I debated on whether on not I wanted to create a "teaching" blog, but after a little thought, I figured why not? I feel this would be a good outlet for me to release a few things and to possibly help other new teachers out there. After all, we're all in this together! (Cue High School Musical song)
As a new teacher, I feel a lot of pressure to perform just as good, if not better than "seasoned" teachers. When I first got the call that I had got the job as a 4th grade English Language Arts/Social Studies teacher I was ecstatic. I was so glad the pressure of finding a job right out of college was finally alleviated. I started thinking about how my room was going to be organized and decorated (because those are the first thoughts you have when you're told you finally get YOUR OWN CLASSROOM). Little did I know that there is WAYYYYYYYYYYY more than just getting your classroom set up. Actually, that turned into my very last priority.
When I first started New Teacher Orientation on August 18, I was nervous but excited. This was the first time I got the chance to meet all the other newbies that had been hired at my school too. In a way it was comforting to see all the new faces because I knew they were just as unfamiliar with everything as I was. Of course, after we all introduced ourselves to one another and instantly became a clique. I knew they would play a significant role in the beginning of my school year. They became my first support system.
After attending meeting after meeting, and orientation after orientation, the realization that the first day of school was right around the corner…
I truly felt like I had no idea what I was doing and just hoped for the best. It really was a complete blur. All I remember is being told to be assertive on the first day because it sets the mood for the rest of the year. I tried and actually felt like I had a great first week. The week was filled with "teach-to's," class expectations, introductions to the parts of the class, introductions to each other and so-on and so-forth. To be honest, I tried to set a routine for my students to follow but that seemed to change every week. I felt like I couldn't get a good rhythm going and my plans and thoughts seemed scattered by the week and even the day. Thank goodness my students were so patient, but I soon found out that their patience was running thin. This is where I began to feel the pressure of "performing" and the stress to fill my days with things they actually need to learn for this school year.
Every week I turn in lesson plans that I have created from scratch. Without a mentor teacher, it was pretty daunting at first. This is where I really began to rely on my new friends I originally met at New Teacher Orientation. I knew that if I felt overwhelmed, they did as well. To add to the craziness, about half the staff at our school was either a first year teacher, or new to the school, district, or grade level. Yikes! There are a total of about 30-ish employees at my school. In 4th grade there are 6 teachers and of those 6, there are 4 that are new this year (3 are first year teachers, including me). The other 2 veteran teachers had not taught 4th grade the previous year. Let's just say the beginning of the year was craziness. Even though our two seasoned 4th grade teachers were not English Language Arts (ELA) teachers, they were (and still are) a TREMENDOUS help! Even though the first year teachers are not officially assigned a mentor teacher, I feel as though every veteran teacher at my school has mentored me in one way or another. I have looked to them for advice on everything I've done in my own class.
Now that it's November, I feel like I've definitely grown and learned a TON since the first day of school. I will save that for my next post. :)
For all my new baby teachers out there, I FEEL YA! It's stressful but we are learning and can only improve from here. You can do this and I can do this! It's super stressful at times and you may forget to take attendance even after being reminded 5 times (wait, what… ? Yes, that was me) but we can do this.
Until next time, just keep swimming.
Good Luck!
-Amber Lindsey
