Dear first year teacher,
You've just accepted your first teaching job and signed your first contract. Congratulations!! Now what? You've spent the last few years prepping for this very moment. You've taken all the classes and done your student teaching. You might still be wondering if you are truly prepared to have your own classroom… I'm going to tell you that no matter how prepared you are, there will always be something you look back on and say wtf was I thinking that year? I even ask myself, did those poor 5th graders actually learn a thing?
There are quite a few things I wish I had thought of or that someone had told me before I entered my first classroom. Lucky for you, I have been compiling them and want to share some of those with you in this open letter. I want to help you be as prepared as you can be.
Teaching Philosophy
The first thing you need to do is to sit down and write out your teaching philosophy. Think of the things that are non-negotiables for you as a teacher. What kind of relationships do you want to have with your students? How will you handle discipline and behavior management? What about parent contact? Does the thought of contacting a future student's parents make you cringe? (because I definitely did for the first few years of teaching!) How will you build relationships with your students' parents in a positive way? What does the environment in your classroom look like and feel like? These will lead you to the foundation you will need to build in those first few weeks of school.
My Teaching Philosophy:
Here is mine: Our classroom is a safe place for students to come where they know they are loved and appreciated because of the time we spend getting to know each other not only academically but personally. Our classroom is also a comfortable place where students can do their best learning. We are respectful of each other and our needs as well as engaged and actively learning, even if that means we get a little loud. The parents and I will have open communication because I will make sure to highlight the positives their students have and not just the times there are negative behaviors to discuss. Discipline will be handled with dignity and respect for everyone involved.
Once you have your thoughts written down, it's time to figure out what you need in place to make your philosophy come alive. How will you build relationships with your students? I used a morning or afternoon meeting to build community. I also spent time talking to them during our down times and paying attention to their stories. How will you lay out your classroom expectations as far as being respectful and actively engaged? What will you use to communicate with parents? I use a combination of online resources such as Class Dojo as well as phone calls home and hand written notes. What will your discipline/behavior management system look like? I can't say it loud enough but always remember to PRAISE LOUDLY and correct softly..
Find a Mentor Teacher
Another piece of advice I wish someone would have given me was that it's okay to feel overwhelmed because you will. The beginning of the year meetings, getting your classroom ready for kids and trying to figure out what to teach those first few weeks can be extremely overwhelming. My advice- find a mentor teacher that you really admire. That one teacher that you look at and think, man… my goal is to be half as awesome as them some day. Pick their brain and soak it all in like a giant sponge. That doesn't mean you have to do everything they do but it does mean is that if you're not sure what to do, don't be afraid to ask!
Classroom Management Strategies
The last piece of advice I will leave you with is spend more time thinking about and getting your classroom management pieces solidified and under control than anything else. Your classroom theme, the standards, curriculum and all the other demands put on you are important. The deal is, students can't learn and won't learn from someone they don't like. They also won't learn from someone who has poor classroom management. I had a professor tell me everyday of my college courses with him that relationships are key. I have lived by this and I still have relationships with some of the first students I ever taught. Your students need to know their are high expectations both behaviorally and academically but most importantly, they need to know they are loved and wanted in your classroom every single day.
Good luck and know that I'm here for you, first year teacher. Be excited, take that excitement into your teaching and love your students first and foremost!
Yours truly,
Marissa
P.S. If you are looking for tips to take care of yourself while being the best teacher you can be, find my post about teacher self-care here. And be sure to take my quiz to find out what your ideal self-care type is!