Surviving your first year

First and foremost, have faith in yourself! You survived all the intense coursework, placements, and assignments for the past years. Now, it is your time to shine and have fun. Teaching is a beautiful career and although it may be overwhelming at times, you got this and I'm here to help!

I majored in Special Education with endorsements in Elementary Education, English as a Second Language, and Bilingual (Spanish) Education. This is my third year teaching and if I'm being honest, it hasn't always been easy. I've stayed up late, cried, and have taken mental health days and that's OKAY. We are humans and we can have tough days. What matters is getting back up no matter how many times we fall.

This is me graduation week. I love this picture because it reminds me of why I decided to become a teacher. I wanted to help students achieve all their hopes and dreams and make a difference in the world. This is my first tip. Choose a picture/item that will always remind you why you chose teaching as your career. No matter how overwhelmed or stress you are, use this as a reminder of how amazing you are!

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Now that I've told you a little bit about myself, lets get into it. Here are my 10 tips for not only surviving, but THRIVING during your first year!

1. Build relationships with everyone at your school. You will quickly become family and chances are you will be working together. They can be a huge help when you are struggling or have questions.

2. Ask for help whenever you need it. Don't be afraid to do so. I quickly learned that not asking questions can make teaching harder. Your co-workers will most likely be willing to help and you can learn so much from ones who have been teachers for a long time!

3. Follow teachers on instagram. I mean, this has been a true life-saver. I have learned so much from the teachergram and have built amazing relationships with people who support me.

4. Be organized in everything you do. This will make your life easier and will help you use your time efficiently. I love having checklists available and using my #erincondren planner for anything and everything.

5. Get to know your students' parents. You will be working together to best support their child so building a relationship and keeping them in the loop is so helpful.

6. Get to know your students. You will be with them for a whole year so starting off right is key. Have them fill out a survey at the beginning of the year and constantly find ways to get to know them. Be their biggest advocate and remind them how much you care about them.

7. Your classroom DOESN'T have to be picture perfect. This is something I struggles with but eventually understood. Do your best with what you have and know that you don't have to have the prettiest classroom to be a good teacher.

8. Make lessons engaging. You will have fun and your students will too. The more students are engaged, the more they will learn. This doesn't mean you have to plan a lesson for 10 hours or spend 20 times making materials. There are so many FREE and ready to use resources on #teacherspayteachers.

9. Take your sick days when you need them. You aren't a bad teacher for doing this and staying healthy should be your #1 priority. Have emergency sub plans ready in case it's last minute.

10. HAVE FUN.

Well, there you have it. These are my 10 tips for having an amazing first year. Teaching can be so fun and rewarding and I hope it is for you! Please contact me if you have any questions or need any more suggestions to have an amazing first year. Thanks for reading!