28 Things Every New Teacher Should Know

1. You can't do it all the first year. Seriously. You will find so many great ideas and be inspired by so many awesome teachers that you cannot possibly find the time to implement every great idea. That's why Pinterest was invented. Simmer down and pace yourself. Summer does not come nearly fast enough.

2. Veteran teachers are watching you. That's right, and they sometimes laugh and shake their heads at you and your big, cheesy enthusiasm. It's not like you think it is though. We were all new teachers once, and we remember feeling and acting like you are acting right now, crazy as you are. I clearly remember silently judging my master teachers because they didn't do this or that according to what I learned in my methods classes. However, you quickly learn that the classroom isn't a laboratory where you can control all the variables. Some of the best learning you will do as a new teacher is by trial and error. It's honest to goodness on the job training that never stops. You think I'm kidding, I know. I'm standing back here smiling and shaking my head as I think to myself "you'll see." You must understand though, I do it as a parent would watch their child. We can help you, and we can mentor you, and we can share our knowledge, but ultimately you have to figure out what works for you. We are watching you, but we want you to succeed and we want to help you. 

3. You will never master teaching. When I say this, I don't mean to discourage you, just to warn you that although you will teach and touch many lives in your career, your students will also teach you and touch your life more than you can imagine. I've never really been an emotionally sappy person, but I have found myself on many occasions  overcome with emotions so strong that I experience this strange mushy, tingly feeling all over my body. It's a wee bit creepy, but nice, in a warm, fuzzy, caterpillar kind of way.

4. Summer does not come nearly fast enough. At times you will feel like you're in a never ending tunnel in which they have turned off the light at the end of the tunnel due to budget cuts, and then the next thing you know you're on the front lawn of the school, waving to the buses as the students are carried away, and dancing and singing at the top of your lungs "School's Out for SUMMER!" You can't even begin to understand what a surreal experience it is to be caught up in the party and then you realize, "OMG, I survived my first year of teaching! When did that happen? How did I get here?!!!" There is no other feeling quite like that last day of school when you've earned your first year survival badge, and you have your whole summer stretched out in front of you.

5. There is no one ideal teaching style. You have to do what works with your personality and what feels right to you. I remember being incredibly worried when a professor told my education class that we should never use sarcasm in the classroom. For me, that was like telling me I had to grow gills because I was going to have to learn how to breath under water.

6. Education is Synonymous with Change. You will realize this at least by your fifth year, sooner if you are more alert than myself. Even before you realize this, you will find yourself leaving every faculty meeting and PLC meeting muttering "Really? One more thing I have to implement that I don't have time for?"

7. The Next Great Thing in Education is a Cyclical Process. Refer to number six above. Every year an amazing new idea will be presented in your PLC that is going to change everything. It will come with new buzz words and everybody will use them ad nauseam in educational conversations. Then next year it will be replaced by something else, and so on, and so forth, until you start seeing the same tired old ideas again, but with new buzz words attached to them. 

That being said, some of it is good, and you should strive to keep an open mind lest you become cynical and rigid. The bottom line is that there is a delicate balance between implementing new ideas and feeling overwhelmed. Give yourself permission to take a reasonable amount of time to implement new things. 

8. Your work is never done. No matter how hard you work, you will never be completely caught up and there will always be things left undone. Accept it and prioritize. You will have to decide how much is good enough and then leave the rest for tomorrow. It's okay to push away from your desk at the end of the day and say "I've done enough," and go home.

9. You will be wrong and you will try stupid things. We tell our students over and over again that they have to make mistakes in order to learn. The same is true for us. Learn how to admit when you are wrong and your ideas don't work out. You will be surprised at how resilient your students are.

10. Eat lunch in the faculty lounge. You need to get out of your classroom and talk to adults. Talking and laughing with your colleagues is the best stress relief you will find in your school day. Take advantage of it.

11. Make time for yourself. I feel like a hypocrite even writing this, but I know deep down in my heart that it is necessary and so, so important. Try. I beg you.

12. You won't always like your students. It's true, but don't ever, ever let them see it. Fake it until you make it. Sometimes your most annoying students turn out to be the ones that you find a very special place in your heart for. Make an effort to get to know them, and find something that you like about them.

13. Your students won't always like you. Teaching is not a popularity contest. You are not their friend. Being a teacher is a lot like being a parent. You are there to teach them and to help mold them into well-rounded, compassionate, problem solving adults.

14. Teaching is the hardest job on the planet. You won't believe how hard you will work. Pace yourself and get plenty of sleep. You will need it to maintain quick reflexes.

15. Ask for help. You do not need to reinvent the wheel. Ask other teachers for lessons and materials. Most good teachers love to share. I have learned more from other teachers I've worked with than all of my college classes and the Internet combined. Veteran teachers especially are like gold.

16. At times you will have to breath polluted air rich with the stench of body odor. Suck it up, Princess, and stock up on the Scentsy. This is your life now. Trust me, as a teacher in a middle school I always have two Scentsys going at a time. They work.

17. You will laugh every day. Clean air isn't the most important thing. Laughter really is the best medicine, and your students will make you laugh until you wet yourself. I promise.

18. You will spend more money than you thought possible on school supplies. At times you will feel like you are hemorrhaging money.

19. Sometimes you have to say no. Your Administrators will ask you to head committees and do all sorts of things because they know they can depend on you. And you absolutely should do some of those things, but know your limits and don't take on too much.

20. Never pass up an opportunity to use the restroom. If you are walking by a restroom, whether you have to go or not, go in and try. It may be your last chance for the next six hours.

21. Choose your battles. You will experience all types of personalities in your teaching career and not every child, nor adult for that matter, can be dealt with in the same way. Some students absolutely cannot be pushed and you need to know when to step back and give them choices. Decide what is important and what is worth fighting for.

22. If it isn't documented it didn't happen. Document, document, document. You will have to prove which interventions you have used on students, what behavior you have witnessed, what was or wasn't turned in, etc., etc. Find a system that works for you and document everything. Ask other teachers in your school how they document and you will save yourself hours upon hours of time. Refer to number fifteen above.

23. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Sometimes it's a good thing and sometimes it isn't, but it is one of the most enjoyable parts of Parent-Teacher conferences. 

24. Despite federal legislation, some students choose to be left behind. You can lead a child to knowledge, but you cannot make them think.


25. Helicopter parents are alive and well. Although they can be bothersome, at least they are involved and you have to give them credit for that. Depending on the demographics of the school where you teach, you may find that uninvolved parents are a much bigger problem.


26. You will not make enough money to live on. Marry well. A large number of teachers have second jobs. Frankly, I don't know how they do it. Referring back to number eight, I can't even finish this job, let alone keep another one on the side. I am fortunate to have married well.


27. Sometimes your students are smarter than you. They don't have to know that though. Fake it until you make it. What works for me are exclamations such as:
"Tell me more about that!"
"What were you thinking when you got that answer?"
"Explain your thought process"
 or a simple, but genuine "Amazing!" can work wonders. Also, make sure you pay attention and take notes. Don't let anyone see though. Rely on Siri.

28. You will not be able to teach everything your students need to know before they take their standardized tests. Do not panic, stress out, or freak out. Your students will smell your fear and react accordingly. Teach them what you can in a calm, organized manner and let the rest go. Stress doesn't help anyone perform better on tests.

28. Sometimes you just have to smile, walk into your classroom, close the door, and teach what you know you should be teaching. No one has to know you just deep sixed that PLC binder you just received in the faculty meeting. Although in reality you probably shouldn't do that. I mean you will want to do that, but more than likely you will need to access it at some point, so cover your butt and hang onto it. Once you give yourself an attitude adjustment, you can come back to it.

Throwing in the Towel

It was with a very heavy heart today that I stepped into my Principal's office and submitted my letter of resignation for the 2015-2016 school year. Many of you have left comments and encouraging words, on this blog and on Facebook.  I can't tell you how much those comments have meant to me. I read each and every one multiple times, and I took every comment to heart. So many of you poured out your hearts and shared your own frustrations with your teaching jobs. Many of you have left for the same reasons I have given.

Several of you have asked how I've been managing, and I really wish I could be a good example of a teacher sticking it out. I tried. I really did. I gave this job everything I had and then a little bit more.

I was doing okay for at least six weeks, leaving by 5:30 and not bringing work home. The only exception is Sundays. Sundays are still filled with planning for the week ahead, and often it's done at school, away from my family. I find myself feeling more and more resentment towards the time I spend on the weekends preparing for the week ahead. The time I spend away from or disconnected from my family.

I suppose I could just not do it, sure. Except, I know myself, and I'm not the type of person that flies by the seat of her pants. I'm a control freak. I need to feel prepared before I stand in front of a classroom of students on Monday morning. I'm not comfortable with not having my ducks in a row.

So as much as I tried to turn it around and make a positive change, I've decided to let go. I'm going to finish out this year and enjoy everything I love about my job for the next ten weeks. I'm going to savor every moment I have left with my students.

That might creep them out, but hey, what fun, right?

I want to focus on the good. I don't want to leave my profession with bitterness, although I'm not going to lie, I have felt bitter at times.

I will miss the kids. This awkward age group especially. They are caught between childhood and adulthood, awkwardly navigating friendships and crushes. Their personalities are so varied and amazing. I marvel at the things they do and say every day. For those of you that are parents, you should know that teachers really do appreciate and love their students very much like you do. We notice them. We appreciate their uniqueness. And yes, we are proud of them. When the year is over and they move on, we miss them.

I will miss my teacher friends and everyone else I work with. As adults in a middle school, so many of us are immature ourselves, and I love that. We joke around every day. We laugh until we wet ourselves and make snorty noises. We scare our students when we behave strangely and that makes it even funnier.

I will miss the school supplies. I have always had a special place in my heart for brand new school supplies.

I will miss hearing students say "Oh, I get it now!" Even if sometimes it is closely followed by "Nope. Gone now."

I will miss bossing people around who are taller than me. I'm not gonna lie. Some days it makes me feel powerful to give a six foot tall basketball player a tongue lashing and then have him give me a sincere apology. I know it's wrong, but it does feel good. Even though these kids are at a very self-centered age, most of them really do not want to disappoint us.

I will miss writing on my beautiful, gleaming white, whiteboards with chisel tip dry erase markers.

I will miss watching my students grow from the first day I see them in September to the last day I see them in June. Academically, socially, and vertically. It's very rewarding.

I will miss trolling for new foldables, curriculum, lessons, and classroom decorations.

I will miss setting up my classroom every year.

I will miss reading teacher blogs and getting ideas and inspiration from them. I don't think I will be able to continue reading teacher blogs because I'm afraid it will hurt too much.

I will miss meeting my students' parents and seeing their features and mannerisms mirrored in adult-sized, responsible citizens.

I know there is so much more I will miss, and I'm going to be looking for the things I will miss over these last ten weeks. I thought about making a list of the things I will not miss, but that just sounds like such a gigantic buzz kill, so I'll decline.

There are still a lot of teacher related things I have wanted to share, so I'll try and get those posted before the end of the school year. A "What Has Worked for Me" post of sorts.

For those of you sticking it out and hanging in there, my thoughts are with you. I love, appreciate, and admire all of you. I hope you will be able to hold the frustration and discouragement at bay, like I have not been able to do.

Thank you all for your comments and good wishes. I appreciate them more than words can express. As we drag our gnarly carcasses through these last weeks of school, May the Force be With You.

One More Thing

It seems that at the beginning of every year I return to school after my winter break in a slump. Not just a slump, I'm talking about a gigantic bad attitude.

 I work so hard up to the break, that when the break comes, I crash.

And when I say crash I'm talking about sitting on the couch in a puddle of my own drool and liking it.

This year wasn't any different except that this time I decided over the break, that without a doubt, I was done. This was going to be my last year teaching. In fact, I was so sure that I told anyone that would listen, that I couldn't take it anymore.

Forgive me, but now that Twisted Sister song "We're Not Gonna Take It" is stuck in my head

So what was different about this year that I decided I'd had enough?

Well, this year I started keeping track of all the hours I spend at my job. I always knew that it was a ridiculous number, but I never actually did the math.

Sort of ironic, isn't it? The math teacher that doesn't do the math.

I didn't keep track of any of my summer hours because a lot of that is just my own disease, working in my classroom before I had to be back. I wanted to be fair and reasonable because I knew that this data was going to help me make the decision of whether to stay or go. Just like that Clash song from the 80's.

I started with my hours on my first contract day and I included all the time I've spent planning, preparing, grading, teaching, everything.

And do you know what I found? I was averaging 58.6 hours per week doing my job. The job that the average citizen nauseatingly likes to remind me, although very much in error, allows me to have my summers off and leave everyday at 2:30. Never mind that I'm teaching until 3:34, my contract time doesn't end until 4:00, and I never have the luxury of walking away at 4:00. Pesky details.

Do I sound bitter? I won't deny it, I'll just smile and fake it until I make it.

Back to the actual hours, I figured out that if I continued at this pace I would have put in 2,168 hours in 37 weeks.

I compared this to a 40-hour/week job working 50 weeks a year with 2 weeks of vacation, working 2,000 hours per year.

That's right, I'm working 168 more hours in a year, but in less time.

Somehow having summers off isn't as attractive as it once was.

What I'm talking about here is balance.

I have zero balance in my life. I don't do fun things during the week. I don't exercise. I rarely cook for my family. I fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day and I'm killing myself.

Since I'm full on into my Pity Party, I also calculated my hourly rate. As a teacher in my ninth year of experience teaching in Idaho I make $36,096 a year (which I might add is less than I made when I taught in California 15 years ago with less experience). If I divide that by my 2,168 hours I'm making $16.65 an hour.

Granted, these hours aren't true for all teachers, but I can guarantee you that it's an alarming number.

And to be fair, my crazy hours are partially my fault. If I were to work just my contract hours I would be making $24.39 an hour for my 37 weeks of contract time.

That's not horrible I guess, but remember, I'm working all that overtime and I don't get paid time and a half.

Do I think it's going to change and teachers will be paid more? Not for a minute. That's not really the problem I have with my job anyway. It's the sheer number of hours I put in that I can't deal with.

Honestly, there are so many things that I love about my job. Every single day is an organizational challenge and a juggling act. I dig that because I never get bored.

And the kids? They crack. me. up. Every single day. I can't imagine not being around them.

And the math! Can I just tell you how much I love doing homework which I then assign to my students? They complain about the homework and I tell them I assign it because I care. "It hurts me more than it hurts you because I have to grade it," I tell them. It does not make them feel better.

My dilemma is that I love my job, but my job is killing me. Or maybe I am killing me because I can't do my job in a reasonable number of hours?

I've had to take a step back and really look at what I'm choosing to spend my time on. I had my evaluation meeting with my principal about a week after returning from break, and he confronted me right off the bat about hearing that I was telling everyone I was leaving.

The thing is that he didn't ask me about it in an accusatory way. He was truly concerned and wanted to help. He sat and talked with me for at least 45 minutes, trying to help me figure out what I could do to work less and play more. He shared his experiences with me and he talked about the frustrations he feels about the job and the demands that are placed on us.

Every meeting we go to, teachers leave saying "One more thing I have to do now." It's awful. Expectations are constantly changing and this new idea is replaced with that new idea, and we are just supposed to embrace it, invest a gajillion hours to implement it, and then change it again at the next meeting.

Teachers know what I'm talking about.

I came away from the meeting with my principal waffling on my position. He really made me think about how I spend my time.  The bottom line is that I just have to hold firm and walk away at 5:00. Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow.

And do you know what? It works. And okay, I can't do 5:00, but I totally walk away at 5:30 and I don't bring it home. I do still have to plan on the weekends, and I hate that, but I'm managing the day-to-day and I don't feel overwhelmed. Before this new mindset, I felt overwhelmed every single day.

I've been to the gym a few times--not enough but it's something. I've been cooking a few nights a week and I often have leftovers to take in my lunch instead of prepackaged frozen meals. Some nights I come home and just sit on the couch and read. I waste time.

So maybe I'm not leaving. I'm not making any decisions right now, but I am going to give my job another chance. I'm going to take it one year at a time. That's all I can promise right now.