Podcast 4: First Year Tips

The speaker gives tips for having a successful first year as a teacher. They advise to embrace the learning process, seek help when needed, stay organized, establish classroom expectations and routines early on, communicate with parents, and prioritize relationships with students. They emphasize the importance of self-care, reaching out for support, and involving parents in their child's education. Hey, it's Tyler. Today we're going to be discussing a topic I see a lot of demand for, and that's how to have a successful first year as a teacher. Last time we talked about interviewing tips and strategies. Now you've got the job and are staring down your first year as a teacher and everything that comes with it, from the students to setting up your classroom and parent communication. Your plate is going to be full, and I want to share some tips for thriving, not just surviving. Some of these tips are courtesy of my teaching partner, Emily, who was supposed to be on the podcast, but missed four days last week with Influenza A. So don't worry. I let her know I'll definitely fail the projects, and she bailed on me. But all jokes aside, I'll give her credit where it's due. And I think we've come up with a few simple tips with her input and with my input that'll help you be successful in your first year. The first tip that we both agreed on is to remember that there will be bumps in the road, of course. You're going to have so much to learn, so many routines, curriculums, everything else to learn that is inevitably going to overwhelm you. Don't forget, this is simply part of the process. I mean, for almost any new endeavor, this is part of the process, especially for the ones that are worthwhile. Take time for yourself and self-care. Take as little home as you can and embrace the growing pains, okay? You can do this. The next tip comes courtesy of Emily, and that's to seek help when you need it. Now, this is something I didn't think of, even though, of course, I relied so heavily on the people around me and my team and my mentor, and I was lucky to have that. But her advice would be don't hesitate. We both talked about our teams and leadership through our first year, like I just mentioned, and how we genuinely might not have survived without it. Surround yourself and embrace the veterans around you. When in doubt, don't hesitate to reach out. It's so much better to ask and get the support you need rather than making mistakes because you feel like you're a burden. Trust me, the latter of those choices is more of a burden than getting help. Another piece of advice is to stay organized and get everything done up front. Classroom expectations, establish those early on and enforce them diligently. Invest in relationships up front. Get to know your students. Greet them by name in your door jam every day. Take time up front, especially to discuss non-school related topics. Play games and get to know you activities. Build that foundation early on. Establish routines for both yourself and your students as early as possible. All of these things will either take time now or will take time in the future. But if you get them established early, it'll save you a ton of time in the future. Don't be afraid to revisit your expectations very frequently, your standards, everything. Breaks around Thanksgiving and Christmas provide good moments to reset your classroom and adjust as needed. So take advantage and adapt. Lastly, communicate with your parents and make them feel like they're part of your child's education because of course they are. They have to be. You need their help as much as they need yours. Keep them in the loop, be honest and straightforward with them, but be empathetic and understand they're human as well. If you are ever in doubt about whether you should reach out about something, just do it. Most parents I've encountered appreciate communication and feel like feeling like they are involved is incredibly valuable. I hope these tips from Emily and I have provided some help and advice outside of some of the normal pieces of wisdom you might find and I wish you success in your first year of teaching. Don't forget how important your job is and push through the challenges. It's definitely worth it. Thanks for listening.