How to Mentally Prepare for your First Year Teaching

Do you need ideas about how to prepare
for your first year teaching?

So, you got the call. Yes, that call. The one that said, "You're hired!" You probably did a happy dance or updated your Facebook status before it really sunk in. And now? You feel this mixture of excitement and overwhelm. Your To Dos have started swirling around in your brain, along with ideas for classroom management, classroom decorations, and lesson ideas. You have no idea where to even start. Sound about right? Welcome to life as a first-year teacher!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! You rocked your interview. You were the best candidate and they believe in you. They want YOU on their team. This is such a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself!!! There is nothing like your first year teaching. It will be filled with a whirlwind of emotions, but we are here to help. The Backstage Pass to Teaching Series will be coming to you every Monday to walk you through all the steps of getting ready for your first year.

HOW TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR - TIP #1
ESTABLISH YOUR VISION.

One of the most important things you can do to mentally prepare for your first year teaching is to establish your vision. What type of teacher do you want to be? This can encompass anything from the types of relationships you hope to develop with students, how you want your space to look and feel, or what teaching strategies you want to employ. Think about the actions and mindsets that align with this vision, then create a Vision Board. You can create it as a collage or on the pages of a journal. There is no wrong way to do it. Simply collect words, phrases, quotes, and pictures that represent the teacher you want to be. The purpose is to create something that visually represents the teacher you aspire to be - something that you can look back upon to become motivated and inspired when times get tough.

Why is establishing your vision so important? Your Vision Board will help sustain you when times get tough. And yes, times WILL get tough. Quite contrary to what Pinterest might have you believe, research shows that you will experience many challenges as a first-year teacher that can leave you feeling depressed or disillusioned. Even the most passionate, excited, and skilled first-year teachers experience these phases! I will share more about these phases in a subsequent post, but for now, make a mental note of the graph below. When you find yourself down in a pit of disillusionment, know that you are COMPLETELY NORMAL and you are NOT ALONE. Reconnect with your vision to inspire and motivate you. And reach out to others. (We made a >>Facebook group<< to help you connect with other teachers experiencing the same things!)

HOW TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR - TIP #2
STUDY THE STANDARDS AND THE PROVIDED CURRICULUM.

I know, I know. You are totally pumped about teaching (insert grade here) and you can't wait to BUY ALL THE THINGS on Teachers Pay Teachers! But exercise some restraint if you can. Before my first year, I spent so much money on things I thought I needed that I didn't actually need or use. Below are a few ideas that would be a much better use of your time.

CONNECT WITH YOUR TEAM MEMBERS AND ASK QUESTIONS.
Instead of buying all the things, ask all the questions. Seriously, don't be afraid of being annoying! Your team members want to help you be successful. Before connecting with your team, do a Mind Sweep (explained in more detail below) of all the questions you have about your new position. Some questions that are specific to your teaching assignment might include:

What curriculum do we have provided by the district to teach each subject?
What is the school or district's philosophy on basal textbook curriculum? Is it to be taught with fidelity? (Some districts want their teachers to use the purchased curriculum and not deviate from it.) Or is the basal series considered merely a tool that can be used to teach the standards, but deviated from as the teacher desires? (Some districts let you have freedom to use your own supplemental resources as long as you follow the mandated standards and/or pacing guide.)
Does the district provide a pacing guide for when specific standards are taught and/or assessed?
Does the district provide access to Standards Deconstruction tools?

GATHER CURRICULUM RESOURCES.
If you are in a district that expects you to teach the purchased basal curriculum with fidelity, you most definitely want to begin exploring these resources during the summer. And if you work for a district that lets you have more freedom, you will still benefit from exploring these materials during the summer. There will come a day when you run out of ideas and need something to fall back on. Textbooks often get a bad reputation, but they can be used very effectively! Some questions to ask your team specifically about the curriculum resources might include:

Where can I find the teachers' manuals? Is there only one set or is there an extra set to take home? Does the curriculum company have their teachers' manuals online? If so, how may I gain access to those?
Does the curriculum have a smaller overview guide?
Does the curriculum have online access to other resources? If so, how may I gain access to those?
Does the curriculum have supplemental resources? Examples might include a guided reading series, decodable readers, centers, math readers, physical manipulatives, and more.
What curriculum resources does the team like to use?

STUDY THE STANDARDS.
This is probably the last thing you wanted me to say. I get it. That sounds SUPER BORING. It would be so much more fun to search for classroom decor ideas! But I promise you that knowing your standards will pay off.

Think about it like this. In reading, you have to know how to decode letter sounds before you can read and understand the text. When readers are getting hung up on the decoding process, they have a harder time with more complex comprehension questions. The same is true for math. As you continue on towards harder math curriculum, if you don't know all your math facts, it will be much harder to do the more complex task.

It's no different for teaching. While it isn't as fun as surfing Pinterest for ideas or shopping on Teachers Pay Teachers, it definitely will be worth your time. Look for how the standards below and above your grade level connect back to what you are teaching. This will make lesson planning so much easier once the school year begins! And no one said you can't look over the standards while you're lounging by the pool. ;)

HOW TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR - TIP #3
PRACTICE SUSTAINABLE WORK HABITS.

Once the school year begins, you may find yourself working very long hours. Many new teachers report working as many as 12 hours a day during the first few weeks of school. While there will be times that you need to work extra hours to get things done, working this many hours isn't sustainable and it doesn't make you a better teacher. You will be a better teacher when you are refreshed and energized, which means making sure you prioritize taking care of yourself. This is so much easier said than done! That's why it is so important to start practicing these habits now.

MIND SWEEPS:
Mind Sweeps (also known as Brain Dumps) are one of my FAVORITE strategies for practicing sustainable work habits. They are so incredibly simple, but unbelievably powerful. You probably have a zillion thoughts racing around in your mind about everything you need to accomplish before the school year begins. A Mind Sweep will help you clear your mind of the clutter and focus on what is most important.

Here's how a Mind Sweep works.

Sit down with a blank piece of paper or a blank notebook page.
Start writing down everything that is on your mind. Every. Single. Thought.
Don't try to categorize anything as you write. Just get it all out on paper first.

The purpose of a Mind Sweep is to get all the thoughts that are swirling around in your head down on paper. Once you have them written down, you don't need to waste mental energy worrying about them anymore. Need to call your mom? Write it down. Need to get batteries? Write it down. Need to research classroom management strategies. Write it down.

Once you think you are done, set it aside for a bit. Work on something else for a bit, but keep the list nearby because more thoughts will pop in your head. Write those down, too. Once you think the list is complete, it's time to look back through it. Separate the list into:

Quick tasks you can do right now
Tasks that are urgent or time-sensitive
More comprehensive projects that can be broken down into smaller steps
Tasks you can't do yet (waiting on information, someone else, etc)
Questions you have
Things to research
Etc. (Make categories as you see fit.)

This technique is one you can do over and over again to de-clutter your mind and produce a more focused task list. I strongly encourage you to keep a notebook as a first year teacher during the first month of school where you can write all these things down. Instead of scribbling out your list, draw a simple line through the task or just check it off. Save the notebook in your file cabinet so you can pull it out next summer. You will be thankful for a record of all the things that you needed to get done before the school year started. It will help you prioritize for the next year.

PRIORITIZE YOUR TO DO LIST.

The best way to take care of a long To Do list is to examine it for items that can be delegated or don't actually need to be done. There are a variety of strategies out there for prioritizing your To Do list, but the Priority Matrix by Stephen Covey is one of my favorites. It really helps put things in perspective!

The Priority Matrix has you sort tasks according to their level of URGENCY and IMPORTANCE. Ultimately, you will want to complete tasks that are BOTH urgent and important first, then move on to tasks that are important but not urgent. For tasks that are urgent, but not important, consider delegating to someone else that could help. And for those things that are not important or urgent, stop worrying about them altogether.

POMODORO TECHNIQUE:
The Pomodoro Technique is another strategy you can try this summer to mentally prepare for your first year teaching. This technique has really helped me increase focus and productivity.

Choose a task to be accomplished.
Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Work for 25 minutes uninterrupted.
Take a 5 minute break.
Set the timer for 25 minutes again and repeat.
Take a longer break (15-20 min) after completing 4 rounds of Pomodoros.
(100 minutes of work with 15 minutes of breaks)

Play around with this strategy to find out what your best time frame is. Some people are unable to re-focus after their 5-minute break, so they prefer to work for longer periods. Maybe you would prefer to work for 50 minutes with a 10 minute break, etc. Take note of what helps you get the most accomplished. You can use this strategy to accomplish your big To Do lists once school starts!

HOW TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR - BONUS TIP
PRIORITIZE YOURSELF.

I know you are excited to get started, but make sure you prioritize yourself this summer. Relax. Do things you love. Spend time with friends and family. Savor each moment and try not to fast forward to the start of school. I promise it will be here before you know it!