The Top 10 Things New Teachers Don't Know...Yet

Ahhh...the perils er, joys of a new school year!  Each year, I have similar thoughts, fears, and sleepless nights, and despite the fact that I am now starting my 11th year, they hold on tight!  This year, we were fortunate to hire quite a few new teachers in our high school.  And most of them are new, new.  Like, right off the boat new.  So, as I tried to quell my anxious self, I began to think about these new teachers and how they are just now taking a step into the amazing world of teaching and all the things they don't know and will soon find out.  In order to help them, I've decided to make a list of the top 10 things that new teachers don't know...yet.

10. There is no exhaustion like the first week of school exhaustion.  You will be sore in places you didn't know you could be sore, like your eyelashes.  Your body will ache.  You will be hot and sticky from your non air-conditioned, windowless classroom.  If you make it to Friday, you will desire nothing more than to go home and face plant yourself into your bed at 5pm and perhaps stay there until Sunday. 

9. You will also lose your voice, or at least your throat will hurt.  Don't worry...time strengthens those vocal chords and you will be yelling like a champion teacher in no time.

8. You will experience things you never thought you would.  Even if you had an amazing student teaching experience that was rich and full, you will still have challenges, surprises, and obstacles that are new and shocking.

7. Speaking of student teaching, remember how busy you were?  Remember how it seemed like there was so much to do and never enough time?  Well, take that and multiply it by 100. Yes, student teaching is absolutely busy, but there were all sorts of things that magically got done and now YOU are the one that has to do them.  Things like setting up the gradebook or going to meetings or sifting through all the emails to find the ones that are REALLY important.

6. Oh, and speaking of emails, reply all is the devil.  Just wait. 

5. You will cry at some point.

4. Remember that copy machine that didn't seem so far away during the days before students got here?  Well, when you all of a sudden realize that you have 31 kids and only have 29 copies because new students were added between the time you printed off the list last night and this morning,  the copy machine is now 14,000 miles away.  I am not exaggerating.  And those heels that seemed fine when you put them on this morning, just don't cut it anymore.  

3. You will enjoy snow days as a teacher more than you EVER did as a student. EVER.

2. Your colleagues, especially the ones you hired in with, will understand you like no one does.  You are each in your own classroom but you are all fighting the same battle day in and day out and no one understands it like you do. The more senior teachers will be there to help and guide you, but you'll probably find yourself going to your peers more than your mentors.

1. At some point, you will lose your innocence, and your beliefs and mindset will be challenged. You may become disillusioned and frustrated with the profession. However, if you persevere through and try to find all the GOOD in education and amazing things going on, even among the struggles, you will succeed.  And you will have made it through your first year successfully...and hopefully have many, many more to come. 

A very warm welcome to our new Mountie hires at the high school!