8 Things Every New Teacher Should Know

For teachers entering the classroom for the new school year, anxiety is normal. For most, they are meeting a whole new group of students with their own issues, strengths, weaknesses and more. For new teachers, however, the stress is magnified to a whole new level. 

EducationWorld has curated a list of 8 Things Every New Teacher Should Know from two sources, We are Teachers and eSchoolNews.com. On their own individual lists, there are veteran teachers giving their own tips on what every new teacher needs to know before they step foot in the classroom. Here is EducationWorld's list with quotes from real-life teachers:

We Are Teachers:

1.    Wear Comfy Shoes: “Number 1: It's all about relationships. If you make the students feel that you genuinely care about them, they'll do what you ask and then some.

Number 2: The decorations on your walls don't need to come from Teachers Supply stores, because the ones from Dollar Tree will do the job.

Number 3: Invest in a good pair of shoes that fit you well, because you'll be on your feet all day.” -Mari Lyn Stangland

2.    Get this book: “Go out and purchase The First Days of School, by Harry Wong. You may not have the money to do it, but it'll be the best life-saving purchase you'll ever make in your teaching profession. Read it cover to cover and then implement!” —Amy Galloway

3.    Try to Grow Every Day: “Remember that this is one of the only professions that expects us to be perfect with little to no on-the-job training. You can eventually change lives, but your first year is growth. Find a few strong, positive teachers on your campus and observe, observe, observe. Treat every kid like your own—because someone loves him or her more than anything, no matter how they push your buttons. There’s probably a reason why they push buttons in the first place that has nothing to do with you. Don't take unruly behavior personally. Like Covey says, ‘seek first to understand...’“ —Carissa Hairrell

   4. It's Ok to Have Fun: “Don't be afraid to laugh. I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher and she said (in April) that is was the first time she actually laughed in her class. If you aren't having fun, neither are the students. But also classroom management is key. Be tough in the beginning because you can always get softer. It is hard to go the other way around.” —April Nelson

eSchoolNews.com:

5.    Make Friends with Custodians and Secretaries: “Your ‘best friends’ in running your department or school are the custodians and the secretaries. Without a good relationship with both of these important groups, you are doomed to failure. Among many other ‘hints’ I share with my current teacher candidates, this is one of the first.” —Dr. Susan A. Smith, associate professor, Division of Education, Molloy College, New York

6.    Lashing Out Will Get You Nowhere: “Screaming ‘shut up’ has absolutely zero effect on kids. In fact, it most probably signals to them that they have gained control and forced you into desperate hollering.” —Bob Longo, President, SchoolOne, Cleveland, Ohio

7.    Students are Not Your BFFs: “I wish I had been told that I was now going to be a professional and I was not hired to be the student’s friend. I was hired to be an adult. I have to deserve and demand respect, at all times, from my students. If I respect my students and my students respect me, we can develop a relationship that will do justice to/for my students, and I will be fulfilled and proud. Unfortunately, now and then, beginning teachers do not understand the above. Someone tells them they must be friends with and must make their students like them. I have had students [whom] I struggled with for four years, return and thank me for what I did. Oddly enough, they don’t stop and talk to the teachers that treated them as ‘buddies.’” —Bob Icenogle

8.    Focus on the Positives and Not the Negatives: The best you can do is to take students from where they are at the beginning of the year and encourage them and teach them as much as you can. If you have done this, you have been a successful teacher! I am an adjunct professor in Education, and I make sure my students hear this several times during the semester.” —Dorothy Miller, adjunct professor, School of Education, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Article by Kassondra Granata, EducationWorld Contributor