TL;DR:

• This post welcomes new teachers, emphasizing the importance of support and quality education.
• It addresses frustrations with discouragement towards the teaching profession and aims to foster a supportive environment for new educators.
• Tips on work-life balance, seeking financial support, networking with peers, embracing mistakes, prioritizing student relationships, and ongoing professional development are shared.

New Educators

I am so happy you are here! I am guessing you are a new teacher, you are trying to help a new teacher, you are a dedicated Teach Better Blog reader, or you just stumbled across this post and decided to check it out. My last blog, Encourage Good Educators, addressed my frustration with adults discouraging students to go into the field of education and becoming teachers. Moving forward, I want there to be good, quality teachers for the next generation.  I want new teachers to feel supported and successful in their classrooms. 

Every teacher should be a life-long learner, increasing their knowledge and getting a little better every year. Click To Tweet

Keep in mind, this list was created between Thanksgiving and Christmas break while lying wide awake in bed because I couldn’t stop thinking about school.  The following list is in no particular order….

Balance your free time.

You will not have a lot of downtime as a new teacher, but create a balance during that time.

Ask to use school funds before spending your own money.

You don’t know if you don’t ask. Grant money is sometimes sitting there, waiting to be used. Administrators are busy and don’t know what every teacher needs in their classroom.  Policies related to DonorsChoose or Amazon wishlists should be checked. 

Find your PLC: Get involved with like-minded teachers.

This could be on Twitter, at your own school, another friend in education, or Facebook groups.

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Ask for help.

There are times you will feel like you are drowning. Seek the advice of coworkers and talk with department heads or administrators.

Don’t be afraid to try a lesson.

Some will be a success and some won’t. It’s ok. Fail forward. Learn from the experience, reflect, and make necessary changes moving forward.

Don’t forget you are teaching students….not just content.

Put the student first as a person. Build relationships! 

It’s ok to make a mistake.

If the students call you out on your mistake, admit it, have a discussion with them, and build trust in your classroom.

Continue to learn.

There are so many great educational conferences out there. If you find a conference you’re interested in, ask your administrator about going.

Somewhere throughout my educational career, someone said, “You don’t know what you don’t know” and it stuck with me. Every teacher should be a life-long learner, increasing their knowledge and getting a little better every year.

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About Susan Jones

Susan Jones has been in education for seventeen years. She spent the first sixteen years of her career as a high school science teacher. This past year, Susan has taken on a new role as the Alternative Learning Coordinator at Ottawa-Glandorf High School. Since 2015, Susan has been presenting at educational conferences such as Ohio Google Summit, SPARCC, and OETC. She also runs district-wide professional development for local school districts. She is a member of the Ohio Blended Collaborative and Powerschool Circle of Champions.