Surviving your first Year as a Teacher
Surviving your first year teaching is something I know about, mostly because I did not survive mine.
I came to teaching later in life. At forty, I enrolled in an accelerated Master's Degree program with the goal of being a kindergarten teacher. I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted children to love learning as much as I did. I had seen first hand from my own children's experiences the damage one uninspired teacher could do to a child's motivation. I had also seen the benefits one inspired teacher could do in regaining that motivation.
Rule 1: Be choosy in picking your first job. This is tricky however. I was excited when I was hired for my dream job'. When looking for a job, I wanted a small class size, high parent involvement, and freedom to teach math, reading, science, PE, and social studies through nature. I accepted less money than other districts were offering because I felt these qualities would ease my first year teaching. I accepted the position despite the old adage, be careful what you wish for, kept playing through my mind.
Rule 2: Over prepare. This is very time consuming for a new teacher but well worth it. Prepare extra lessons, extensions for your lesson plans for the quick finishers, as well as for the students who need more personalized help. Use lesson plans from other teachers. Manipulate them to fit your students' needs and your teaching style. The Internet has millions of lesson plans for every age, topic, and learning style. Although my job was a part time job (kindergarten is generally a half day program.) I worked over forty hours every week just gathering materials, lesson plans, and preparing for the days ahead.
Rule 3: Be confident in your own education. Having just graduated yourself, you most likely will have the most up to date information regarding pedagogical philosophy. This is not to say that you know more than experienced teachers. However, even experienced teachers can learn a new trick or two. When questioned by parents and administration regarding your goals or practices, be open to what they say, but be confident in yours to say it as well. Open dialog is the best form of education.
Rule 4: Expect things to go wrong. I am not a pessimist, in fact, I am quite an optimist. However, rule 4 goes hand in hand with rules 1 and 2. Sometimes, the very things you wanted most may make your first year more challenging than expected. Personally, I was shocked when a parent decided to make my first year my last one. As a teacher herself, she felt she knew better and could do better than I was. As a parent myself, I was eager to gain this parent's confidence. She manipulated herself into teaching in my classroom one day a week, every week (by going to the Principal and threatening to withdraw her child from this paid institution). When I realized this was not a beneficial situation for me or my students, I informed her that it would stop. She became irate and began spreading rumors about my teaching ability to other parents. She claimed that as a teacher herself she was speaking from a point of experience. Other parents concerns grew with their confusion. Many families went to my principal with their concerns, which leads to rule 5.
Rule 5: Demand support from administration. This may sounds harsh for a new teacher, but it can save your job and gain you respect as well. As a new teacher, you may be feeling that your superior has no history to base his support for you when times get difficult. And you would be correct. However, he did hire you. He chose you over all the other candidates. It is expensive and time consuming to hire new employees. Most administrators are well aware when hiring a new teacher that there is growing room. No administrator expects a teacher's first year to be perfect. When my students' families came to my administrator with the gossip that was being presented she supported me verbally but did not act. She expected me to stand up against the parent who was causing me distress. I was already receiving decidedly hostile emails from this woman at home on a regular basis. I did not respond to any of the emails feeling that it was better not to engage but simply forwarded them to my principal. In effect, the parent who was causing me problems was not reprimanded and therefore continued her campaign against me.
Rule 6: Be your own advocate. Being new at something is difficult. Being new at teaching is challenging on many levels. You must be good at classroom management. You must be good at teaching a variety of learning styles. You must be a good co- worker. You must be a good employee. You must be a good manager of parents who come to you with differing experiences, expectations, and concerns. But first and foremost, you must be good to yourself. Remember your goals. Are you doing what you wanted to do? Will your situation get better?
For me, Rule 6 was a deal breaker. I was being harassed by a parent. I was not getting the support from administration in the form I needed (actions not words). The environment that I was working in on a daily basis was becoming a drama where I continually had to defend myself against rumors and allegations. Choosing to leave my first job mid year was incredibly difficult. I questioned my ability to teach. I questioned whether teaching was the right career choice for me. I questioned if I would ever get another job. I felt like I was giving up on my goals as well as giving up on all those children who would have uninspired teachers. But to be an inspired teacher, you have to be inspired yourself. When your environment is restrictive, negative, and confining you cannot be a good teacher.
Teaching is a rewarding career. The vast majority of teachers survive their first year and are better teachers for it. By following these six rules you will be successful in surviving your first year teaching whether you end up working as one or not.
