10 Things I Learned in My First Year

I cannot believe that my first year of teaching will be over in 6.5 days.The year has for sure had it ups and downs, but I absolutely cannot imagine doing anything else except teaching. I know this is exactly what I have been called to do. During the course of my first year, I have learned quite a bit. I thought in honor of the end nearing, I would share 10 things that I have learned during my first year of teaching.

One. The day is never 8-3. So many people think that teaching is an 8-3 job, but that is so not the case. I feel behind all day if I am not there by 7:30 a.m. at the latest and I am lucky if I ever leave before 4:30 p.m. I really do not know how the teachers can function when they get there 5 minutes before the kids and leave 5 minutes after they leave. I just cannot do it. I can never get everything done during my conference because I almost always have a meeting. I really want to work on using my time more wisely next year, but I know I still will be putting in some extra time.

Two. Sometimes you just have to shut your door and do what you know is best for the kids. This is what my principal told me from day one after we had a few planning days in August before the school year started. I was very shocked at how stuck in their ways the other 6th grade ELA teachers were. She told me to not worry about them and to just shut my door and teach my kids the way I thought was best for them. It has made a wonderful difference and I truly feel that my students have grown leaps and bound this year. I might have done things a little different, but I know it is exactly what my kiddos needed to be successful.

Three. Don't eat in the teacher's lounge. I have been amazed at the negative and complaining that happens in there. Even the good things manage to become negative quickly when some of the older teachers on my grade level are involved. Yes, it does get lonely in my classroom sometimes during lunch, but it is so not worth all of the drama. I love my job, but I do not necessarily love the attitudes and views of some of those around me.

Four. Incorporate technology as much as you can. I have realized throughout this year how much my students love technology. The kids in our classrooms are today are such digital natives and many do not know any different. I know that I felt good about the amount of technology that I used in my classroom this year, but I also know that I could do more and my kids deserve that from me. I really want to become more comfortable using my interactive board in the classroom, but that also means that it has to work when I want to use it. :)

Five. You can be a teacher leader and a first year teacher at the same time.  I never would've guessed that is what was going to happen to me, but it did. Even though they may not have always listened to me, I know at some point they will and might listen to the ideas that I am sharing. I am excited about the opportunity to serve on our Instructional Leadership Team on my campus for the upcoming school year. I am the lucky one though because I am the only one who will not be serving as a grade level or department chair in addition to it. I hope that I can serve my campus as an instructional leader and help those around me reach the goals we have set for our campus.

Six. Interactive Student Notebooks are amazing! I wish that I would have started these from day one of the year because they completely transformed how I teach. I was lucky enough to have a few people from the Dinah Zike academy present in several of my undergraduate classes. That is when I first fell in love with them and have been ever sense. I was trying to find the tag for the posts that I have done about them and then realized that I had not posted about them in a while. :( I am going to really work on how I do them this summer and hope to have several posts about them in the near future. If you search some of my older posts you will see what I am talking about. Now I am trying to convince the other ELA teachers that they should use them too because we are working on our supply lists. I am also hoping that we can do this during staff orientation next year.

Seven. Just because a child is labeled Special Ed does not mean that you have to teach down to them. I was very nervous about having th inclusion class during my first year of teaching, but I loved it so much! I loved it so much that I get to have two inclusion ELA classes next year! Too often I believe that teachers feel that because a kid is SPED that they cannot do the work. What I have discovered is that if you have high expectations for them, they will reach those expectations. It has made me so excited to see the growth in all of my students, but especially my SPED ones because they have been pushed.

Eight.Having a great principal makes the world of difference. I have been so blessed by having an amazing principal for my first job. It is so nice knowing that I can walk into her office and she will simply listen to me without making any judgements. I also love that she really trusts and values my opinion even though this was only my first year of teaching. Did I mention that she also happened to be my high school Algebra 2 teacher? She was my favorite teacher in high school, and she has carried her amazingness to the administration side of things too. I have heard horror stories from some of the people that I graduated with and I am so grateful that I did not have that experience.

Nine. Don't think that just because something has always been done at the elementary level that it cannot be done at the middle school level too. I have always been a big proponent for small group instruction in reading, but I did not realize how important it still was in middle school until October this past year. That is when I started using The Daily 5 and CAFE in my classroom and it has really changed how I teach. You cannot be afraid to try new things just because they are no geared towards your grade level. My thought is that just about anything can work in the classroom, but it might take a little creativity and adapting to make it work.

Ten. Last but not least, I learned that I have the best job in the whole world. I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life except maybe being a mommy one day. I love when I can tell my students get something for the first time, when they find a love for reading, or just when they give me a hug because they are excited to be in my class.

Here is to hoping for many more amazing years of teaching!