10 Things I Wish I Knew As A First Year Teacher

Okay, first year teacher friends! This blog post is for YOU! As a new teacher, I was equal parts excited, anxious, and nervous as I headed into my first year of teaching.

I knew in my heart that teaching was my passion and my calling in life, but as we all know chasing after your dreams can be scary. Thankfully, I had the most remarkable year and I look back on my time as a brand new kinder teacher with the best memories & so much love in my heart for those tinies I had the privilege of teaching that year. But that isn’t to say that I didn’t learn a tremendous amount of lessons that first year of teaching. Even though I felt abundantly prepared to be entering the classroom on my own, there are just some things that they can’t teach you in college.

So, my friends, this is my list of 10 things I wish I had known as a first year teacher.

1. There is so much more to being a teacher than just teaching.

After my student teaching experience I felt like I truly understood this. But boy oh boy was I mistaken! There is a tremendous difference between sharing responsibilities with your mentor teacher vs taking on all the roles that teachers carry by yourself.

I was continuously shocked by how much teachers were asked to do. Between lesson planning, IEP meetings, data discussions, staff meetings, book clubs, after school activities, student events outside school, and more I felt like I was constantly being pulled in so many different directions.

Realizing I was responsible for so many of these roles was overwhelming at times & it was without a doubt an adjustment for me. I can promise that just as it does with anything else, it gets easier as time goes on & you get better at managing your time! & a planner definitely helped me to do that successfully! (:

2. Parents want you to succeed.

Yup. I said it. Parents WANT to see you succeed & do well. & I totally get it. We are responsible for their tiny humans that they love with their entire being & that’s pretty dang intimidating at first. But when you realize that both you & the families have the same goal–for this child to be loved, safe, and successful, it makes it a lot easier to partner together and accomplish great things!

3. Organization is everything.

I would consider myself to be a fairly organized person, but being organized at home vs being organized in the classroom is an entirely different ball game! When you are responsible for 25+ tiny humans and all of their supplies, classroom routines, structures, and organization become a necessity! Think out a game plan for every single item & movement your students will make throughout the day & plan ahead to teach those routines from day one!

4. Boundaries are essential as a first year (or experienced) teacher.

Whew–if there’s one thing you take away from this blog post I hope it’s this. You have to create boundaries for yourself because no one else will. In college I really took the whole “make positive contact with families” to heart. & I did that. Every. Single. Day. On my 45 minute drive home I would call families nearly every single day & tell them how much I appreciated them and enjoyed teaching their child.

During my plan time I would send positive messages on seesaw or take time to write letters to students before school.

I attended every single out of school function that I was invited to (even in a snow storm), and I would answer messages from parents at 11 PM at night if they sent them.

I had zero boundaries. & that backfired on me because then that became the norm. Families expected phone calls, emails, messages, or notes so frequently that if they didn’t receive one for a week they would worry that something was wrong. & as much as I loved chatting with families and celebrating my littles, it was exhausting.

I was already staying at school until 6 or 7 PM at night and then making the 45 minute drive back home. My entire life became sleep, teach, eat, repeat. & it wasn’t healthy for my physical or mental well being. Starting the following year, I began setting those boundaries and limiting the time I spent at school & not responding to emails after a certain time. & I found that I was still a great teacher, I had wonderful relationships with families, and most importantly I was able to prioritize my life and family outside of teaching.

5. Be mindful & intentional when prepping for your classroom.

If you’re currently heading into your first year of teaching & you feel like you have to “do it all” then you’re not alone. I experienced that feeling & I remember frantically trying to piece together all the last minute projects that I saw on the internet that I wanted to do. But the reality? Your students aren’t going to care. Blank walls are a good thing. Not every space of your classroom needs to be filled. Desks & chairs provided by your school are a-okay. Building the classroom of your dreams takes time & money & it shouldn’t be something that you feel pressured to do. (: Pour your energy into learning about classroom management strategies, brushing up on your standards, and creating a classroom community that makes your students feel safe & seen. THAT is what matters more than anything!

6. As a first year teacher, make yourself a priority from the start.

Really, it’s as simple as that. Plan something every week that you are going to do for yourself, whether it be a face mask, grabbing a coffee in the morning on your way to work, or taking the time to read a few chapters out of a book for fun. You can’t pour from an empty cup, friend!

7. “No” is an answer.

This is something I feel like I just now mastered after four years of teaching. I’m an enneagram 2 (hello people pleaser) & I always strive to help others and go above and beyond what is asked of me. But I realized that constantly saying “yes” to everything (literally) that I was asked to do led to feelings of burn out. If I didn’t have a “valid excuse” I would agree because I was fearful of disappointing others. But here’s what I know now & what I want you to know. Being tired is a valid excuse. Needing a break is a valid excuse. Not wanting to do something just because you’re a human being & it doesn’t interest you is a valid excuse. No is an answer.

8. There will always be a never ending to-do list.

The beautiful thing about teaching is that each day is different. The difficult thing about teaching is that each day is different, ha! There will always be lessons to plan, copies to make, things to organize, and notes to write. Prioritize what NEEDS to be done vs what you WANT to be completed.

9. Teaching is your job, not your identity.

I feel like this one was a hard pill for me to swallow at first. I’ve always felt like I was one of those people who was “born to teach”. I’m the first teacher in my family and my love for teaching has always been evident to my parents. I even remember attending the “future teacher academy” as a child & feeling such a sense of purpose and belonging.

During a summer therapy session I was talking to my therapist about how during the summer months I felt like I lost my sense of purpose in life because I wasn’t teaching anymore. It was then that it clicked for me–I’m not just a teacher. I had invested so much of who I am into my profession that I lost sight of the other things I am. I’m a wife, a fur mama, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a creative, an iced chai latte enthusiast, and an animal lover just to name a few. But above all else, I’m a human being that is allowed to be multi-passionate. & so are you.

10. Your heart can hold more love than you ever thought possible.

My heart still swells when I think about my first class & how much I loved them from the moment they walked into our classroom for the first time. Of course, I have loved all of my students & I undoubtedly will for the rest of my life–but there is something extraordinarily special about your first group of students. Over the course of a school year we grew together & they taught me far more than I could have ever taught them. Kids have a way of showing us how to find joy in the small moments, celebrate every day, and to always see the good in others.