Hmmm…. so I’m guessing… you are a brand new teacher and you have either proactively found this blog before going into your first school year (if so, kudos to you for being so on top of things!) … orrr you are stumbling on this blog because you are already in the classroom and have learned the hard way that… yeahhh… being a classroom teacher isn’t always a walk in the park 😉
In either case, welcome!
So first off, you need to know you are in VERY good company here. And you’re NOT crazy for wondering if your first year of teaching is part of some sort of intense, trial-by-fire, hazing ritual. Learning to run a classroom is A LOT to handle!
If only you could have been a fly on the wall for my first year of teaching. Just my google search history alone would help you to laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of that year!
- Google… “How do I become an expert teacher- starting like yesterday?!”
- Google… “Why are kids… why do kids… why do they do what they do?!”
- Google… “I think I’ve made a big mistake.”
- Google… “What can I do with a teaching degree other than teaching?”
- Google… “Helpppppppppp meeeeeeeeee!!!!!!”
And I’m afraid to say that, 10 years into teaching, I haven’t seen things get much better for our newbie teachers.
It’s still a pretty rocky road to transforming into a master teacher.
So, how have we gotten to this point?
Why in the world does the first year of teaching have to be so difficult?! For everyone?!
I mean with teacher prep programs around every corner and centuries of educational establishments before us, you’d think we’d have learned our lessons by now and worked out the kinks, right?!
Well, my friend, yes and no… You see, the educational system is a much larger and I mean LARGERRRRR system than we can even appropriately wrap our mind around. In fact, it’s estimated that there are 15 million people in the U.S. alone working in the education industry.
So, as you can imagine, that’s a ton of ideas, backgrounds, opinions, and agendas all pushing and pulling at each other at once.
So, what’s the takeaway for you as a new teacher?
Well, the takeaway is… as soon as you step into the classroom this year, you will realize there is a lot of big-picture stuff you do not understand, a lot of outside classroom factors you cannot control, and a lot of educational policies you may or may not have a hard time getting behind.
And it can be a lot.
But, you know what the good news is?
As a first-year teacher, the only two things you actually need to care about are your sweet students and those 4 walls of your classroom. That’s it.
That classroom is your world, your microcosm, your locus of control, and it is enough for you to affect the change you want to see!
So, all that to say, let’s help you start feeling in control and confident again, teacher friend!
Let’s get you going on the right foot, shall we?
Let’s help you build a FOUNDATION for teaching that is not only effective but SUSTAINABLE and ENJOYABLE 😉
If you’re new to teaching and curious how to transform from a teacher-in-distress to a teacher-summiting-success in just 5 steps, download the FREE guidebook below!
In this FREE guidebook, you’ll find all my best-kept secrets and teacher hacks for making your first year of teaching one of the most successful and rewarding years of your career.
So, are you ready to get started?!
Me too! Let’s dive in…
