5 Mistakes I Made as a First Year Teacher (and how to avoid them)

I screwed up. I made mistakes that first year. I was so excited to embark on this new career, new life, recently married, ready to attack the world. And in my passion, I made some tactical mistakes. My hope is that I can help you avoid them!

1. I didn't draw a line.

I fully believe that I was designed to be a teacher. It is what I am good at! It is what I enjoy! It is what pays (some) of the bills! It is also what I allowed to fill all the corners of my life. I did not draw a line that separated my work life from my home life. I still remember sitting on the couch with precipitous stacks of papers. I knew that if I just spent my evening and night grading, I could have them returned the next day! The kids would be so impressed (they weren't). They would know that I am a professional teacher. They will buy into my classroom system because they know how hard I worked for them (they don't). But the cost came in the form of my wife. The cost was conversations that I could have had. The cost was opportunities to go out and see and experience. It took me several years to DRAW THE LINE. When I am at work, I work whole-heartedly. And my students do recognize this. I meet them before school, at lunch, after school. But I don't bring papers home. If I don't finish them at school, they don't get finished. Be ALL IN when you are in, and ALL OUT when you are out. This will help create a sense of normalcy that can easily disappear in your first year teaching.

2. I didn't create a system for labs.

I still remember walking into the shared storage room between the other science room and my own. I remember looking at these carts with all these neatly laid out tubs, ready for the next day's lab. I remember thinking that it would take me hours upon hours to replicate a lab system like hers.

Wrong! I didn't have the time NOT to make a system. Now, my system would not have looked like hers. I probably wouldn't have had all the groups color coded and and fun little printed tabs on everything. But I didn't have a system at all! And not having a system created infinitely more work for me in the long run. Here are a few ideas that might help create a system for you.

a. Use tubs. I have my TA's set up a tub of materials for each group. This is all the basics needed for that lab. Then, when the lab is over, the tubs must be cleaned and replaced for the next class.

b. Teach kids how to operate in the lab. Give them clear instructions for things that they can access, how to use them and then how to replace them.

c. Create boxes with specialized materials used in a particular lab. If I want to run the Rocket Lab (hydrogen and oxygen to discover mole ratios) I walk into the back and grab the Rocket Lab Box. It contains all the weird things I need; capillary tubes, a broken dental tool (don't ask), modelling clay, cut-off pipets. All of these things are used just for the rocket lab. The kits my TA will make will include test tubes and other common materials. But at least I wasn't searching for my broken dental tool again.

d. Read my other blog post: 10 Lab Hacks.

3. I thought that what administration told me when they hired me would still be true in the fall.

I hope and pray that you are fortunate to work for a good administration. I know that I have (and do). But administrators have to do this strange thing. It's called CHANGING THEIR MINDS. I remember on my first job, they told me I would be teaching 6 periods of science and 1 period of community service. I had dreamed up all these cool jobs we could do for community service. I was going to clean the garden in the common area, I was going to create sixth grade buddies to help with the transition, I scheduled the Alzheimer's ward for our weekly visits.

And on the first day of school I found out the class had been changed to "Leadership". I was supposed to teach them to be CEO's. And so, in my own Quakerly way, I had to explain that the best leaders are those willing to serve. It was a stretch, but I pulled it off. Just be ready to be flexible.

4. I wasn't critical of the materials given to me.

I stepped into a classroom that had been run by the same science teacher for 40 years. He knew exactly what he wanted to do each year. And he had amassed an unbelievable amount of materials. And when he retired, he essentially set his red pen down on the desk and walked out. I had 40 years of knowledge just given to me! Hooray! Or so I thought. Actually I had 40 years of crap given to me that existed in various states of decay in every (and I do mean every) nook and cranny in the classroom. I kept it all! Maybe I could use this sheet, or that lab, or this idea. I had nothing. He had everything. So I kept everything. For a year. Then I realized that I was creating all new content anyway. I was doing labs my way. I was using materials from this century. So I purged all of his stuff out. But it took me a year. Don't waste your year.

5. I didn't ask for help.

I am an independent person. I like to think I am quick on my feet. I like to think I got a great college education. And I KNOW that I missed opportunities to grow and accelerate my career by not talking to people. I worked in a school with lots of veteran teachers. Even Doreen, the teacher with the cool lab tubs, was right out my back door. Did I ever ask her how long it took to make the tubs? No. Did I ever pick her brain about how she really accomplishes the goals in her classroom? No. Did I ask her the code to the copy room. Yes, but that is all. Swallow your pride, and ask the dumb questions. It's weird, when you ask teachers questions, they like to answer them. So get your questions answered.

I hope that in some small way, I can help you in your early career. You can do it! The school hired YOU on purpose. Go fulfill that purpose, help kids grow, and give yourself the grace it takes to win in your first year.