Dear First Year Teacher

Dear First Year Teacher,

Congratulations on becoming a classroom teacher! If you're anything like me, you've dreamed about having your own classroom since you were a little kid yourself. You spent countless hours playing school and now you've accomplished all the work is takes to become a teacher: 

College: undergraduate courses, internships, student teaching, and those pages and pages long lesson plans (don't worry, you don't actually need to write two pages for one lesson); 
Certification: taking those tests, paying all of that money, and waiting for what seemed like forever to find out that you're officially a certified teacher; 
Job searching: preparing a resume and cover letter, searching for hours for vacancies at your dream school, finding the perfect outfit for your interview, thinking about what questions you're going to be asked (what's a strength you have? Tell me about one of your weaknesses? Are you a team player? What sets you apart from all the other applicants?), sending a thank you note, and then the waiting game to hear from the principal. 
Planning for your dream classroom: You've been hired, you know your grade level and subjects and now you find yourself scrolling Pinterest and Instagram for classroom inspiration and now you're suddenly going to Target three times a week and driving around to find all the Dollar Spot deals and driving three hours to the nearest Lakeshore to drop hundreds on bulletin board borders, colorful book bins, etc. 

But wait. 

There is so much more to your first year of teaching than pretty bulletin boards, a carefully planned classroom theme, and a perfect classroom library with hundreds of books. Sure, having a cohesive theme is nice. Making pretty anchor charts will make your classroom appealing. Laminated labels for your rainbow drawer organizer is great so you don't lose anything. But you're about to have a classroom full of students who are waiting for you to teach them. Yes, kiddos love colorful things. But what do kids love more? A teacher who is mentally prepared for ten months of learning, exploring, growing, and so much more. Get ready to work harder than you ever have - but it's all for one good reason: your students. 

Here's some tips that I've been thinking about as I'm gearing up for my twelfth year as a teacher.

1. Remember that Instagram teacher pages are highlight reels and doesn't show the behind the scenes of a first year teacher who finds herself (or himself) bringing home hours of schoolwork. Of course, every teacher wants to have their classroom featured on Pinterest and have their pics 'liked' by thousands on Instagram. Be true to you - especially your first year. You've just started - you have years and years of making your classroom everything you want it to be. Take it one step at a time. 

2. Make friends with your colleagues. Plan smarter, not harder. Your coworkers will have years of experience that you can benefit from. Unsure how to teach a specific standard? Ask a coworker for help. Need a specific book for a read aloud or close reading lesson? Ask the reading specialist or reading coach before going out and spending your own money. I was always in my reading coach's office the first couple years of my teaching career. I even asked her to come model lessons because she was the expert and although I was more than qualified to teach that particular lesson, you can gain SO much from watching a veteran teacher do their thing. I still remember the first lesson Mrs. Miller did in my third grade classroom for me that first year. 

3. Ask your administration for help. Don't be afraid to pop into their office with questions or concerns you have. If you're struggling with communicating with a parent, tell them and let them help you. If there's a particular resource book you've been wanting but aren't sure it's worth the money, ask them if they have it in their office or if they can order it for you with school funds. Let them know you welcome them in your classroom to watch you do a lesson because you want that feedback to help you grow. Don't run when you get an e-mail from them that says it's formal observation time - they're not out to get you, I promise. 

4. Be prepared to spend hours writing substitute teacher plans. Even in my eleventh year of teaching, I spent a good hour writing sub plans for one day. We're creatures of habit, who want things to go perfectly, even when we're out of our classroom for the day. We write scripted plans, explain things in depth, and hope that everything goes as planned. Just remember that the substitute teacher covering your class may not be certified in that particular grade level, they may have received last minute notice of a job opening, or just might not do a good job following your plans. A veteran tip? Ask a co-worker for help if you have to be out in an emergency situation. Don't drive to work with the flu because you need to print your lesson plans or just to make copies of a worksheet. Your colleagues will gladly help you -- but be sure you return the favor to them! :)

5. Have a behavior plan with incentives and consequences from day one. And. Stick. To. It. If there's one thing kids need, it's consistency. They need to know that if they get caught talking, they'll have the same consequence as if another classmate was caught talking. Your classroom needs to be fair and needs to be built on trust and relationships. One idea that I love is to make the classroom rules WITH your students, on the first day of school. When I was a first grade teacher, we actually called it a class promise and the kiddos actually signed their names on it. I like to hold the kiddos accountable and by creating that classroom culture together, it was an environment where the kids felt safe and cared for - by their classmates, but most importantly, their classroom teacher. 

There's so much more to being a first year teacher. Soak in the experience. Don't be afraid to try new things. Plan fun lessons. Grab your students' attention with great lesson hooks. Take chances - you only get one first year of teaching. Make the most of it! 

Now go out there and get ready for the students who will look to you for everything for the next ten months! 

Lauren