I love the excitement and enthusiasm I see when I meet a new teacher. You guys can’t wait to get into your classrooms and start decorating and arranging your supplies. Meeting your students seems like a dream!

I’m approaching my 14th year of teaching and I mostly feel the same. The joy of decorating and arranging my classroom brings me back to school even before my contract days start. I love meeting the new faces and personalities that will brighten my school year.

I know you’re nervous. You’re wondering if you can manage your classroom, teach effectively, and do the million other things required of teachers.

I’ve been in your shoes and I want to offer some advice and teacher truths that will help you get through those first few months.

Work smarter, not harder!

Don’t let the never-ending job of teaching consume all of your time.

This job will take every ounce of your energy if you let it.

To keep your sanity, you must learn some veteran teacher-esque time-saving tricks.

I’ve spelled them out for you in this post: Go Home ON TIME: How to leave it all at school! 

Working with parents is a science you must learn!

Honestly, most parents can be an asset to you, if you will let them.

To build positive relationships with parents, you must start at the very beginning of the year with positive contact.

If you want to establish and nurture positive relationships with parents, this post will be very helpful to you: Establishing Positive Relationships with Parents! 

There is more to teaching than reading and math!

You will deal with much, much more in your classroom than just teaching content.

Some days, I deal with more behavior and emotional or social issues than actually teaching curriculum.

There will be times of frustration when you feel like you are bogged down with the issues and baggage that kids bring to school. It may even feel impossible to get through the lessons you’ve planned.

A way to keep things in perspective is to remind yourself that you are there to teach students, NOT just curriculum.

During my child psychology class in college, I learned that when something is going on in a child’s life, it affects every area of his/her life.

Kids are not able to compartmentalize their emotions like adults.

When a parent tells you that they are going through a divorce, a family upheaval, or some sort of change, be sensitive to your student’s situation. Even if he/she never talks about it, it is certainly having an effect.

Classroom management is the foundation of success for teachers!

When I went through college, I did not have the privilege of attending a class on classroom management. Everything I learned and practice now came from trial and error, or watching veteran teachers around me.

Classroom management is difficult, especially for new teachers. We (veteran teachers) know that you may not have a perfectly-managed classroom when you first start, and that’s ok! We are here to help!

My hope for you is that you have a large team of veteran teachers who are happy to share their experience and allow you to observe them at work in the classroom.

Find at least one teacher with whom you connect and spend time with him/her. Ask questions and allow him/her to observe you and give advice.

I would like to share my best classroom management advice with you. Please check out these posts:

Dear First-Time 5th Grade Teacher: 

5 Tips for Establishing Procedures in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Your students will become dear to your heart!

You will grow fond of your students, especially the ones who you must work with frequently on behavior or learning issues.

At the end of the year, you will be sad to see (most of them) go.

When it’s time for a holiday break, you will worry about them and hope (maybe even pray) that they’re ok.

Your interview for a teaching position should be a two-way street!

When you go to a school for an interview, the principal and/or hiring committee will ask probing questions to find out if you are a good fit for their school.

But, did you know that you are also interviewing them?

Schools, faculties, and principals are very, very different. You should not leave the interview without getting a feel for the goals, policies, and environment of the school.

Asking questions will help you to find out whether or not you would be a good fit for the position.

Trust me, you don’t want to work at a school where your teaching style and viewpoints are misaligned with your administration and coworkers. Those are the makings of an unhappy school year.

Having a gorgeous, Pinterest-ready classroom is not required!

You may envision a swoon-worthy classroom, like the ones you see online. Please, please don’t stress and spend money to have the most beautiful room in the school. It’s really not necessary.

I’m speaking from experience here. I’m the first-year teacher who spent over $500 on decorations that I didn’t get much from, then quickly changed grades and most of it went into storage.

Would you like to know what is important? A functional, inviting classroom! Take time to sit in your classroom and think about how you want your students to be seated, move around the room, join cooperative groups, etc.

Don’t worry about making fancy bulletin boards. Just put up some butcher paper, a border, and leave space to display all of the amazing work that your students will create.

For more information on this topic, visit this blog post: What I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Teaching

Always remember why you started teaching!

You may wonder what you were thinking getting into this profession. Every teacher has those moments.

When I was in college, my future in classroom teaching seemed like sunshine and rainbows. But I soon found out that it’s not all it appeared to be.

Pay is low, expectations are high, and you may not get a lot of support.

With that being said, it’s ok to get frustrated sometimes, but please remember that it’s still worth it!

I have the honor of teaching a subject that I love (social studies), my coworkers have become lifelong friends, and I have many students who are dear to my heart.

I have remained in contact with lots of students and families over the years. It’s amazing to see what they are doing with their lives.

In what other profession can you have a long-term impact on kids, the ability to make America a little more educated, and even get some break time (although we might spend it working/grading/lesson planning, am I right?!)? I wouldn’t trade my profession for another. Not a chance!

I have a FREEBIE for you! Please sign up on this form to receive my EXCLUSIVE packet: Back to School Resources for New Upper Elementary Teachers! In this packet, I have provided you with my best tips for setting up your classroom, planning the first day of school, and I have included some ready to use, engaging activities for the first day or two of school.

New and struggling teachers love this course. 🙂 Click on the image to learn more!