Dear First-Year Me...Everything I wish someone had told you

Dear First-Year Me,

You are about to walk into a classroom that will ask more of you than you currently know how to give. Here is what I would tell you now, if I could.

You do not have to learn it all at once

Forcing yourself to learn everything immediately will only frustrate you. Pick one or two things to learn well this year. The learning management system. The gradebook. The online textbook. Google Drive. Whatever feels most essential right now. Next year will give you space to master one or two more. You are not behind. You are building.

Ask what things mean

Learn the jargon and the terminology, and do not be embarrassed to ask what something means when you do not know. You committed yourself to a profession built on lifelong learning. You are not expected to know it all on day one. Strive for continuous improvement instead of immediate mastery, and never be afraid to ask a question that makes you look like you are still learning. You are. We all are.

Relationships come before rigor

Cultivate your classroom culture and your relationships with students before you try to teach the hardest content. Even the most unyielding student will give you their all once they know your heart is genuinely in it.

And know that their "all" will shift. It will change from day to day and week to week, and every student will bring their own version of what their all looks like on any given day. Be okay with that. Adjust when you need to. Accommodate. Encourage. Uplift. Engage. That flexibility is not weakness. It is good teaching.

Find a way to deal with the suck quickly

There will be things you do not agree with and things you do not want to do. Figure out how to deal with that frustration quickly, because dwelling in it will cost you more than the situation itself ever will. There is almost always a silver lining if you are willing to look for it from a more positive angle.

Find someone who has been where you are

Find a mentor. Someone a few years ahead of you, or many years ahead, who is willing to let you ask the questions you are afraid to ask anyone else. I still lean on people who taught me when I was brand new to this profession, more than two decades later. Those relationships do not expire. They deepen. You will need someone who can tell you the truth, point you in the right direction, and remind you that you are not failing, you are simply still learning. Do not try to figure all of this out alone.

No one likes a complainer

Voicing a genuine grievance is fine and sometimes necessary. Just remember to keep it professional, and try to offer a solution alongside the complaint whenever you can. Also remember that the colleague next door probably does not hold the power to fix whatever is frustrating you, so be careful about constantly bringing your frustrations to them. Nobody enjoys having their cup dipped from again and again without ever being poured into in return. Make sure you are doing your fair share of filling other people up too.

Extend yourself grace

You are going to have lessons that completely bomb. You will have days that go sideways for reasons that have nothing to do with your effort or your preparation. You will say the wrong thing to a student or a parent at some point, and you will replay it in your head longer than you should. Extend yourself the same grace you so easily extend to your students. None of us get this right every time. Not in year one, and not in year twenty-one. Forgive yourself quickly, learn what you can, and walk back in the next morning ready to try again.

Set a boundary with yourself

If you are going to work outside of contract hours, make sure you are also consistently pouring into yourself and your family. I get to work about an hour and a half early every single day. That is how I leave at 3:15 without an ounce of guilt. I still work from home some evenings, but I know how to cut it off. If you must work after hours, promise yourself one more hour and then you are done, no matter what is left undone. Setting that boundary with yourself is an act of self love, and it will save you from burning out before you ever get the chance to burn bright.

Your classroom does not have to be a Pinterest room

It does need to be inviting and clean, because that is the first step in setting your classroom culture. Students appreciate consistency, so make sure your room is clean every morning. Let it smell good. Play some soft music during independent work time. Turn student work into classroom artwork. Pick up a few mismatched lamps from a thrift store to soften the overhead lighting, which can be harsh and even cause headaches for some students and teachers alike. Grab a few scraps of fabric from the craft section of the store to cover up unsightly furniture. Laminate the photos from last year's calendar and use them as inexpensive classroom art.

Students love walking into a room that either reminds them of home or welcomes them home for the first time.

You have so much ahead of you. None of it will be perfect, and all of it will be worth it.

With love,

The teacher you are still becoming

💜💚 Teaching: The Real — Real texts. Real topics. Real thinking.