The best word to describe my first year of teaching? Overwhelming.
I felt like I had a million things to do and no idea how to do any of them.
How do I stay on top of grading? How do I find time to teach all the standards? How do I get my students to actually participate?
I couldn’t figure out how other teachers seemed to do it all so effortlessly. If you’re in that season right now, I want you to hear this first:
You don’t have to do it all. You don’t have to do something just because another teacher is doing it. You don’t have to be anyone other than yourself. There are many ways to be an effective educator — and your first year is about learning, not perfecting.
Here are 7 things I wish someone had told me before I started.
7 Lessons That Changed the Way I Teach
These aren’t tips I read in a book. They are lessons I learned the hard way during my first few years in the classroom. Whether you’re brand new or just looking for a fresh perspective, I hope at least one of these makes your year a little easier.
1. Your #1 priority is building relationships with students.
Invest heavily in getting to know your students at the start of the year. Show them you genuinely care about them, not just their behavior or their test scores.
“But what about the students who are difficult?”
There is something to love about every student. Find it, focus on it, and lead with it. Kids know when a teacher is annoyed with them, and they respond accordingly.
A few simple ways to build strong relationships:
- Student interest surveys. Have students fill one out during the first week of school, then actually use what you learn. When I taught third grade, several of my students were obsessed with Pokémon — so I created a Pokémon-themed math lesson. They loved it.
- One-on-one conversations. They don’t have to be formal, just ask about their weekend or what they did after school. Some students will come to you every day; others need you to reach out. I recommend writing 2–3 quieter students’ names in your planner each day so you make a point to connect with them.
The thing I miss most about teaching is the relationships. They are worth every investment.
2. Call every parent during the first month of school to sincerely compliment their child.
I know… The last thing you want to do at the end of a long school day is call parents. But stick with me, because this one pays off all year long.
Here’s how to do it:
- Figure out how many calls you need to make each day to get through your entire class list by the end of the month.
- Sit down by the phone and give yourself a pep talk. You’ve got this.
- Keep it simple: “Hi, this is Ms./Mr. _____, your child’s teacher. I just wanted to call and say how much I’m enjoying having them in class. They are ___________.” A genuine compliment goes a long way. Even something as simple as “She has the best sense of humor.”
- After the compliment, ask: “Is there anything you’d like me to know about your child?” This is the golden question. You will learn so much.
- Take notes and work through your list faithfully.
Pro tip: Start with your most challenging students. Many of their parents have never received a positive phone call and will be genuinely shocked, in the best way. It also makes any future difficult conversations much easier, because parents will know you’re on their child’s side.
3. Observe the best teachers on your campus.
Find out who the master teachers are; the ones students rave about, parents request, and administrators trust. Then get around them as much as possible.
Be genuinely curious in the teacher workroom. Ask what they’re working on and how an activity works. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from a five-minute conversation.
When you’re ready, ask if you can observe them: “I’ve been working on [classroom management / pacing / higher-order questioning], and I know you’re really skilled at it. Would it be okay if I sat in the back of your room for 15–20 minutes?”
Most teachers will say yes. Bring a notepad. Take notes on everything. And before you leave, drop a thank-you note on their desk.
4. Celebrate and set goals each week.
During my first year, I kept a simple weekly reflection journal. Every Friday I wrote three things:
- Celebrate: What went well this week?
- Analyze: What do I want to improve?
- Target: One specific goal for next week.
It took about five minutes and made a huge difference in how intentional I was about growing as a teacher. Looking back at those entries now, I can see exactly how far I’ve come — and that’s a gift.
Here’s a real entry from my journal during the very first week of my teaching career:
Celebrate: I think that my first week went really well! It seems like I have really good kids. I think that I did a good job of making school fun the first week. The students have already told me that they love my class and they think that it will be a great year. I also think I did well at establishing a management style and tone. Although we played get-to-know-you games, we also went over a lot of procedures and I was pretty strict about redoing things until they were done correctly.
Analyze: One thing I want to work on is finding a good pace. The first week I felt pretty rushed to do things. However, I have realized that students do have a bit of an attention span and that teaching does not have to be constantly entertaining all day. It is ok to slow down! I also want to find ways to give more responsibilities to students. At the end of the day, I am tired of putting the classroom back together. 23 pairs of hands are better than one!
Target: One of my main goals for next week is to learn the students’ names. I have a feel for some of the personalities of the students but I want to get a read on most students. I also want to prepare for back-to-school night next week.
5. Teach students to clean up the classroom.
Here’s something from my journal after week one: “At the end of the day, I am tired of putting the classroom back together.”
For weeks, I spent 20 minutes after school every day cleaning up — after an already exhausting day. Finally, I started training my students to tidy the room before the bell rang, and it changed everything.
A few strategies that work:
- For upper elementary: Try “Find It and Fix It” — a game where you’ve secretly identified one thing out of place, and students have to find it. The catch? The game doesn’t end until the whole room is clean. (I learned this from Jodi Durgin at Clutter-Free Classroom — highly recommend!)
- For middle school: Assign each desk group a section of the room. At the end of the day, see how fast each group can get their area spotless. Reward them with class money or points.
You don’t have to clean up alone. Teach the procedure early and stick to it.
6. Don’t multitask.
From my journal during week two: “I think that I need to work on prioritizing. With teaching, there are always a million things to do and sometimes I start doing one thing and then an hour later I still haven’t finished that thing but I did a bunch of random things instead.“
Sound familiar?
The time before and after school is precious. Here’s a simple system that helped me make the most of it:
- Friday brain dump. Write down everything you need to do the following week: work and personal. Keep going until you can’t think of anything else.
- Cut the list. Cross off anything that isn’t urgent, reasonable, or realistic. You cannot do everything, and that’s okay.
- Prioritize. Highlight the tasks that must be done before the weekend.
- Schedule the rest. Assign every remaining task to a specific time slot (ex: Monday morning, Tuesday after school, etc.).
- Repeat. Schedule next Friday’s brain dump before you close your laptop.
If you need more ideas for managing your to-do list, I love these ideas from Busy miss Beebe. One thing she talks about is a routine checklist which is a list of actions you do every day, week, or month.
7. Don’t skip social studies.
Social studies is often the first subject to get squeezed out of the schedule — and I understand why. Resources are hard to find, it’s not always tested, and students sometimes say it’s boring.
But here’s what I know: social studies helps kids develop critical thinking skills and build the foundations of good citizenship. And when it’s taught well, it becomes one of students’ favorite subjects.
If you’re short on resources, overwhelmed by planning, or just looking for more engaging lessons, I’ve got you covered. Keep reading… I’ll share exactly what I’ve created to make U.S. history planning easier for you.
What’s Your Best Advice for First-Year Teachers?
I’d love to hear from you! If you’re in your first year, what’s your biggest struggle right now? If you’re a veteran teacher, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give your younger self? Share in the comments below.
That first year is hard. But hard is good. You’ll learn more than you can imagine.
Looking for more support? Join our Facebook group!
Looking for a community of like-minded teachers? I created a Facebook group just for middle school U.S. history teachers — a positive, inspiring space where members share lesson plan ideas, classroom tips, and strategies, and lift each other up along the way. Come join us!
Your First Year Is Hard Enough — Let Us Handle the Curriculum
Finding meaningful, engaging, and historically accurate U.S. History resources is one of the most time-consuming parts of the job, especially when you’re already figuring everything else out. That’s exactly why I put together a complete, done-for-you curriculum so you can walk into every history lesson with confidence.
The Ultimate U.S. History Bundle gives you every single U.S. history unit The Clever Teacher has ever made — all in one place, all ready to teach. Here’s what’s inside:
- Think Like a Historian (Intro to U.S. History; Why Study History?)
- Western Hemisphere Geography (Intro to Geography; Map Skills; 5 Themes of Geography)
- Native American Regions
- Age of Exploration
- 13 Colonies
- Declaration of Independence
- American Revolutionary War
- U.S. Constitution
- Presidential Elections
- Early Republic
- Westward Expansion
- Civil War
- Reconstruction
- Gilded Age & Industrialization
- Economics Fair Simulation
- U.S. History Quote of the Week (Parts 1 & 2) – Ready-to-use daily bell ringers all year long
That’s a complete, year-long U.S. history curriculum for grades 5–8. Fully planned, engaging, and ready to go the moment you download it. No more scrambling for lesson ideas, no more stitching together resources from a dozen different places. Just open it and teach.
Each unit is packed with interactive activities, primary sources, discussion questions, and hands-on projects designed to get students genuinely excited about history. These aren’t busywork worksheets, they’re lessons students will actually remember.
And the value? You’ll save 20% compared to buying every unit separately. No coupon code needed; it is built into the bundle price.
If you teach U.S. history, this is the one resource worth investing in.
Learn More About the Ultimate U.S. History Bundle
Ultimate US History Bundle | 5th–8th Grade Activities & Lessons
Have your stern bluff in early on them. It’s easier to go from stern to relaxed (and back to stern later on) than to go the other way later in the year when you need it (and you WILL need it)
My best advice for new teachers is to make one day your long day. For me it was Fridays. This is the day I stay late in my classroom to plan and prep for the upcoming week. I’m typically the only one still at school but that means I can use the copy machine or laminator uninterrupted. :). This also frees me up during my contact hours to focus on assessment and grading.
I did the same thing on Fridays! Such good advice.
I have been teaching for over 25 years and my best advice to new teachers is to build a relationship with your students. Rita Pierson said it best, “kids don’t learn from people they don’t like!”. Watch Rita Pierson’s “Every child needs a Champion” on YouTube.
I love that video!
New teachers: Don’t feel like you have to give a score for everything your students do! Sometimes they do things to learn. This is especially true as students are in 8th grade and above. If you try to score everything students do, you will drive yourself nuts. Score things that show their learning. If it’s classwork for practice, feedback in class is often enough. Score homework, score things that show students learning or growth, but sometimes it’s ok for students to do something to learn, not for a score.
I have been teaching for over 18yrs and I would definitely say keep the lines of communication open with parents, administration and your peers. Do not be afraid to ask questions and also think out of the box! Do not be afraid to be creative in order to make those connections with the students and the content you are teaching. Get your students involved in the material and they will learn and enjoy it.
As a veteran teacher my top advice to new teachers is to balance your time. This job can consume you because the work is never done. Allot yourself specific amounts of time to work on something then walk away. Take time to balance your own life. Students need you to be healthy not exhausted and defeated. BALANCE IS HEALTHY AND OK!
My advice would be don’t be afraid to try new things and don’t be too hard on yourself if the ‘new thing’ fails. If we’re open to trying new things and we’re open to seeing those ideas through it is often in that trying and that seeking that we truly find what will make our talents shine through and lessons to life for our students.
I would take time to take stock of what you’ve achieved in each subject each week and budget if you need extra time on a lesson or unit. I made a list each Friday morning when my students were at a special of what we had done and it kept me sane the first year to think about what we had done versus all the problems with the week. The second year I taught I ended up sharing this “list” with parents in the form of a newsletter check-in. This cut down on parents reaching out to find out what their child was up to in XYZ subject and when projects were due.
As a veteran teacher, my advice to new teachers is this: get to know your students. When your students feel like you care and are invested in them, they become invested in you. Right now, students are very sensitive and stimulated by all the technology, having real, human contact and care is so important. You’ll likely hear this as “buy in” or “student engagement”, but what it really is is building a classroom community or as I refer to it, a class family. Make them feel welcome and safe and they will feel more open to taking risks with their learning and even with their peers in the group work. Let them know it’s okay to make mistakes and give them opportunities to fix them. Letting them have the power to assess their choices and make better ones, even academically builds confidence.
As a veteran teacher, I think the best thing for a new teacher to do is focus on one thing – loving the kids. The content, the classroom management, the district policies, those will come with time. But loving the kids will make all the difference in the world. Especially your tough kid, guaranteed there is more to the story than just a kid who is being naughty. If a student knows you love them, they will move mountains for you.
Hey Everyone,
I’m in this strange transition to where although I am nowhere near what I would qualify as a “veteran” teacher, I also have been teaching for two years during covid, so that feels like much longer with all of the changes and transitions we all have gone through. As a semi-newish teacher, I feel like my biggest struggle is that there doesn’t seem to be enough support and clarify for my social studies standards as a 7th grade teacher. My district has us covering almost 400 years of history in our modified school year calendar. Although I am able to do it, the pacing of the content is something I am struggling with.
The advice that I would give a brand new teacher is to first take care of yourself, and secondly understand that not everything on your to-do list will be marked off, and that is okay! It is so easy to sit wherever you are and feel that you are not doing enough, but also feel like you are doing too much and not give yourself enough time and or space. Please do that thing that IS NOT school or work related. It will still be there tomorrow. Take time for yourself now. Also, your to-do list will never be forever finished, due to new (and returning) tasks. So be gracious with yourself. Because this advice is advice that I still need to heed and listen too.
Take care this school year folks.
Sincerely,
Jared Colby
Thank you for sharing these ideas! I am a new teacher and the tips about what to prioritize and when are really helpful! I feel that is one thing I’m trying to find a good balance with in these first few weeks of school.
I am also a newish-teacher. I am starting my third year teaching and this is the first year to experience beginning of year anything and everything! Over the last two years my biggest struggles have been pacing and the reality of what I can and should expect from my 7th graders coming out of COVID. Overwhelmed and sometimes at a loss are regular feelings.
My biggest advice would be prioritizing relationship building with your students and their families. This is key. The most important calls you can make are the ones we have dubbed “Sunshine Calls” – positive calls just to be positive. Parents do not get these enough. We, as teachers, don’t focus on this enough. This lays the groundwork for they day you may need to call home with a less-than-ideal report, and when that happens you have already built a positive relationship with the family. They are then more open to hear and work through this issue.
I have learned so much over the last two years and I cannot wait to see what a “normal” school year has to bring!
My biggest struggle is the planning and pacing right now. There just don’t seem to be enough hours to feel like I am doing my job the way I would like to.
As a teacher of 15 years, my advice would be to make connections with kids before anything. Take time to learn their interests. Try to incorporate some of their interests into your lessons. Let your kids know that they are more than a test score. Avoid burn out by making time for you and your family. Finally, Invest in “The Clever Teacher”resources. You will not be disappointed…I promise you!
My biggest struggle right now is classroom management and engagement in Social Studies & Civics. I work with students who have dropped out of high school, and I am looking for ways to manage the class without “getting on to them” for talking during class/disrupting class/not paying attention. They are bored and I am struggling to find ways to teach government & the Constitution in a way that they can relate.