Mrs T's Musings

Dear First Year Teacher,

Congratulations! You’ve worked so hard to get to this point, and you’ve made it this far. A world of possibility lies before you. This is such an exciting stage, and you have so much to look forward to – but there are a few things you need to know. 

So, here are some of the first lessons I learned as a teacher. By sharing them, I hope to help make your first steps into teaching a little smoother.

It’s Not Easy

Teaching is not an easy job. I’m sure you’ve already realized this while completing your student teaching, but you’ll come to understand this even more throughout the next year. There are so many dimensions to being an educator, and it will challenge you physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. It might leave you feeling unsure at times. Being new to your workplace might also make the adjustment to teaching harder. 

Be prepared to persist through the times of struggle, knowing that with time and practice things should get easier.  

You’re Starting From Scratch

I’m sure you know some phenomenal teachers who may have even influenced your decision to enter this career, and I’m sure you have an idea of the kind of amazing teacher you will become but remember – you are only at the beginning of your journey. As tempting as it can be, try to avoid comparing yourself to other teachers who are further ahead in their career than you. You need to work hard to get to where you want to go. 

You will spend the first few years of your career building up resources, establishing professional relationships, getting your name known in schools, and gaining experience. It’s tiresome and you may lose confidence at times but remember this is all part of the teaching experience. 

You Will Make Mistakes

I know you think you have it all together, and you might most of the time, but you will make mistakes. You will forget to take the roll in the morning, you will have a conversation that does not go according to plan, and you will feel out of your depth at times. 

Don’t worry though. Even the most experienced teachers still make mistakes. We’re only human, after all. Plus, mistakes offer great learning opportunities. It’s how you bounce back from them that matters.

You NEED a Support Network

I know you might want to be independent. You might want to prove to the world that you’ve got this teaching thing under control. But I cannot stress enough the importance of having a support network. 

If it weren’t for some of the key people in my life cheering me on, my journey would have been indescribably harder. Even connecting with other teachers online is a great help. Find people who you can be open with and who understand the teaching journey to walk with you in this. You may think you don’t need the extra support, but you do. We all do.

You Don’t Need to Do Everything Yourself

On that note, here’s your permission to use the knowledge, expertise, and resources that other teachers are offering you instead of doing everything yourself. If you have another teacher friend offering to help you with your planning – take the help. If you find a blog post with enough science experiment ideas to last the whole year – use those ideas instead of trying to think up your own. And let’s just acknowledge how much time and energy we all save thanks to websites like Teachers Pay Teachers. If you need STEM Challenges, Phonics Reading Passages, Mixed Math Review Worksheets, or Back to School Activities, grabbing the pre-made, student-friendly, ready-to-print-and-go resources that are already available is a great way to make things easier for yourself. 

You shouldn’t expect yourself to do everything on your own. Help is available. Wise teachers see these offers of help as blessings.

It Takes Time

Greatness does not happen overnight. It takes time. It will be a slow journey at the beginning, trying to establish yourself and trying to build connections with your students. Some students will take longer to warm up to you than others. 

Hang in there, though. You will begin to see your teaching-self progress and learn, and those relationships with your students develop after a little while, but it may take longer than you think.

You Should Try Those Creative New Ideas You Have

Sometimes when you’re starting out, others might not be as excited as you about changing things up and trying new teaching ideas. You, though, have energy, drive, and a whole lot of creative ideas that others may not have seen before. Go ahead and try them, even if you’re not sure if they’ll work. 

This is a great way to learn, and it will help you find your teaching style early on.  

You Will Influence Your Students More Than You Will Ever Know

No matter what you’re feeling towards your profession at any given time, the bottom line is – you will always be influencing your students. Sometimes you might not see the influence you’re having, but it’s always there. Whether you have a wonderful day in the classroom or a day that makes you want to quit, you are influencing your students more than you will ever know. 

This is an enormous responsibility and a great honor. Remember this when your journey becomes difficult because it is the students that will make it all worthwhile.

You’ve Got What It Takes to be Exceptional

You will have doubts, you will get weary, you will be challenged, but at the end of the day, you have what it takes to be an exceptional teacher. Believe that. Remind yourself of it. If you can’t say it with certainty, then get someone in your support network to remind you. 

You can do this. You’ve made it this far! You’re getting better at it each day. You can do this teaching thing.

May your teaching journey challenge you in ways that help you grow and reward you in ways you weren’t expecting. 

Thank you, teacher, for your passion and dedication to this very special profession. All the best as you begin this new season.

From,

Mrs Thorpe 

If you’d like to read more of my musings, then take a look at this post where I share my thoughts on that dreaded morning yard duty.

Have a question or a request? You can contact me at blueskydesignsbymrst@gmail.com.