrees or certifications, or explore new teaching methods and technologies. It’s also important to emphasize your commitment to ongoing learning and improvement, and your dedication to supporting student success in the years to come.

When I got asked this question, I personally wanted to convey my dedication to the District and spoke of finding a District that I felt aligned with so that I would be proud to have my future children attend the district. This is a great way to emphasize your commitment to a district you align with and that you are serious in finding that alignment.

If you have a student who is not following directions in class, what do you do?

This teacher interview question is designed to assess your classroom management skills and your ability to handle difficult situations with students. Your answer should demonstrate your understanding of the importance of clear expectations and consistent consequences, as well as your ability to communicate effectively with students and their families.

Much like the previous classroom management question, you might discuss strategies such as positive reinforcement, redirection, and individualized behavior plans, as well as the importance of building positive relationships with all students in your classroom. It’s also important to emphasize your commitment to creating a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

In this particular case I would walk them through my classroom management plan and even speak of a scenario where I had experienced this with a student and how I solved it. Always lean into the questions you already answered for support.

Can you give an example of a successful lesson you’ve taught?

This teacher interview question is designed to assess your teaching skills and your ability to plan and deliver effective lessons. Your answer should demonstrate your understanding of the importance of clear learning objectives, engaging instructional strategies, and effective assessment practices.

For example, you might discuss a lesson that you designed and implemented, highlighting the specific learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessment methods that you used. It’s also important to emphasize the positive outcomes of the lesson, such as increased student engagement, improved student understanding, or higher student achievement.

In this scenario I would refer back to a lesson plan I brought and expand how the experience was for myself and my students. I would highlight how I utilized assessments to drive instruction and differentiation to ensure mastery of the skill.

To Wrap it All Up

Overall there are several ways you can answer teacher interview questions but I personally recommend answering with the following:

Restate
Experience/Story
Mission and values
It Factor

And if you want more help preparing for your next interview, checkout the Teacher Interview Workshop!

Inside this workshop you’ll walk away with:

The confidence to stand out from other candidates with your “it factor”
All of your Interview Assets set up and ready to go
Systems in place to flawlessly execute your interview like a pro
Leverage your takeaways to perfect your interview process

PLUS it’s $10 off through email and Podcast only! So make sure to grab your spot now so you can confidently prepare for your upcoming interview with everything set up and ready to go!

Can’t wait to see you inside!

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Categories: Classroom Management, First Year Teacher, New Teachers

How to Build a Positive Classroom Community as a First Year Teacher

I know that trying to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher can be tough. You’re doing everything the experts say, but your students are still arguing with each other and not getting along for other teachers.

If this is you, you’re not alone. Building a positive classroom community as a first year teacher can feel overwhelming when you pair it with the other million tasks teachers are required to do. But here’s the thing, it doesn’t have to be! What if building a positive classroom community was so simple that it was built into your day on autopilot without you having to think about it?

Too good to be true? Well not with these 5 strategies. Today I am going to show you 5 steps you need to take today in order to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher. So grab that coffee and let’s start building the strongest community in the school!

Listen to the podcast:

How to Build a Positive Classroom Community as a First Year Teacher

Helena (00:00): Does it feel like your students are always fighting and they aren’t behaving for other teachers? No matter what you do, they always need you to help solve a problem. What if I told you that your students are always helping each other and taking each other, taking care of each other, and your classroom was just the most positive classroom in the school? But Helena, how do I get there? Is that class a thing? Is that a real thing? Yes, it is. I’m here to show you how. So stick around because I’m going to talk about how you can achieve just that. Hey, teacher bestie. My name’s Helena and I’m the creator, the Present Teacher podcast. I’m a first year teacher coach, and in this podcast you are gonna learn everything from simple actual classroom management, social emotional learning, and teacher wellness strategies. You know that impact you wanna make in the classroom. We’re gonna make it happen here. (00:56) Step number one, establish rules and boundaries early on. Now, without going too deep into this, because I did in a previous episode, but when you do this at the beginning of the year or now, you are going to want to have your students create rules with you. Help them buy in by having them sign or come up with the rules. And this will help create ownership of their learning and help them stay accountable and remind them, Hey, remember we all agree that this would be rule number three, and the expectation is blank. So that is step number one. Step number two, foster those positive relationships. Have you ever walked into a place and you can just tell that the moon and the vibe is just happy and calm? Well, the same goes for your classroom. You can tell the mood in your classroom just based on how you interact with your students. (01:51) So let’s make sure it’s a good vibe. You might be wondering, how do I do that? Well, here’s a couple ways to achieve that. The first one being get to know your students one-on-one, ask or compliment them in the morning. I love to greet my kids at the door because it gives me that visual cue that I can see. Are they having a a good day? Is their morning okay? Are they having a hard morning? Are they going to need some extra love? The second thing is have a meal with them. I love my quiet time as an introverted teacher. However, on Fridays I love to pick four or five depending, you know, the size of your class. But I like to pick a few students and have a meal with them and ask them about their family. Ask them about their dog, learn about their interests. (02:38) Because what happens is, is when you take time to learn about your kids and you remember those things and you bring it up later, they just, oh my gosh, they just explode that you care enough about ’em to know the little things. So trust me and that, and it’ll make you fall in love with them even more. But take some time to have a meal with them and ask those questions, show that you care and take interest in their personal life. This year I really made an attempt to go to the baseball games, to go to the soccer games, to go to the ballet because it’s important for my kids to know that I have their back and I’m there for them. So this is a great way to foster those positive relationships. And I’ve said this before, a student won’t learn from a teacher they don’t like. (03:31) And I’m not saying you’re going to be able to reach every kid and not every kid’s gonna like you, and that’s okay, but your kids are gonna learn to love you if you tell them more about you. I know that’s not what you probably thought I was going to say, but talk about your own interests. I don’t know why, but my first year, I think there was like a veteran told me that, you know, you shouldn’t say anything about your life to your kids. Now, I’m not saying tell ’em about all your problems and everything personal, but I like to share about my doc’s, Kohan Kenai from Brother Bear. My kids love that they love asking me and they call, call them my my sons like, share about your personal life because kids will remember you and learn to like you if you have something in common. (04:20) The same goes for this podcast. If I never told you anything personal about myself or anything of my like or interests, you wouldn’t be listening to me because we would have nothing in common. So there’s that. Step number three, practice active listening. So you’re gonna wanna mono what this looks like and sh show what it looks like and sounds like. And the biggest thing that I have made myself do is to preach what I say and do the same. So I talk about active listening as a respecting another person and showing that you are hearing them and listening to the words they have to say and you are holding space for them and you are actively presently in the moment listening to them. So we talk about what body languages looks like, what our minds doing, what our voices are doing. Um, you can do a visual poster, but this is something I cover at the very beginning of class. (05:21) If you haven’t done this yet, that’s okay, we can practice now, but we come up with a saying like, track the speaker still hands listening, ears, voices off sitting, still do your best caring heart. Obviously I have that memorized, but we go over it almost every single time at carpet time. And then I point out kids that are actively listening. And then I model by doing it when my kids are talking to me now with my kids, because you know I love them. They come up to me and they have something really exciting to say, but I have an adult slash teacher thing to do and I can’t give them my my full attention. I will tell them so and so, I would love to listen to you right now, however I need to finish this task, then I would love to actively listen to you. (06:07) And they, they’ve learned to wait. And then after I’m done, I turn my body, I practice what I preach, I turn my body, I cross my hands and I show them that I’m listening. And your kids will respect you for doing that. It’s that mutual respect. And again, I like to point out other students who are practicing actively listening to their friends when the rest of us need a couple reminders. So if you have a moment where your kids are really chatty at the carpet, I might say, oh, I love how so-and-so is actively listening by sitting crisscross applesauce. I love how so-and-so is actively listening by tracking the speaker still hands, going through the whole poster activity you did earlier and having it up somewhere helps but model what you preach and point out people who are doing a great job. And if you’re using the super improver wall like I am, then this is a great time for a sticker. (07:01) But beside the point, so practice active listening. Step number four, create a safe space for sharing and expressing emotions. I don’t want students, and I’m pretty sure you’re the same way, because we’re, we think a lot alike, but I don’t want students to feel like there are any silly questions. All thoughts, opinions and emotions are valid. And I may not agree with you, but I do respect you enough to listen, hold space and validate. So model what that looks like. How can I express this? You can talk about what does that look like, sound like when you’re list sharing and expressing your emotions. How can I express that I’m mad instead of throwing something across the floor, I can take a calming breath and say, I’m mad right now. How can I listen to others to make them feel validated? Kids wanna help each other, but sometimes they just don’t know how. (08:02) And you have to model that. What does that look like and sound like You can do this during circle time, morning meeting, afternoon meeting. You can talk about a friend who’s upset and what do I do as good friend to show that I see them, I hear them and I wanna validate their feelings. You could, you know, go through the thank you because the last thing I would want you to do is, I’m sorry you’re feeling that way. What can I do to make it better? All those are super important. Your kids wanna help, they wanna thrive, they wanna grow. Modeling that for each other is huge. Step number five, collaborate and teamwork. So I have a fun story about this. So during the first week of school, I noticed that these kids in particular had a hard time with collaborating and teamwork. So what I did is we played the cup game. (09:00) So the cup game isn’t the cup song from my childhood. I got magic from the long way around. I know I’ll let her sing it, but I love that song. Anyways, it’s not that one, it’s cup stacking. So I separated my class two teams and I had them sit, you know, in their groups. And when I said go, they had to stack the highest tower of cups on top of each other. What would happen was whenever my kids accidentally knocked over the Tower of Cups, they would start yelling at each other and getting angry and not regulating their emotions. What would happen was because they were being not the nicest friend to each other, the cops would keep falling down. So after we went through this exercise, once I, you know, there were some tears, it was a little frustrating, but I had everyone sit down and calm down and I just had my kids let my kids talk. (09:57) What did you notice about the cup game? What did you notice about your teammates? How did they make you feel? What did you like? What did you didn’t like? What did you notice about the cups whenever your teammates were doing that and light bulbs, absolute light bulbs, they were like, you know what, I’ll never forget one of my little boys. He’s like, I dropped the tower, or the tower fell because so-and-so was yelling at me and didn’t make me feel good. So I accidentally bumped the other cups and we talked about how we expanded on how how we treat each other is how our cups are and our cups represent our emotions and how our teammates are are working together. When we work well as a team, our shower is super high. We’re steady as a team, we’re praising each other, we’re supporting each other and it’s tall. (10:47) But when we are tearing each other down and getting mad and frustrated and taking it on each other, the cups fall. And this was huge, huge. And so we did it a second time. We talked about strategy and what they could do next time and what they wanted to do better. And so we did it a second time and those towers were so much taller and it was so much more positive in the class. So now I love to go back every once in a while and remind them of the cup game. And we play the cup game whenever we kind of forget what good teamwork and collaboration means because otherwise our cups are falling. So my point is, it’s important to model what good teamwork looks like. What does it sound like? Um, how can we be good supportive team member so our cups are tall and high and not falling? (11:41) How can we make sure that our team is the best cup stacker in the class? Thank you so much for listening. I hope you found this helpful and I’m so excited to hear about you implementing the strategies you learned from this week’s episode. Remember, I am always here from you for you cheering you on. I am your biggest fan. I would love if you could tag me and show me that you are listening to this podcast by taking a screenshot and either sending it to me or adding it to your stories and tagging me at the present teacher on Instagram. I love seeing all the amazing educators around the world listening in. Remember that we are stronger together. Take care, teacher bestie. Until next week, love Helen. (12:28) Thank you so much for joining me on today’s episode. I hope that you were able to take away some value that will help you thrive inside and outta the classroom. It would mean the world to me. If you could take five seconds right now and leave a review on this podcast, and if you found this podcast especially helpful, make sure to take a screenshot of this episode right now and tag me on your social school. Let me know you’re listening. As always, remember that we are stronger together with all the love in the world. Helena aka, the present teacher. See you next time. Teacher bestie.

Establish Rules and Boundaries Early On

The first step you need to take to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher is to establish your rules and boundaries early on. As I talked about in a previous episode, in order for students to excel they need to know what’s expected of them.

Establishing rules and boundaries from the start is key for setting expectations of behavior. Make sure your rules are clear, concise and easy to follow. Involve your students in the process of creating these rules – they will be more engaged, motivated and responsible if they have a say. You should also explain the consequences for breaking rules so that your students know what will happen if they do not comply with them.

Some ways to implement this is to have your students create the rules with you, vote on them, and have them sign the rules. This will allow buy in and will allow your students to feel seen and heard. Overall this is a very important step to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher.

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Foster Positive Relationships With Your Students

The second step to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher is to foster a positive relationship with your students. As I mentioned in this episode of the Present Teacher Podcast, students won’t learn from a teacher they don’t like.

The same goes for building a positive classroom community, it’s hard to have a positive classroom community when the students don’t get along with the teacher. Getting to know your students beyond the curriculum can help you create a nurturing classroom community. Spend one-on-one time with each student to learn about their interests, goals and home life.

When you show your students that you care for their physical, mental and emotional well-being through positive reinforcement they will learn to love not only you but the classroom community as well.

One way to achieve this is do check-ins, leave positive notes, send positive notes home, and compliment your students. Showing that you are available and receptive to talking positively strengthens trust between yourself and your students. Which makes this step essential if you want to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher.

Show Respect by Practicing Active Listening Skills

The third step to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher is to practice active listening. Now let’s be honest, active listening is a skill that is not only difficult for students to master, but for students as well. That’s why it’s so important to practice what you preach and model active listening when your students are talking to you.

Whenever you engage with your students it is important to practice your active listening skills. Whether in small group or one-on-one settings, always keep eye contact and be attentive to details and student emotions. Ask open-ended questions and let the student talk without interruption; frequently check for understanding and restate information shared by the student to confirm understanding. Your recognition of their perspectives will help them feel heard, seen, respected and valued.

You can also have your class practice active listening and redirect them when they are not. Make sure to model what this looks like and sounds like. You can even pause instruction when someone is talking over a friends and say:

“I’m so sorry to interrupt you (insert name), but I see two students who are not practicing actively listening. Let’s wait until they show us that they are ready to actively listen.”

This is a great skill for not only adults but students as well and it’s a great next step to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher.

Create a Safe Haven for Sharing and Expressing Feelings

The fourth step to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher is to create a safe space to share feelings and expressing them. Students will not help build a positive classroom environment if they feel like their feelings will not be validated. That’s why it’s so important to make sure all feelings and thoughts are validated in the classroom.

Allowing students to share and express their feelings in a safe and respectful environment is essential for creating a positive classroom community. As teachers, it’s our job to create an atmosphere that is open and welcoming to all types of perspectives. However, it’s also important to establish ground rules and expectations with your students that emphasize respect at all times, so they feel comfortable speaking openly without feeling judged.

It’s important to encourage them to be flexible, creative, tolerant and compassionate with one another. One way to achieve this is to do a bucket filler lesson where you talk about bucket filling and bucket dipping. We also talk about inside versus outside voices and what to say to comfort a friend. If you want more support in teaching these kinds of lessons check out these resources.

All in all, creating a safe space for students to feel seen, heard and validated is essential if you want to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher.

Create Opportunities for Collaboration and Teamwork

The final step to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher is to create opportunities to collaborate and teamwork. When you allow students to collaborate you are allowing them to learn important interpersonal skills as well as the ability to talk more in a structured way. So if you have a chatty class you definitely want to be doing this!

Creating opportunities for students to collaborate and work together is a great way to foster a positive classroom community. Through team-based activities, students will learn how to better communicate and rely on one another, while also getting the chance to get to know each other in an educational setting.

You can assign tasks and projects that require students to work with others or divide the class into smaller groups and have them come up with creative solutions to different problems. Another great way is to have students “teach” each other important points as you teach. This will encourage responsibility, critical thinking, and problem solving skills all while building relationships between your students. And what better way to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher.

Make this your best year yet with the Ultimate First Year Teacher Checklist!

Overall

In summary, in order to build a positive classroom community as a first year teacher you need the following steps:

Establish Rules and Boundaries Early On
Foster Positive Relationships With Your Students
Show Respect by Practicing Active Listening Skills
Create a Safe Haven for Sharing and Expressing Feelings
And Finally to Create Opportunities for Collaboration and Teamwork

All of these are a great way to build a classroom community so that you and your students will enjoy coming to school and have a community so strong it will feel like a family.

Which strategy are you going to incorporate to build a positive classroom community? I would love to hear your thoughts!

[jetpack-related-posts]

Categories: First Year Teacher, New Teachers

15 First-Year Teacher Tips From 15 Experienced Teachers

Have you ever wondered if you could go into the future what first year teacher tip you would give yourself 5 years into the future? Perhaps are you a new teacher and part of you wants to go down the hallway and ask your coworkers what mistakes they made their first couple years of teaching.

Maybe you’re an experienced teacher and part of you is wondering what mistakes you made your first couple years of teaching and if you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself from 5, 10, 15 years ago?

Well if you were asking yourself any of these questions, I got you covered because I asked over 15 experienced teachers around the world what first year teacher tip they would give themselves if they could go back in time.

So grab a cup of coffee and let’s start chatting with these amazing educators from around the world.

P.S. if you want to learn more from these educators, reserve your seat at the FREE Thriving Teacher Summit happening from March 23rd to the 25th. Make sure to grab it now before the spots fill up!

Listen to the podcast:

15 First Year Teacher Tips From Experienced Teachers From Around the World

Helena (00:00): Have you ever wondered what mistakes you might be making? Or better yet, are you a new teacher And part of you wants to go down the hallway and ask your coworkers what mistakes they made their first couple years of teaching, or maybe you’re an experienced teacher and part of you is wondering what mistakes you made your first couple years of teaching and if you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself from 5, 10, 15 years ago? Well, if you were wondering any of these questions, I got you covered because I got together with 13 amazingly experienced teachers from around the world and talked about what advice they would give first year teacher them if they could go back in time. So make sure to stick around and listen to the advice of these 13 educators and see if you are making any of these mistakes. Also, there is a bonus tip at the end making War 14 educators and a special invitation. So make sure to stay tuned because you won’t wanna miss this. Hey teacher bestie. My name’s Helena and I’m the creator of the Present Teacher Podcast. I’m a first year teacher coach and in this podcast you are gonna learn everything from simple actual classroom management, socialist learning, and teacher wellness strategies, you know that impact you wanna make in the classroom. We’re gonna make it happen here. (01:24) Okay, I am super excited for this podcast episode because I got to speak with 13 amazing experienced teachers from around the world and I was genuinely curious for myself what mistakes did these teachers make so much so that they would go back in time and tell first year them some piece of ad of advice and what can we learn from that? So the first person I spoke to was Rebecca Poe. Rebecca is an amazing educator that helps other educators incorporate best practices in the special education world. And here’s what she had to say as far as advice that she would give her first year teacher’s health, Rebekah Poe (02:08): My number one tip for new teachers is not to be afraid to ask questions. As a new teacher, you are not expected to know everything, however you are expected to want to learn. So make sure that you’re asking those questions for the answers that you’re not quite sure of that will show initiative on your part. Helena (02:28): Yes, I love this piece of advice. It is so easy for you to just get in your own mind and to feel even guilty for asking those questions, but this is a great reminder that you need to ask those questions because that’s how you’re gonna learn. We don’t tell our students that they shouldn’t be asking questions and learning. If anything, that’s what we wanna see happen. So we need to give that grace to ourselves and be happy and even proud to ask questions. And yet on the other hand it can be so hard to figure out who to listen to and who not to. As a new teacher you might be getting a lot of information or you might be needing to ask more questions either way. It’s super important to take some time and reflect on the information you are getting and figure out does it align with you and is it authentic to you and who you wanna be as a teacher? And this really reminds me of this conversation I had with Rainy Barton. Rainy is a time strategist guru, she’s all about saving time using productivity hacks and she has a little more to say about this. Rainy Barton (03:40): If I could go back in time and tell myself one thing as a first year teacher, it would be to really monitor where I’m getting ideas for curriculum and resources and who I’m listening to. Because I feel like as a first year teacher, everyone is trying to give you information and it’s very hard to determine what’s actually good, what’s actually bad. So like I encourage you to do your own research, like actually figure out like who you trust in the community to give you good curriculum ideas and like help guide you on your teaching journey and who not really to listen to that just likes to hear themselves talk. So like do research, go on Google, find blogs of people that you like, find other T P T people that have like YouTube channels and all this stuff. Basically just really take the time to figure out like what’s good and what’s trash because you’re gonna get so much information thrown at you in your first year of teaching that it’s really important to like weed out the good from the bad. So if anything, just be really considerate into what you allow in your brain in that first year as a teacher. Helena (04:42): So true. And when you first start out it can be really hard to figure out is this person aligned with me? Does this resonate with me? Is this a teacher that I wanna invest in or mentor? I wanna follow. And I would ask yourself when you’re considering this, do I like this person and what they represent? What does their life look like? And does that, is that how I want mine to look like? Do they align with my values and who I am authentically or is it just some information I found that is relevant right now and might help me but down the road maybe it doesn’t feel right as I present it to my kids, it doesn’t feel like it’s authentic to me. So definitely taking that into consideration as you find a mentor or teachers online to help support you is really important. (05:39) I can speak from experience, you are going to find an amazing group of educators on the online world. It is possible and there are so many great ones out there, it’s all about finding the ones though that resonate with you and finding the ones that are authentic to you. On the flip side, it is super important to focus on just one thing at a time and not to try to do a million things at once. In the business world they call this shiny object syndrome where you see something new and you try to tackle a million things at once. And by putting your energy on so many different things, you actually tend to get hardly anything done. And that is something that Shametria from the rowdy math teacher really talks about. She goes into depth about how if she could go back, she will tell first year teacher her all about focusing on the one thing I’m becoming a pro at before you move on to the next Shametria Routt (06:40): One tip I wish that I would’ve gotten as a first year teacher is to not try and do all the things. When you’re a first year teacher, there are so many ideas and strategies and things that you wanna do in a classroom. Things that you see on Pinterest or things that other people are talking about maybe in Facebook groups or the things that you see on Instagram. And it’s hard not to want to, you know, change everything that you’re doing to try something new, especially when you’re struggling in a certain area. But I encourage you to make changes just one at a time. That gives you time to really focus in on a change that you wanna make and make something that’s gonna be worthwhile and that also gives you time to really see if the change is going to be beneficial for you and your students. (07:27) I know for me in my first year, uh, of course I had so many ideas for things I wanted to do, thinking about going into the second year, um, that I was overwhelmed with uh, how to spend my summer, but I decided that I would really focus on just one area. Um, math was going really well for me. Math is my thing. So I decided that science was the area I wanted to improve in. And so I spent the summer looking for ways to improve in science and and coming up with new and engaging science activities for my students. And I feel like that really paid off because my science program the next year was amazing. So I encourage you to just make one change at a time. You’ve got plenty of time for more. Helena (08:08): I love how Shamiro says focus on the one thing, make the one thing the main thing and focus on that until it becomes automatic. Until you can do it without thinking about it. [inaudible] it was science. So maybe take some time to ask yourself what is an area I would like to improve on this year instead of trying to tackle everything and be an amazing teacher from the get-go. It’s an adventure, it’s not a destination. So maybe one thing you wanna work on is classroom management and community. I know that you probably didn’t have a lot of experience as far as prep school and training in classroom community and classroom management and that’s where I spoke to Angel Honts and she is an educator who empowers other teachers to focus on classroom community and classroom management. So this is what she had to say. As far as her first year teacher tip, Angel Honts (09:08): The advice I would give myself is a first year teacher is all about connections. Community consistency and clarity. Take time to get to know your students, let them get to know you. Build community, make that a priority. Be consistent with your clear expectations because kids thrive on structure. Show them you care. Give, have high expectations with high support. Helena (09:37): I love how Angel talked about that level of support in community and we sometimes forget. It’s easy to forget when you’re going through the day-to-day tasks about why you’re really here. And if I know you like I think I do, then I know you’re here to make an impact. You’re here to connect with those kids and you are here to make a change. And sometimes along the way you can lose part of that. And that reminds me of this conversation I had with Catie Cupples. She has been on here before, I’ve loved Katie and she talks more about the importance of community with this amazing quote. Caitie Cupples (10:21): Hey this is Catie from Catie Cupple’s teaching and if I could go back in time to talk to first year teacher me, there are a lot of things I’d wanna say but one thing I would definitely tell myself is to remember that quote from Maya Angelo and know that my students would forget what I said, they’ll forget what we did but they would never forget how I made them feel. I’d tell myself that it’s okay to put relationships first, to prioritize my classroom community and to nurture my students in my own emotional wellbeing. Even if it meant I needed to throw the lesson plan out the window, I would tell myself to be patient and to remember that every day I’m growing an everyday coming closer to the teacher I’ve always wanted to be. Helena (10:58): Wow. What I love about what Katie had to say was how she focused it back onto her kids. Your kids are not gonna remember that lesson plan. They’re not gonna remember you staying late, they’re not gonna remember all these amazing activities that you stayed up past midnight prepping. They are gonna remember how you made them feel. And I know you are in this battle right now of trying to balance getting everything done. You’re trying to have the Pinterest perfect classroom, get ahead, stay afloat, all the while trying to make your kids feel seen, heard and understood. And I can really feel the message inside of what Katie has to say, which is focus on your kids, leave the rest even if that means throwing stuff to the side. And this is a perfect segue to another conversation I had with Emily Eggers from Teach From the Couch and she talks about the importance of focusing on the things that matter and leaving the things that don’t. Emily Eggers (11:59): Hey there, this is Emily Eggers from Teaching from the Couch. And one piece of advice that I would give to first year teacher me is that showing up at the crack of dawn and leaving after it’s dark is not a sign of dedication or of your worth as a teacher. It is the early signs of burnout. And as a teacher we need to set boundaries, uh, with our time and make sure that we are putting systems in place that will help us be efficient with our time. So it is not impressive to your admin that you are staying late or getting there early and doing tons of work and spending all your time in the building. It’s just showing them that you are willing to stretch those boundaries and they may take advantage of that later on. So make sure you put those boundaries in place and set up systems for yourself so that you can um, be more efficient with your time and not spend all your time at school. Helena (12:58): One of the hardest lessons to learn is that you don’t have to stay late and stretch your boundaries in order to be a good teacher. You might be looking around wondering what’s the secret? What do you not know that gets everyone out the door on time? Or you might not realize that there is another way and you don’t have to spend hours and hours after work to get the things done. Just like Emily said, it’s important to create those systems and put them in place so that you can have the boundaries to thrive inside this profession for years and years to come. And one system I highly recommend that you focus on is grading. If you are like many other teachers I’ve talking to, I’ve spoke to, maybe you have trouble figuring out what to grade. Well Lisa Smith from Lisa Smith teaches nine to 12. She is a literacy teacher and she helps literacy teachers thrive inside their classroom. And she talks about some advice she has when it comes to grading things. Lisa Smith (14:08): If I were to go back and give myself advice after 15 years of teaching in the beginning it would be actually two pieces of advice. One, you don’t have to grade everything as a high school English teacher. Um, there’s so much that can be marked and really what is the best use of your time and the best feedback to give students And that’s not, uh, long comments and editing on all of their assignments. So try and streamline looking over something, peer reviews, um, even just a quick check mark sometimes is enough just as a check-in. And then the other is before you leave on Friday, have a plan for Monday, do your photocopying, upload whatever to your learning management system. And this to me saves so much anxiety on Sunday nights that I know when I leave on Friday, I don’t have to think about the week until I get to school on Monday. Um, so that allows me to sort of differentiate my time between school and personal life and trying to build in that balance is really important, particularly when you’re learning everything else. Um, being new to a school, new to a subject, new to teaching and just have grace with yourself, you’ll be fine. Continue along. Use the supports that are available to you. Helena (15:25): It is so important to figure out the right way and what things to grade, but it’s also important to set yourself up for success for the upcoming week. And one way to do that is to get organized digitally. I cannot tell you how much time you’re gonna save if you organize your files and resources now so you can use ’em for years and years to come. And that’s where Lisa from Lisa M c h talks about the importance of organizing your files now so you can save time and stress later. Lisa McHargue (16:01): Oh my gosh, if I could go back in time, I would tell first year teacher Lisa to organize her stuff better because my first year of teaching there was so much to do and I thought I was being so smart with how I was organizing my lesson plans, like saving them um, what I was naming my files and everything. Spoiler alert, , I was not being smart. So year too comes around and I cannot figure out like my lesson plans are a nightmare. I can’t figure out where my files are. Like it was just awful. And I, I was and I, I was a really organized person before I started teaching but nothing prepared me for the amount of digital files and emails I was gonna have. And this was back in like 2011. So you know, as time went on there were just more and more. Luckily I figured it out real quick and fast forward about seven years into teaching, I had a flawless for me system , which is probably why I spend most of my time now helping people get digitally organized. So first year teacher Lisa, put some thought into what you’re gonna name your files and how you’re gonna save them cuz it’s gonna save you a lot of time down the road. Helena (17:22): Lisa is an absolute expert when it comes to organizing. Trust me, this is something you wanna tackle now and not five, six years down the road. Learn from experience, trust me. Definitely go check her out. Which brings me to my next thing. We are about halfway through this podcast episode so if you resignated with any of these teachers, first off I would really appreciate if you would go onto their Instagram right now and go follow them because they are amazing people and I am so excited for you to connect with them. I will make sure to put their socials down below so you can go connect, go say hi and let ’em know that you came from the Present Teacher podcast and let him know that you listen to their advice. I know it would absolutely make their day. Speaking of organizing items apart from digital files, there’s something else you might wanna consider when it comes to organizing and I bet it’s not what you’re thinking, it’s your supplies. I speak with Amy Rodman and she is a art teacher who inspires educators to incorporate more creativity in the classroom for themselves and their students. And Amy has a little bit of a history when it comes to organizing supplies and she shares her tip on how to keep your class organized so that way you have systems and procedures in place for you and your students. Amy Roadman (18:54): Hi, this is Amy Roadman from Igniting Creativity. My tip to you as an art teacher who had a ton of supplies that were constantly messy all over my room until I really learned a system of organization is to find a way to organize that allows your students to manage it for you. Because at first I thought I had to do everything myself and every horizontal space was covered. It was just always a mess. I had to get things out for them because they didn’t know where to find things and it took a lot of time and sometimes you don’t feel like you have the time but believe me it will save so much time in the end. So my structure, I actually learned it from a science teacher friend who had similar cabinets. ASME, was to label things with the red light, green light system. (19:42) My labels were green. If it meant go for it. These supplies are for you to use at any time without asking, but it only stays a green label if you are using them properly and you’re putting them away whenever you’re done. Yellow meant please ask because sometimes they were messier, we didn’t have time for those supplies. The answer was usually yes but they just knew to ask first and then red meant to stop. These are only for special projects or I only have a certain amount of supplies that we need for something else. So they knew that they could not use them. It worked out so great and developed really great routines in my classroom. Helena (20:23): I absolutely love this organizing strategy for the classroom and I will definitely be using it for my second grade class. Another thing I wanted to make sure to hit on in this podcast episode was to make sure that you are being kind to yourself and being your very best number one fan. I know all too well that as a first year teacher you are going to be extremely hard on yourself but don’t forget to give yourself some credit and honestly you know you better than anyone else and you have amazing ideas. You are here for a reason, you’re here to make an impact. And each day it’s all about bringing that to life, which I talk about with Khristen. And she goes into depth about the importance of listening to yourself when it comes to creating activities and classroom lessons inside the classroom. Khristen Massic (21:23): The one thing that I wish I would’ve known as a new teacher is that my first idea when I’m planning like for my lesson, for my learning activities is probably a great one and that I just need to try it out to see if it actually works. And then with that, if I have figured out a structure or routines or protocols that we’re working really well in class and that my students were really engaged in to just keep using those over and over and over again with my different content. Helena (21:57): Kirsten is an absolute guru when it comes to engagement and planning out your day with lesson plans. So definitely go check her out. She is absolutely amazing when it comes to that. And I also wanted to wrap up with a couple of first year teacher tips from some people that have been here on the podcast. Now the first one is gonna sound familiar, it’s from Emily from Teacher Joy. If you haven’t listened to that episode, definitely go check it out. In that episode, Emily talks about the importance of incorporating joy into your classroom. So here is what she had to say as far as what first year teacher tip she would give herself. Emily Person (22:42): First thing I would say is don’t give up and it does get better and that every year is different. And I think to my teacher self, I would tell her not to be so hard on herself. There were, I could not tell you how many conversations I had with my principal at the time of like, am I gonna get fired? Like I thought I was just gonna get fired. And I think that’s cuz I was on a probationary certificate cause that’s what they give you when, no, it was not a probationary certificate, it was an intern certificate and was only good for one year. And I was like, man, this class is so rough. Like what if I can’t be a teacher after this? Like everything that I’ve worked for is gonna be gone. But I would say don’t be so hard on yourself and just be true to you. Like if I, if I had known what I know now and be like, hey, like you’re gonna be successful, it’s going to be okay, but be true to you. I feel like my first year teaching would’ve gone a lot smoother had I have, you know, known that. Um, and that it’s, it’s okay. Like it’s, you’re gonna make mistakes and that’s okay, we’re gonna work through them. But just I would say be true to you. Be authentic. Helena (23:54): It is so important to be authentically you and to define yourself in teaching and never to forget why you’re here and who you are. And I know deep down you have this huge image of what the ideal teacher you looks like and it’s all about finding that with joy and figuring out how you can meet authentically you. Which brings me to my next guest who was Brittany Blackwell from Teaching Mind, body and Soul. And she talks about what tip she would give first year teacher her if she could go back in time Brittany Blackwell (24:33): Is getting clear about your boundaries. Like really like just going hard on the boundaries. Like really just being aware of your energy boundaries, your time boundaries, all of these different things so that you can kind of boundary work not only kind of helps you get out of burnout but it also prevents burnout. You know, like if you’re really focused on okay, this one section of your life and you set a boundary there, it’s like it can’t get past it, right? And really learning to just say no when somebody asks you to do something. Helena (25:13): Boundary work is so important when it comes to making sure that you can enjoy this profession long term. And I really love how Britney touches on the importance of that and how it can save you in the long run. The final person I wanna share with you, if you are listening to this podcast when it releases, I’m kind of giving you a sneak peek into a future podcast episode, but I have Annabel Williamson, la May Star loca coming onto the podcast here very soon. And she shares what she learned her first year of teaching and what she wished she would’ve known back then. Annabelle Williamson (25:54): Yes, so much so. Um, I honestly didn’t think I was so ready to go into teaching to be clear. Like I knew that that’s what I was supposed to do. And then when I got there and it was nothing like I expected and so much more work and so much more stress and I just thought like maybe I’m not , maybe I’m not cut out for it and what am I gonna do? Like what will I do? I’m not good at anything. I desperately needed people to tell me, one, your best is enough. Like and it’s gonna look super different from your best five years from now. And also you need to stop saying those things about yourself or to yourself cuz you’re not helping anything, you’re just putting yourself down and and it puts you in a really ugly place. I would’ve cried a whole lot less if people had told me like, stop being so mean to yourself. Just be kind. You know, Helena (26:53): Annabelle is an awesome human being through and through. If you don’t follow her, definitely go follow her because she is one of those genuinely nice people that you just are so grateful to have in your life. I love how she got super vulnerable and talked about how you need to be kind to yourself. And I know that you’re gonna be your own worst critic when it comes to your first year of teaching, but you are doing an amazing job. And I know not a lot of people are telling you that and I know some days it’s not going to feel that way, but you are and I am so proud of you. You are making a change, you are making a difference and you are reaching those kids even when it doesn’t feel like it. So I wanna wrap this up with my final bonus podcast or bonus expertise tip. (27:47) Surprise, it’s from me but my piece of advice for you is make sure to be in the moment with your kids. I cannot tell you strongly enough that you will not get these days back with your kids. And when summer comes around, you’re not gonna think back to whether or not that was an amazing lesson or not that you delivered. You’re not gonna think about those days that you didn’t get grading done on time or you fell behind. What you’re really going to miss are your students and those connections. So take some time today, sit down with your kids and actually laugh. Have some joy, incorporate some joy with them and be in the moment because you will not get these moments back next year. A new group of kids are gonna come and you are going to forever miss that first group of kids. (28:38) I definitely know I did. So that is my tip. Last final tip of advice for you from veteran or experienced teachers. And I did promise you that there was an announcement at the end of this podcast episode and that is that there I am hosting a free thriving first year teacher summit at the end of March. Yay. Surprise. I’m super excited to announce it. And here’s the thing, it is completely free during the live event and then you can always upgrade an access for a V I P pass for backdoor pass and bonuses, but also lifetime access to the replays. So I will make sure to put the link down below To join, like I said, is completely free. I have been working with not only the speakers and the amazing teachers that you heard on this very podcast episode, but other teachers as well. (29:37) And I created a put together a online summit for all first and new year teachers to join to learn different things like time productivity, classroom management, how to get grading done and self-care and everything in between. I pulled and asked you guys what you wanted and I made sure to find somebody to present on that. There are 25 presenters and it’s over the course of three days. So make sure to get in cuz like I said, during those three days of the event, it is free and I don’t want you to miss out on this. So we’re stronger together and I will talk to you soon. (30:17) Thank you so much for joining me on today’s episode. I hope that you were able to take away some value that will help you thrive inside and outta the classroom. It would mean the world to me. If you could take five seconds right now and leave a review on this podcast and if you found this podcast especially helpful, make sure to take a screenshot of this episode right now and tag me on your tilt school. Let me know you’re listening. As always, remember that we are stronger together with all the love in the world, Helena, aka the P teacher. See you next time. Teacher bestie.

First Year Teacher Tip #1: Ask All the Questions

The very first, first year teacher tip is from Rebekah Poe from Lesson and Lattes, who is an Special Education Expert that provides best practice’s in special education for working with students with IEP’s. Here’s what she had to say about a tip she would tell first year teacher her:

My number one tip for new teachers is not to be afraid to ask questions. As a new teacher, you are not expected to know everything, however you are expected to want to learn. So make sure that you’re asking those questions for the answers that you’re not quite sure of that will show initiative on your part.
REBEKAH POE

Connect with Rebekah:

It is so easy for you to just get in your own mind and to feel even guilty for asking those questions, but this is a great reminder that you need to ask those questions because that’s how you’re gonna learn.

We don’t tell our students that they shouldn’t be asking questions and learning. If anything, that’s what we wanna see happen. So we need to give that grace to ourselves and be happy and even proud to ask questions. And yet on the other hand it can be so hard to figure out who to listen to and who not to. As a new teacher you might be getting a lot of information or you might be needing to ask more questions either way.

It’s super important to take some time and reflect on the information you are getting and figure out does it align with you and is it authentic to you and who you wanna be as a teacher? And this really reminds me of this conversation I had with Rainy Barton. Which brings me to the next first year teacher tip:

#2 Be Mindful of Who You Listen To

The next first year teacher tip is brought to you by Rainy Barton. Rainy is a time strategist guru, she’s all about saving time using productivity hacks and she has a little more to say about this.

If I could go back in time and tell myself one thing as a first year teacher, it would be to really monitor where I’m getting ideas for curriculum and resources and who I’m listening to. Because I feel like as a first year teacher, everyone is trying to give you information and it’s very hard to determine what’s actually good, what’s actually bad. I encourage you to do your own research, like actually figure out like who you trust in the community to give you good curriculum ideas and like help guide you on your teaching journey and who not really to listen to that just likes to hear themselves talk.
Rainy Barton

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When you first start out it can be really hard to figure out the following questions:

Is this person aligned with me?
Does this resonate with me?
Is this a teacher that I wanna invest in or a mentor I wanna follow?

Definitely take this into consideration as you find a mentor or other teachers online to support you.

I can speak from experience, and I can honestly say you are going to find an amazing group of educators on the online world. It is possible and there are so many great ones out there, it’s all about finding the ones though that resonate with you and finding the ones that are authentic to you.

On the flip side, it is super important to focus on just one thing at a time and not to try to do a million things at once. In the business world they call this “shiny object syndrome,” where you see something new and you try to tackle a million things at once. Which we talk about with our next tip:

First Year Teacher Tip #3: Focus on One Thing at a Time

One of the best first year teacher tips I ever recieved was to focus on one thing at a time and stick with it. When you put your energy on so many different things, you actually tend to get hardly anything done.

And that is something that Shametria from the Rowdy Math Teacher really talks about. She goes into depth about how if she could go back, she will tell first year teacher her all about focusing on the one thing I’m becoming a pro at before you move on to the next.

One tip I wish that I would’ve gotten as a first year teacher is to not try and do all the things. When you’re a first year teacher, there are so many ideas and strategies and things that you wanna do in a classroom. Things that you see on Pinterest or things that other people are talking about maybe in Facebook groups or the things that you see on Instagram. And it’s hard not to want to, you know, change everything that you’re doing to try something new, especially when you’re struggling in a certain area. But I encourage you to make changes just one at a time. That gives you time to really focus in on a change that you wanna make and make something that’s gonna be worthwhile and that also gives you time to really see if the change is going to be beneficial for you and your students.
Shametria Routt

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Focusing on one thing is so important to focus on. Here at the Present Teacher we talk about the importance of focusing on one thing until it becomes automatic. And that is exactly what Shametria is talking about.

Make sure to perfect one area in your craft before moving onto the next. It will help you so much in the long run.

If you’re anything like me, maybe one of the first things you want to focus on is building a classroom community, or perfecting your classroom management. That’s what makes this next tip from Angel Honts so important which is our next first year teacher tip.

#4 It’s All About Community

Another first year teacher tip came from a conversation I had with Angel Honts who is an educator who empowers other teachers to focus on classroom community and management. And this is what she had to say when it comes to being a first year teacher:

The advice I would give myself is a first year teacher is all about connections. community, consistency, and clarity. Take time to get to know your students, let them get to know you. Build community, make that a priority. Be consistent with your clear expectations because kids thrive on structure. Show them you care. Give, have high expectations with high support.
Angel Honts

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I love how Angel talked about that level of support in community and we sometimes forget. It’s easy to forget when you’re going through the day-to-day tasks about why you’re really here. And if I know you like I think I do, then I know you’re here to make an impact. You’re here to connect with those kids and you are here to make a change. And sometimes along the way you can lose part of that.

And that reminds me of this conversation I had with Catie Cupples who also has something important to share about community:

First Year Teacher Tip #5: The Importance of Prioritizing

It’s easy to get wrapped up in all of the things we are required to do as a teacher. That’s what makes this next tip from Caitie Cupples so important:

If I could go back in time to talk to first year teacher me, there are a lot of things I’d wanna say but one thing I would definitely tell myself is to remember that quote from Maya Angelo and that is that “My students would forget what I said, they’ll forget what we did, but they would never forget how I made them feel.” I’d tell myself that it’s okay to put relationships first, to prioritize my classroom community and to nurture my students in my own emotional wellbeing. Even if it meant I needed to throw the lesson plan out the window, I would tell myself to be patient and to remember that every day I’m growing an everyday coming closer to the teacher I’ve always wanted to be.
Caitie Cupples

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I love how Caitie focused it back onto her kids. Your kids are not gonna remember that lesson plan. They’re not gonna remember you staying late, they’re not gonna remember all these amazing activities that you stayed up past midnight prepping. They are gonna remember how you made them feel.

And I know you are in this battle right now of trying to balance getting everything done. You’re trying to have the Pinterest perfect classroom, get ahead, stay afloat, all the while trying to make your kids feel seen, heard and understood. That’s what makes this First Year Teacher Tip so great.

#6 It’s Not About Being First

Along with prioritizing your kids it’s important to focus on yourself. Which is why I love this next first year teacher tip from Emily Eggers from Teach From the Couch. In this teacher tip she talks about the importance of focusing on the things that matter and leaving the things that don’t.

One piece of advice that I would give to first year teacher me is that showing up at the crack of dawn and leaving after it’s dark is not a sign of dedication or of your worth as a teacher. It is the early signs of burnout. And as a teacher we need to set boundaries, uh, with our time and make sure that we are putting systems in place that will help us be efficient with our time. So it is not impressive to your admin that you are staying late or getting there early and doing tons of work and spending all your time in the building. It’s just showing them that you are willing to stretch those boundaries and they may take advantage of that later on. So make sure you put those boundaries in place and set up systems for yourself so that you can um, be more efficient with your time and not spend all your time at school.
Emily Eggers

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One of the hardest lessons to learn as a first year teacher is that you don’t have to stay late and stretch your boundaries in order to be a good teacher. You might be looking around wondering:

What’s the secret?
What do you not know that gets everyone out the door on time?
Or you might not realize that there is another way and you don’t have to spend hours and hours after work to get the things done.

Just like Emily said, it’s important to create those systems and put them in place so that you can have the boundaries to thrive inside this profession for years and years to come. Which brings me to my next first year teacher tip which is to focus on grading.

First Year Teacher Tip #7 Focus on Grading

If you are like many other teachers I’ve talking to, I’ve spoke to, maybe you have trouble figuring out what to grade. This is one of the first year teacher tips that Lesa Smith shares with me. Lesa is a literacy teacher and she helps literacy teachers thrive inside their classroom. And she talks about some advice she has when it comes to grading things.

If I were to go back and give myself advice after 15 years of teaching in the beginning it would be actually two pieces of advice. One, you don’t have to grade everything as a high school English teacher. There’s so much that can be marked and really what is the best use of your time and the best feedback to give students And that’s not long comments and editing on all of their assignments. So try and streamline looking over something, peer reviews, um, even just a quick check mark sometimes is enough just as a check-in. And then the other is before you leave on Friday, have a plan for Monday, do your photocopying, upload whatever to your learning management system. And this to me saves so much anxiety on Sunday nights that I know when I leave on Friday, I don’t have to think about the week until I get to school on Monday.
Lesa Smith

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It is so important to figure out the right way and what things to grade, but it’s also important to set yourself up for success for the upcoming week.

And one way to do that is to get organized digitally. I cannot tell you how much time you’re gonna save if you organize your files and resources now so you can use them for years and years to come.

Which is what our very next first year teacher tip is all about:

#8 Organize Your Classroom Now

When I heard this first year teacher tip from Lisa McHargue I just knew I had to include it in this blog post. Lisa is an organization guru, but it didn’t always start that way. Here’s what she has to say about organizing your classroom right now:

If I could go back in time, I would tell first year teacher Lisa to organize her stuff better because my first year of teaching there was so much to do and I thought I was being so smart with how I was organizing my lesson plans. So year two comes around and I cannot figure out where my files are. Luckily I figured it out real quick and fast forward about seven years into teaching, I had a flawless for me system, which is probably why I spend most of my time now helping people get digitally organized. So first year teacher Lisa, put some thought into what you’re gonna name your files and how you’re gonna save them cuz it’s gonna save you a lot of time down the road.
Lisa McHargue

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I cannot tell you how important it is to organize your files now. That way six or seven years down the road you will know exactly where everything is and you won’t spend hours looking for resources for your lessons. (Yes I’m calling myself out here…. first year teacher Helena…)

P.S. If you have LOVED all these tips so far, make sure to join us inside the Thriving Teacher Summit where all of these wonderful teachers will share with you step by step how to get these strategies in place now so you don’t have to learn the hard way…like we did.

So make sure to save your seat here.

First Year Teacher Tip #9 Organize Your Supplies

Speaking of organizing items apart from digital files, there’s something else you might wanna consider when it comes to organizing and I bet it’s not what you’re thinking… it’s your supplies.

I speak with Amy Rodman and she is a art teacher who inspires educators to incorporate more creativity in the classroom for themselves and their students. And Amy has a little bit of a history when it comes to organizing supplies and she shares her first year teacher tip on how to keep your class organized so that way you have systems and procedures in place for you and your students.

My tip to you as an art teacher who had a ton of supplies that were constantly messy all over my room until I really learned a system of organization is to find a way to organize that allows your students to manage it for you. Because at first I thought I had to do everything myself and every horizontal space was covered. It was just always a mess. I had to get things out for them because they didn’t know where to find things and it took a lot of time and sometimes you don’t feel like you have the time but believe me it will save so much time in the end. So my structure, I actually learned it from a science teacher friend who had similar cabinets. Which was to label things with the red light, green light system.
Amy Roadman

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Amy continues to explain her green and red light system to organize your supplies. Here is how it works:

Green Label- These supplies are for you to use at any time without asking, but it only stays a green label if you are using them properly and you’re putting them away whenever you’re done.
Yellow Label- Ask to use these supplies because they are messier and sometimes you might not have time for these supplies.
Red Label- These supplies are only for special projects or there is limited supplies so students are not allowed to lose them.

Overall, creating procedures so your students are responsible for the supplies in the classroom is a great first year teacher tip I would have followed at the beginning.

#10 Be Kind to Yourself

Another first year teacher tip I wanted to make sure to cover was to make sure that you are being kind to yourself and being your very best number one fan.

I know all too well that as a first year teacher you are going to be extremely hard on yourself. But don’t forget to give yourself some credit and honestly you know you better than anyone else and you have amazing ideas.

You are here for a reason, you’re here to make an impact. And each day it’s all about bringing that to life, which I talk about with Khristen Massic. And she goes into depth about the importance of listening to yourself when it comes to creating activities and classroom lessons inside the classroom.

The one thing that I wish I would’ve known as a new teacher is that my first idea when I’m planning like for my lesson, for my learning activities is probably a great one and that I just need to try it out to see if it actually works. And then with that, if I have figured out a structure or routines or protocols that we’re working really well in class and that my students were really engaged in to, just keep using those over and over and over again with my different content.
Khristen Massic

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Khristen is absolutely right, when it comes to your classroom, trust your intuition and try it out. If it doesn’t work out that’s okay, you can adjust next time. But never forget to find the joy in things. Which brings us to our next first year teacher tip:

First Year Teacher Tip #11 Find the Joy

The next first year teacher tip is from Emily Person from Teacher Joy. She was on the podcast earlier this year and talked about the importance of finding joy. If you haven’t listened to that episode, you can find it here. Here is what Emily had to say as far as what first year teacher tip she would give herself.

First thing I would say is don’t give up and it does get better and that every year is different. And I think to my teacher self, I would tell her not to be so hard on herself. There were, I could not tell you how many conversations I had with my principal at the time of like, am I gonna get fired? But I would say don’t be so hard on yourself and just be true to you. Like if I, if I had known what I know now and be like, hey, like you’re gonna be successful, it’s going to be okay, but be true to you. I feel like my first year teaching would’ve gone a lot smoother had I have done that. You’re gonna make mistakes and that’s okay, we’re gonna work through them. But just I would say be true to you. Be authentic.
Emily Person

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It is so important to be authentically you and to never forget why you’re here and who you are. And I know deep down you have this huge image of what the ideal teacher you looks like. But at the end of the day it’s all about finding that with joy and figuring out how you can be authentically you.

#12 Get Clear on Your Boundaries

Which brings me to our next first year teacher tip from Brittany Blackwell from Teaching Mind, Body and Soul. In an earlier episode she talked about her journey from getting out of burnout herself to helping thousands of teachers around the world do the same.

If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, you can find it by clicking here.

This is what she had to say when it comes to her first year teacher tip from the past:

My tip is getting clear about your boundaries. Like really like just going hard on the boundaries. Like really just being aware of your energy boundaries, your time boundaries, all of these different things so that you can kind of boundary work not only kind of helps you get out of burnout but it also prevents burnout.
Brittany Blackwell

Boundary work is so important when it comes to making sure that you can enjoy this profession long term. And I really love how Britney touches on the importance of that and how it can save you in the long run.

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First Year Teacher Tip #13 You’re Best is Enough

One of the final first year teacher tips I have for you is that your best is enough. And this tip came from none other than Annabelle Williamson from La Maestra Loca. In this podcast episode (soon to be aired next month) is all about how Annabelle uses the importance of community inside and out of her classroom to make an impact.

This is her tip if she were to go back and talk to her first year teacher self:

I desperately needed people to tell me, one, your best is enough. Like and it’s gonna look super different from your best five years from now. And also you need to stop saying those things about yourself or to yourself cuz you’re not helping anything, you’re just putting yourself down and and it puts you in a really ugly place. I would’ve cried a whole lot less if people had told me like, stop being so mean to yourself. Just be kind.
Annabelle Williamson

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Annabelle is an awesome human being through and through. If you don’t follow her, definitely go follow her because she is one of those genuinely nice people that you just are so grateful to have in your life.

I love how she got super vulnerable and talked about how you need to be kind to yourself. And I know that you’re gonna be your own worst critic when it comes to your first year of teaching, but you are doing an amazing job. I know not a lot of people are telling you that and I know some days it’s not going to feel that way, but you are and I am so proud of you. You are making a change, you are making a difference and you are reaching those kids even when it doesn’t feel like it.

#14 Be in the Moment

The second to last first year teacher tip for you is a really important one. In fact, it’s one that I learned the hard way after my first year of teaching and it’s this:

Make sure to be in the moment with your kids. I cannot tell you strongly enough that you will not get these days back with your kids. And when summer comes around, you’re not gonna think back to whether or not that was an amazing lesson or not that you delivered. You’re not gonna think about those days that you didn’t get grading done on time or you fell behind. What you’re really going to miss are your students and those connections. So take some time today, sit down with your kids and actually laugh. Have some joy, incorporate some joy with them and be in the moment because you will not get these moments back next year. A new group of kids are gonna come and you are going to forever miss that first group of kids.
Helena Hains-Daubenspeck (The Present Teacher)

You won’t get your kids back after this, unless you loop with them. So as a first year teacher tip, enjoy the moment while it’s here. Because you will never get those moments back.

Which brings us to our final first year teacher tip.

First Year Teacher Tip #15 Learn From Us

The final first year teacher tip is to learn from us. Learn as much as you can from the educators around the world so you don’t make the same mistakes.

These educators are here to support and guide you. Learn from these tips and continue to learn. And I have a way you can achieve that which is to join The Thriving Teacher Summit.

The Thriving Teacher Summit is all of the teachers above creating resources for you to thrive inside and out of the classroom. If you liked the advice you got from the educators above, make sure to tune in to this Free 3 Day Digital Summit where there are over 20+ presentations.

Click here to save your seat before it ends!

Overall

All in all, there are a lot of lessons to learn when it comes to your first year teaching. If you aren’t done learning and you want to find out more, don’t forget to click here to learn more first year teacher tips.

[jetpack-related-posts]

Set up your classroom layout.

Learn how to take photos like a pro

Stock up on essential supplies.

Hey New Teachers!

Create a classroom management plan.

Plan your curriculum and lesson plans.

Establish communication with parents and guardians.

Overall

Myth: You have to be perfect from day one.

Learn how to take photos like a pro

Myth: You have to be strict to earn respect.

Hey New Teachers!

Myth: You have to be an expert in every subject.

Myth: You have to do everything on your own.

Myth: You have to sacrifice your personal life.

Myth: You have to work 24/7.

Myth: Your first couple of years are going to be horrible.

In Summary

Prioritize self-care.

Learn how to take photos like a pro

Simplify lesson planning and grading.

Celebrate accomplishments and milestones.

Hey New Teachers!

Stay organized and focused.

Collaborate with colleagues for support and inspiration.

Overall

The Secret

What inspired you to become a teacher?

How do you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all students?

How do you handle classroom management and discipline?

Hey Teachers!

How do you incorporate technology into your lessons?

How do you assess student learning and adjust instruction accordingly?

Hey Teachers!

Can you tell us about your teaching experience?

How do you effectively communicate with families?

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

If you have a student who is not following directions in class, what do you do?

Can you give an example of a successful lesson you’ve taught?

To Wrap it All Up

Hey New Teachers!

Establish Rules and Boundaries Early On

Foster Positive Relationships With Your Students

Show Respect by Practicing Active Listening Skills

Hey New Teachers!

Create a Safe Haven for Sharing and Expressing Feelings

Create Opportunities for Collaboration and Teamwork

Overall

First Year Teacher Tip #1: Ask All the Questions

#2 Be Mindful of Who You Listen To

First Year Teacher Tip #3: Focus on One Thing at a Time

#4 It’s All About Community

First Year Teacher Tip #5: The Importance of Prioritizing

#6 It’s Not About Being First

First Year Teacher Tip #7 Focus on Grading

#8 Organize Your Classroom Now

First Year Teacher Tip #9 Organize Your Supplies

#10 Be Kind to Yourself

First Year Teacher Tip #11 Find the Joy

#12 Get Clear on Your Boundaries

First Year Teacher Tip #13 You’re Best is Enough

#14 Be in the Moment

First Year Teacher Tip #15 Learn From Us

Overall