I’m nearing the end of my seventh year in education. There are plenty of people who have more experience in education than I do, but these are the things I wish I’d known on my first day.
1) Tomorrow will be better than today (the first day teaching was really, really rough… that story is another blog post).
2) If you need something (and you need plenty, first year teacher self), just ask. You work with amazing teachers who will help you!
3) Those student behaviors that are driving you nuts? They can be changed, but you’ll have to teach and re-teach your expectations throughout the year.
4) Go visit an elementary school. There’s so much a high school teacher can learn from the models set up in our elementary school classrooms.
5) Just about every teacher feels like they’re faking it at some point. Stop worrying about it; instead, talk about it and help others through the things that stump them.
Whether you’re finishing your career or just starting it, take time to reflect on where you started and where you are today. Think through what you can do to help an educator in your building make the most of the last stretch of this school year. You won’t regret it!