I wanted to do a post where I could give my thoughts or advice to help those just starting out and things I learned along the way that I wish someone would have told me. Grab a snack and a drink. This will be a LONG one! So here we go:
1. ASK QUESTIONS and ASK FOR HELP!!! I'm going to be honest: YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL ON YOUR OWN!!! I certainly tried and I know you will to. But, you may need to rely on your team members, mentor teacher, administration, or parent volunteers. It's okay to say no to being on a committee...it's okay to focus on your classroom. There will be A LOT of new things, so ask questions...yes, write down the questions you have so you don't forget, but ask your team members. They have all been in your position before and will help you out! They are the best resources to go to! If you're lucky to have involved parents, they are willing to help you out in any way you need...trust me! Create a rotating schedule for parent volunteers, have them help make copies, sharpen pencils at home, cut out laminating at home, etc.
2. DO WHAT YOU KNOW! When I first started teaching, I started three weeks after the school year started. My students had already gotten in the groove of other teachers' routines, structure, and schedules. Then, they had me! Well, they did better at the transition than I did! I was fortunate to have some administration, team members, and other district staff help get my room set up before I started so it wasn't a blank slate. While that won't happen for everyone, the big thing that helped was I took what I knew from my cooperating teachers (student teaching) and my former assistant job. I made homemade posters, games, or worksheets. They didn't include cute fonts, clip art, and weren't the most attractive to look at, but they worked. The kids learned their sight words, vowel sounds, math facts, etc. I used classroom management routines, organizational tips, and other things I observed with my cooperating teachers. I was determined to get new things, I knew I had to watch how much money I spent. Now, don't get me wrong, I spent
3. UTILIZE THE PEOPLE AND RESOURCES AROUND YOU! Like I mentioned earlier, talk to your colleagues...they have TONS of resources and will be more than willing to share with you. Ask fellow colleagues if you could observe them teach a lesson or look around their room for ideas. You don't have to spend so much money when it's time for resources in your room. Now, we are so fortunate to have TpT (Teachers Pay Teachers). If you're on a small team and need more ideas, this website (along with Pinterest and Instagram) is a hub for resources! You can get many items for FREE or for a low cost! I use this site now and only wish I had this 15 years ago! Who knows, maybe I can get some things posted on TpT inthe future. You will want things to be engaging for your students to use, but remember...start out simple and easy for you to manage. You can always change things later. The Goodwill, Salvation Army, or garage sales can help you add items for your classroom for an inexpensive price too...indoor recess games, classroom library books, bins/baskets, book shelves, stools, etc.
Here are some teacher blogs/websites that I have found over the past few years and love seeing what they are doing and creating in their rooms....awesome inspiration and teachers! (I hope they don't mind me mentioning them here!) There are so many more out there too!
4. GET TO KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES! Every school is different and some schools are smaller/bigger than others. No matter the size, get to know your teammates, school secretaries, nurse, etc. These people are just as busy as you, but can be just as helpful! With this tip, the best advice I can give is eat lunch in the teacher's lounge. Not every teacher takes his/her lunch break to eat in the lounge but give yourself a break...you will need it! If you feel as if you can't or don't want to take that time to eat and you'd rather get some work done, that's fine. But, make yourself a goal of maybe at least twice a week using your lunch time as a break and a time to EAT (you will need to EAT, trust!) By sitting in the lounge, you will get to know the teachers, share stories, and build relationships!
5. YOU WILL NEVER FINISH EVERYTHING....there is ALWAYS something to do in the classroom. I have to admit, I still struggle with this, but I have gotten better over the years. You may choose to come in to your classroom early or stay late, but remember you need to give yourself a break or two during the day, and know that whatever doesn't get done will be okay and you always have tomorrow! It can be hard, but prioritize...make lists! In one of my first posts, I showed a picture of a weekly planner I found and recreated to better fit me. This has helped me so much!
6. DO YOUR BEST TO STAY ORGANIZED. Some teachers have those dreamy, Pinterest perfect classrooms and others, let's be honest...there's so much going on in there, you don't know where to look first! No matter the way your room looks, you will have your own routine, way to organize, and manage your room. A teacher binder is one way to keep track of important things. If you are a frequent user of Pinterest and now that you are familiar with TpT, you can look up different ways teachers stay organized with a binder. Using a binder can help locate daily schedules, student schedules, calendars, curriculum organizers/outlines, standards, lesson plans, etc. You can have that all in one place and refer to it easily when needed.
Finally, just remember to take care of yourself, make sure you're getting a good amount of sleep, eat, and relax...it will all work out, you will get things done, and your kids will love you no matter how many cute posters you have in your room or if some games are homemade, or in black and white! Things can always be changed for the next year.
See you next time!
Thank you -- so helpful!
ReplyDelete