The Don'ts of Being a First Year Teacher

Being a 1st year teacher is one of the most stressful situations I have ever been a part of.  I quickly learned what to do and what not to do.  I wish my education courses would have discussed these situations further.  Before I begin, let me give you a short background of my personality.  I am super friendly, go with the flow, hates confrontation and asking for help, but likes to please everyone.  I will not say anything about anyone that I would not have the confidence to say to their face.  I am also really shy when it comes to meeting new people.  So I decided to create a list of the mistakes that I made the first year.  I want this post to help first year teachers so they do not have to learn the hard way like I did.

1. Don't trust any of your fellow teachers at first.  I was standing alone in my empty classroom two weeks before school was to start and I felt lost.  My mentor teacher (We will call her Mrs. Yellow.) burst into my classroom smiling ready to help.  She was completely kind and seemed extremely knowledgeable, and I felt so blessed to have someone so ready to help me.  As the year progressed, I noticed that many of the other faculty did not think too kindly of Mrs. Yellow; this is always a red flag, but I don't ever judge people negatively until they give me a reason to think this.  It turns out, Mrs. Yellow displayed many acts of insecurity even though she was incredible in her teaching abilities.  I wonder if she would have had more confidence, maybe she would not have taken so much out on me.  Mrs. Yellow would tell my principal things I would say, but she had twisted them to make them completely horrible.  For example:  I might have said, "Mrs. Principal was really tough on me today, but I know she is trying to help me."  Mrs. Yellow's version would be that I called the principal the "B" word.  So when you start at a school, of course be nice to everyone, but do NOT share any personal opinions about anyone to anyone.  Also, if a group of teachers starts talking about another faculty member, quietly walk away.   
2. Don't wait until the last minute to create lesson plans for your first month of school.  I know you are probably thinking, "Why in the world would I do that before my classroom is set up?"  Just hear me out.   I know that as educator students, we learn that we must teach rules and procedures the first and second weeks of school.  I did this to some extent:  lining up, walking down the hall, sitting at the cafeteria table, etc.  The reason I suggest having your first month planned is so you will know exactly which procedures teach.  So if your plans include working with partners, you need to teach students to work with partners.  Also, if you are doing a lot of group work, you will need to teach that.  If you are going to have students go on a scavenger hunt, create a beginning of year scavenger so you may teach this procedure.  So after teaching four years, I had a light bulb moment that I need to create lesson plans first; then I will know how to create lesson plans for the first week of school and I will know which procedures to teach so I will have a more productive year.  Also, when you are ready to set up your classroom, you will know which desk arrangements will be most appropriate for your lessons.
3. Don't neglect to call parents.  My first year teaching, I was terrified to call parents to tell them something negative about their child.  I dreaded it so badly, and I would feel sick to my stomach any time I would make a call.  Unfortunately, I did not call parents until the end of my first year teaching.  Two different times, I had one of the teacher assistants come to my classroom and tell me to go to the principal's office.  That knot would form in my stomach and I felt like a child again.  When arriving to the office, I had a parent upset with me about something I did not know anyone would get upset about.  (I learned quick.)  So I learned to call parents at the beginning of the year to say hello, and give them my cell phone number so they could call me instead of going straight to the principal.  Whatever the parent was upset about was usually a misunderstanding, and we could take care of the situation easily.  Many teachers do not like parents to have their phone numbers but I prefer it.  I like that parents can call or text me if they have a quick question or problem.  I have never had a surprise parent-teacher conference since then.  
4. Don't forget about your gifted or advanced students.  One of my biggest regrets as a first year teacher was not growing my most advanced student.  Let's call him Joesph.  Joseph came to me on an 8th grade level when he was in the 5th grade.  When he left me, he was still on an 8th grade level.  Make sure you identify these students immediately and plan enrichment activities so these students will grow.  I would even progress monitor these students like you do Tier II and Tier III students.  These babies need as much help and opportunities as the rest of your students.  
5. Don't discuss discipline issues in front of your students.  If you have a student that is misbehaving, make sure you speak with them privately since many times kids will try to argue so they can entertain their other classmates.  Do not fall into this trap because it will get worse as the year goes on.  
6. Don't forget to document EVERYTHING.  Anytime you have a disagreement with a student, teacher, or other faculty member document in a notebook that is private.  My first year that I had taught, my principal was a bully.  Let's call her Mrs. Orange.  She did not want to hire me from the get go because she had someone else in mind for this position.  The superintendent, took some of her power away by hiring me.  I felt like she made it her mission to get rid of me.  (Please know, that I usually do not have problems with anyone, but for some reason Mrs. Orange hated me.)  Every week, she would pull me into her office and tell me what a horrible teacher I was, and every week I would leave her office almost in tears.  I wish I would have documented these instances.  Not saying I would have told on her, but it would have been nice to have a fresh and accurate record for things she would have said to me.  Mrs. Orange would also speak negatively about the superintendent which I wish I would have documented since this is extremely unprofessional.  But the importance of documenting this will give you a clearer picture of the situation.  Later, when you are not so upset, you may read and reflect on what you may do to make this situation better.  Also, if you have a student that frequently breaks classroom rules, you will have a record to bring to parent-teacher conferences.
7. Don't neglect to give pretests for each unit you teach.  Like I stated earlier, my principal at the time, Mrs. Orange, would bring me into her office and tell me what a horrible teacher I was.  If I would have just given a pre-test, she would have seen how much my students had actually grown.  I could have showed her that this is where these students were before I taught, and this is where they are now.  Just know, that people in the education world, respond to data.  If you have data to support you, you will be okay.  Now, I am not saying that the only reason to create pre-tests is to prove that you are effective.  Pre-tests are wonderful tools to guide your instruction.  Also, if your students do not score much better on the post test, you know that you need to teach the skill differently.  Every teacher should give pre-tests and post tests.  But being able to prove that you taught a skill effectively if you need to is an added bonus.    
8. Don't be afraid to send misbehaving students to the office the first day or first week of school.  Where I have made mistakes was not following through with my discipline procedures for the first week of school.  This sets the pace for the entire school year.  (Now most of the time, your students will be angels the first day of school since they are observing you and figuring out who you are.)  If you happen to have a student keeps misbehaving, send them to the office immediately.  This will send a message to the other kids that you mean business.
9. Don't disrespect your students.  Now, I have never openly disrespected a student, but I have used sarcasm or mimicked a child.  Please, don't do this.  For one, students under 12 do not understand sarcasm.  Also, mimicking students make the other kids laugh but it embarrassed the student.  You want your students to trust you no matter what.  They are supposed to feel safe when they are with you.  Your classroom might be their safe place.  Remember that you are the adult.  I have seen teachers pop students on the hands with rulers which is against our code of ethics I might add.  I have seen teachers tell their students to "shut up."  I have seen teachers scream at their students at the top of their lungs.  Remember that these methods are completely unnecessary.  As educators, we are there to set an example and to teach students how to behave in this world.  
10. Don't participate in gossip...especially about the principal.  This statement sort of goes hand in hand with the first item I listed.  Just know that at every school, there is at least one person that up the principal's behind.  (For lack of a better expression.)  I have noticed that some teachers love to talk negatively about other teachers or the principal.  This person cannot wait to tell the principal what was said about them throwing teachers under the bus.  Now don't get me wrong, I do not condone speaking poorly about administration.  I find this quite childish.  However, I was brought up not to tattle unless someone might be hurt.  Now, I have never said anything about a principal that I would not have told them personally, but as I stated in the 1st "Don't," some people will twist your words around.  It is best not to be around when these conversations are taking place or not to contribute to the dialog.   

As a side note, please do not let this list of "Don'ts" scare you.  Teaching is one of the most wonderful professions.  I love the creativity that goes into this profession.  I love getting fresh data that shows how well my students improved.  I love getting to do fun activities with my students.  I love collaborating with other teachers to create memorable lessons.  

Also, I know I might have made it sound like teachers are a bunch of sneaky backstabbers from my list.  Please note, that I have met more teachers that are kind, compassionate, and would help you no matter what.  I just wanted you to be aware that there will be one or two that might not be what they seem.   So until you figure out who these people are, you need to be cautious.  I hope this helps you.  

Since one of my tips is to document everything, I have included a free daily/weekly completely editable documentation log found here. You may print and write directly on them, or type your documentation onto the computer. 

Feel free to post any "Don'ts" that you have.  :)