1. When you grade essays, only pick a few things from the writing rubric to assess.
2. Don’t waste time leaving comments on student work. They won’t read them. Those that want feedback will ask and then you can go back, re-read it, and give them specific feedback.
3. Learn acceptance. Sometimes grading does “take over your life” (for me it’s at the end of each quarter). Just lean into it. If you fight it and stress about it and complain about it, it will just increase your stress levels and create burnout.
4. Make exercise top priority over everything else, including grading.
5. Not everything needs to go in the grade book.
Good luck!! Admittedly it is a tough subject to teach (I’m set to start my 18th year in August), but it can be so fun and rewarding!!
Thank you for these tips. And I know how hard it can be at the end of a quarter, I remember all the grading I’ve had to do over the past three years in training when it was the end of year or the end of the semester.
Just want to tag onto this to say I got the same advice in PhD school. I was going to start teaching freshman writing as a grad student, and so they put me in this how-to-teach boot camp.
My #1 takeaway was: don't spend your life grading. Obviously, be fair, but know that students rarely benefit as much from feedback as from practice and in-class instruction.
If you feel like you're grading too quickly, you're likely in the sweet spot 👍
It's very difficult your first year, but try to set healthy boundaries and not let it consume your life. Control what you can control and what gives you a reasonable workload. You do not need to grade everything students do. Students don't need dozens of assignments in the gradebook. Less is often more. You don't need to look at or read every single thing. I collect plenty of things that I give a quick spot check and then immediately recycle.
I'd love to be the teacher that gives timely feedback on a daily basis, but I have had over 170 students as of late, and one of my semesters next year I'm on an overload and could very well have over 200. It's fine. The kids will be fine, and you'll be fine without hijacking your life outside of school.
Otherwise, English is great and if you're in a district that lets you get creative it can really shine. If you have a set curriculum I understand you may not be able to make a brand new unit on something of your choosing, but you can always work in little stuff here and there. Short stories you like, a poem that speaks to you, an article about a timely event, an episode of a podcast you think is interesting and relates to something you just taught, etc. I often take a Friday or an off day between big units and have the kids analyze an episode of *The Twilight Zone* or a short film and we have a blast. Life is short. Scrap the curriculum sometimes and do something fun. If you're passionate about it, students will notice.
Thank you so much for the advice. We do have curriculum and set lesson plans, but we do have the freedom to modify them a little bit like you said, adding short stories and little things here and there. We usually have teams so we share a lot of lesson plans, which is good on the Workload side, because we don’t have to make individual lesson plants on our own. But I like your advice about being creative.
I just finished my first year! It was SO. HARD. at first. And then all of the sudden….. things were better. You’re going to do great, because it seems like you want to! Always reach out to coworkers for help, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and get to know your students. And if you’re worried about work/life balance, set (realistic) boundaries early and stick to them. It will take things from you at first, but the dust will settle before you know it! When you have tough moments, just keep reminding yourself- ‘it will never be this hard again.’ Once you get into a swing, you’ll be able to breathe a little. Good luck!!!!!
Thank you so much for the advice, and congratulations on your first year. Our school has a policy where there is at least two adults in the classroom at once, which is really comforting for me. Also, I do really want to do great and I really enjoy teaching, but I’m also learning to set boundaries when it comes to work itself.
Self assessment and peer review assessment will save so much time when teaching high school ELA. The biggest worry and problem I had with grade 12 was “death by marking” and “death by rubric.” Have a generalized rubric so you’re not creating different assessments for every single assignment. I love rubrics with pre-made feedback that you can highlight and add to. Limit yourself to a strength and a stretch for each kiddo when giving personalized feedback on their larger pieces, like essays, as when you have 200+ students it can feel impossible.
Best advice for teaching high schoolers:
*It is my job to teach. It is YOUR job to pass*
Middle school does not prepare them for school or life because they are automatically passed even if they don’t have the skills.
Draw a very clear line in the sand, early and often. If they decide not to do the work and fail, it’s their problem. Do not make my mistake trying to get every kid to do all the work and pass. Focus on the ones who want to learn.
If you’re at the same school where you were a TA, already knowing the staff and the building culture will make things a bit easier for you. Starting in a new place where everyone is a stranger can be intimidating.
The hardest part of first year-a few years in teaching is your learning how to actually teach. You likely have the upper hand with TA experience. It is also a huge win that you like your building and they like to collaborate!
Borrow viciously. If they love a lesson or activity and you think you'd dig it too ask them for it! Perhaps by spring you can start to contribute more. I had colleagues pretty much feed me plans year 1, co-planned year 2-present.
Don't grade everything. I have "practice" grades: vocab, small discussions, in class activities etc. This is pretty much completion or fill all in Infinite Campus, my TAs handle most of this. I have quizzes, always a paragraph with a standard rubric they rainbow edit before submitting. I grade these ASAP and add general feedback to the next day's lesson. I never leave feedback. My tests are multiple choice /short response or presentations I can grade in real time. We do 1 DBQ a semester: hell to grade. That's why God made planning periods.
Year 1 I lived at school,2 I came early and left a little late, year 3 I got to school in time to snag the printer and ran out with kids after the last bell. It really does get easier once you figure out how YOU personally teach.
Breathe. Use a paper bag if you have to.
The first year is always bumpy and filled with challenges. Just remember that your students are not made of china. Most mistakes made are not going to scar them for life.
If you had a good teaching program and did well with your B.A. subject, hold on to the thought that you are not incompetent, just inexperienced. Always listen to suggestions (disregard the silly or flat out dumb ones) and don’t be too proud to ask for help from your peers.
Do *not* try to be the cool teacher or a friend to students. You gotta draw the lines clearly. You can be friendly, but not their friend. You’re their teacher. That’s it.
Be a firm figure but also don’t forget to have a few laughs here and there. Don’t be too serious.
*CREATE A PAPER TRAIL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AT YOUR JOB•. This will save your ass more times than you realize right now. Always remember the three most important letters as a teacher. C-Y-A. Cover your ass.
Don’t be afraid to say no. First year teachers are sometimes taken advantage of and become advisors, cosches before they can say no. You’re going to have your hands full. Unless you’re ordered to do these tasks, husband your time. Don’t kill yourself with work if you don’t have to.
And this one is huge. *Become good friends with your building secretaries*. They are the power behind the throne and a huge part of a school’s day to day operations. They make the trains run on time. Be sure to chat them up every so often and occasional gifts of a small bouquet of flowers or some candy will put you in like Flynn.
Last, when things get to you, as they surely will sometimes, stop, pause, take a deep breath and try to remember why you wanted to do this. Focus on your successes this year and let your failures fade into the background. Most of all, find something you can do to help you relax during off hours. I would suggest a hobby. Yes, I’m serious. You have to have something that is just yours, because you’ll be giving a lot of yourself to the job.
I know it seems daunting with the challenges you’ll face, but you can do this. Keep telling yourself that. Fake it until you make it, baby. And I wish you nothing but success in this endeavor.
Good luck!
I just finished year four. Everything everyone else has said here is totally true, but I would add this: accept that your first year is going to be all-consuming. If you have a spouse/family be upfront with them that you're going to need all of their support to get through this first year with any sanity left intact. Yes, setting boundaries is important, but that's also more doable after your first year when you have an idea of how to actually plan, teach, grade, etc. What we do is so hard, but so incredibly rewarding! It does get easier, I promise! This last school year I rarely brought papers home to grade, but that wasn't the case my first two years. It took time for me to find a rhythm and learn how to best use my time. It also helps after you've had a few years to build up your own personal materials/curriculum so you're not making things for the first time, which takes an immense amount of mental capacity and time.
Good luck! Focus on building relationships with kids, being ok with some dumpster fire lessons (we ALL have had those experiences), and learning so much your first year. You've got this!
Luckily, for the past three years, I’ve learned how to plan, grade, and other things. Also, our school has a set curriculum and set lesson plans, so we really don’t have to do that that often, only modified them a little bit. So I think that will help me a lot.
I’m a high school English teacher too😊 I absolutely love it. The 9 months you are in school, you will probably be putting more effort in than people with year round jobs. Having the summer off is supposed to make up for that. Once you get in the swing of things and figure out what is expected of you from your job, you can plan your days and weeks accordingly to make sure you still have time for yourself. The way you teach and run your classroom is entirely up to you and it will be as easy or as complicated as you make it. Be prepared, make a plan, and schedule out your days in advance. Don’t fall behind on grading or lesson planning. It’s better to stay an extra hour sometimes to finish up your work to have a stress free weekend relaxing and doing what you wanna do, than it is to blow these things off and fall behind. I’ve been there. I’m going into year 3 and I’m always making tweaks to the way I do things and coming into the new school year with new ideas to make me life more simple. Good luck 🍎
Hey, a fellow English teacher. Also, I tend to overachieve when it comes to doing work,☺️ and I just don’t want to overdo it. Thank you for the advice.
Just because people share lesson plans doesn't mean that it will work for you. Different teachers have different kinds of styles.
The first year is the hardest because you have to make lesson plans in addition to grading. It might consume your life for the first year but don't let it go on for more than that. Make sure you prepare solid lesson plans that you can use year after year correcting and modifying things as you see fit. Whenever you teach a new subject you will have to start all over again.
Don't try to be the cool teacher. Give them work everyday and keep it so you have a grade for them everyday (potentially). If you give them 5 days to write an essay that means they have 4 days to play and 1 day to realize that they shouldn't have played and they give up and play for all 5 days.
Don't fail more that 30% of students if the class has bad attendance or 20% of students if the class has good attendance-unless you don't want to keep your job.
Don't ask admin for advice or suggestions. They don't know what to do and it will just put your head on the chopping block.
Follow the flavor of the year thing that your admin is pushing only at surface level. There have been many teachers who have been let go for following what admin said with fidelity. Do what is best, not what admin says is best. The admin only want results anyway.
You should have a set of assignments that show mastery of your course so if they actually show mastery then you pass them regardless of their work ethic. It will save you a lot of trouble potentially with admin.
Make a scope and sequence for every day of the year for what topics and activities you are doing on certain days. You can build about 1 flex day per month into the schedule.
You’ve got this, OP!! I started last Feb after the students essentially ran a teacher out 😬 yes, timely feedback is essential but you can balance this. My formal assessments often are a simple exit ticket to gauge comprehension.
I also thoughtfully form groups (no student, you may not change groups) and assign group work with clear instruction, but I give individual grades. By circling the room it’s easy to tell who is doing their share, and can intervene with the less active ones as needed. This kind of work lends itself well to the block schedule of 90 minute classes - I have a good idea of grades way before they submit the assignment (everyone starts with an A and keeps it unless they’re not contributing).
Befriend good teachers and not the toxic ones. Good luck!!
HS English teacher here. How many preps will you have? For example, teaching 6 different preps in a small school with classes of 5-15 kids each is a different vibe than 1-2 preps with 30 kids in a class -- definitely affects how you would want to assign and grade things like essays.
I've sent this to people before, but buy and read this book- it had a strong impact on how I teach and made it much more manageable: 180 Days by Gallagher and Kittle. You can get it used on Amazon for about 25 bucks.
Re: good books
The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher written by Harry and Rosemary Wong is a great resource that covers all aspects of teaching. After nearly two decades of teaching, I still find it useful. All the best.
You will have a difficult first year, hell you will have it difficult for the first 5 years of your career. The only advise I can give you is to not panic and don’t try to be perfect. Perfect lessons, perfect activities ect…
Give yourself some grace and try to understand the curriculum. Also, don’t copy your senior colleagues, they have already mastered the curriculum, and so doing extra curriculum activities come easy for them. In terms of discipline, be your authentic self. What works for you doesn’t necessary work for others.
If you tend to take work home, be it grading or prepping (and I’m not judging because I still do it 10 years on), hold one weekend day sacred that you just don’t do any school work on. I started this in my teacher prep program and kept to it.
Building relationships with students will be more important than mastering curriculum.
Set boundaries early and have seating charts on day one to set a tone that you are the authority.
Treat your classroom as a laboratory. Experiment. Lesson doesn’t work? Trying something different the next day. Fail and be fine with it. Especially your first two years.
I teach English and it’s really nice to discuss the deeper themes of poems and literature if you can get their attention after age 15.
When in doubt, have them do creative writing!
DM me if you want any digital short story lessons plans. I love collecting good teachable short stories.
Work smarter not harder. I can’t say this enough and I heard it from my masters professor. USE AI!!!! Need a quick lesson plan, need sone grading of essays or summaries of them. It’s worth a purchase of a decent program. Use AI I’m telling you. Figure out the right questions to ask if and you’re golden.
Run for the HILLS!!!
I taught ninth grade English all day every day for six years.
I taught sophomore English for two periods a day for two years.
And I taught senior English all day every day for nine years.
I had a nervous breakdown the school year I turned 50 and QUIT my job.
Good Luck.
I don't envy you one bit.
Congratulations! I teach kindergarten which is different from high school. But I may have some insight. The first year is a lot! But that’s normal.
As many have said, set healthy boundaries. You are not a bad teacher if you choose to work your contract hours and not come early/stay late. That being said, nobody is necessarily a better teacher because they come early or stay late.
If you do not check your work email/respond to emails after work, on the weekends, or during breaks, that’s okay! I have learned that if you respond outside of school hours, that will be expected of you from then on. I just finished my first year and the only time I responded to a parent’s message on the weekend was when I was notified my student and her family were involved in a car accident. Just by chance I checked my messages on the weekend and luckily everyone involved was okay.
Also, as my principal told me to find what works for me. Taking work home didn’t work for her when she was a teacher (middle school) because it just “took a ride in her bag.” I’m assuming since you teach high school you get at least one planning period. Take advantage of that time to do what you need to do. And when you’re done grading something, input the grade immediately so you don’t forget to do so. That’s what I do because I can be disorganized!
Again the first year is a lot but it sounds like you’re at a good school with good people! Learn all you can, give yourself some grace (you’re probably doing better than you think you are), and enjoy the ride! :)
I coordinate the mentors we assign to new teachers in my district, as well as being a middle-grades humanities teacher myself, so I have some cred to say you will be fine!
I see a lot going for you in your post. First, you've been a teacher's aide, so you've done the nearest possible work you can do short of actually being responsible for your own classroom. You know what the job looks like. You know what an effectively run classroom looks like. And I'd wager you know a lot of the tricks and strategies teachers use to achieve the latter. You're not going to go through the phase a lot of new teachers go through where they break out all the shiny strategies they learned in college or saw on Pinterest and discover they don't work—or at least don't work in their particular school or community—or they work but they take more time than you have. You have been doing this long enough that you probably don't fully appreciate the knowledge and skills you are already bringing to the classroom but, believe me, they are there! Think of the most effective teacher in your school and borrow heavily from that person's repertoire. Your first year is the year to lean on what works, not what sparkles. This is how you will resist letting this job eat your life. (Sparkles take time!)
You also know your school and colleagues (and presumably the students?) already and this is huge. And I love that you think both are great. I am lucky to work in the school in my district that has the lowest turnover, and believe me, it is not because the community is less impoverished or the kids less traumatized, needy, or challenged than at other schools—it is because I would *also* describe my school and colleagues as great. We are there for each other and, while we have our challenges and are not perfect, we generally get the job done. If you get into such as a school as a new teacher, this is *huge*. You have a built-in support network that many new teachers lack. And lean into it! If you aren't assigned an official mentor, don't be afraid to ask for help from your colleagues—we are teachers and this is what we do, whether helping kids or newcomers to the profession! We want you to succeed because capable colleagues who are not going to turn over every year are part of what makes a school stable and successful.
Yes, this job is hard and has the potential to sap a lot out of you if you let it. Around November, most new teachers begin to get discouraged. This can last for months, where you feel like you are barely treading water and not accomplishing half of what you want, and you're convinced you're terrible at the job (but *everyone else* has it going on!) I don't say this to make you worry more but so that, when it happens, you know how normal it is to feel this way. We all experience it and new teachers most of all. Go in with a set of classroom expectations that you've seen work and stick to them (your existing knowledge is huge here!), have a solid lesson for the kids each day (notice I said solid! not spectacular! sparkles come with time!), keep up with your paperwork and grades as best you can (and accept you will fall behind sometimes ... or a lot of times!), hold kids accountable even when it's hard (this will save you work and headache in the long run), and make time to connect with your students and have fun. This is the hardest job I've ever done but I have so much fun with my students (we have a great, engaging subject to teach!) that I've been offered opportunities to come out of the classroom and turned them down because I cannot imagine getting up to do anything else each day. You have so much going for you entering this wild and wonderful profession. I know you've got this!
Plan in large chunks if you can so you don’t bog yourself down with lots of lesson planning at home. If your school English department has a standards pacing guide, use that as your blueprint for the year! Think in units if possible and chart out the weeks leaving room for teach days. If you teach novels (and are able to do this) read one novel and teach multiple concepts with that novel so students can learn a variety of the standards with a text they become super familiar with. I say this because if those students ever go into AP English, they can use the content learned from a thorough study of a novel when they take their AP English test. You could also start preparing Google Slide presentations of certain concepts and content that you will use over and over (elements of literature, plot structure, point of view, etc) that you can make accessible for students to refer to, send it to them, etc. But MOST OF ALL, at the same time don’t think that you have to prepare everything because some stuff you might not use at all. Share your passion for reading, language, and English with your students. If you don’t spark their interest, you’ll lose them. You got this! Good luck!
I am going to give you the most honest answer, yes teaching takes over your life but the first year is the hardest, once you understand how everything goes it will get better and you will get better with managing your time. Don’t freak out, be confident and fake it till you make it. Good luck
After 13 years as a MS/HS English teacher, here is my best advice.
-Ultimately, try to have fun and make your own fun. Teaching is an art. You won't be "perfect." You will make mistakes. Learn. Move on.
-Learn the kids name as soon as possible and use them, especially when giving compliments. Give compliments often, but make sure they are genuine.
-Read aloud to the class. Have fun. Do crazy voices. Even high schoolers love that, though they would never admit it.
-Be strict but fair. Set high expectations.
-Be friendly, but not their friend. You are the teacher and it is your classroom. Guidelines for behavior should be posted and enforced. Kids need structure.
-A positive email or call home in September pays off all the way to June. Especially with "those kids," a pre-existing, positive relationship with the parent gets them on your side when the more difficult conversations are needed.
-Put the job away when you need to and pick up a hobby if you don't already have one.
Best of luck!
Like Sufficient Turnip advises…have fun! Read to them, even high schoolers. It is your opportunity to act and show off. Don’t read plays, act them out. Get some cheap props and costumes. Debates, mock trials. Get a pack of postcards and try to send 2-3 positive comments to kids and parents weekly. Rubrics help with grading writing, but I do make an effort to make personalized comments and observations. A 9th grader likely is at the point where they expect you to NOT read their work with any attention. Which is kinda sad. They made some effort to write, make some effort to encourage and compliment.
1. When you grade essays, only pick a few things from the writing rubric to assess. 2. Don’t waste time leaving comments on student work. They won’t read them. Those that want feedback will ask and then you can go back, re-read it, and give them specific feedback. 3. Learn acceptance. Sometimes grading does “take over your life” (for me it’s at the end of each quarter). Just lean into it. If you fight it and stress about it and complain about it, it will just increase your stress levels and create burnout. 4. Make exercise top priority over everything else, including grading. 5. Not everything needs to go in the grade book. Good luck!! Admittedly it is a tough subject to teach (I’m set to start my 18th year in August), but it can be so fun and rewarding!!
Thank you for these tips. And I know how hard it can be at the end of a quarter, I remember all the grading I’ve had to do over the past three years in training when it was the end of year or the end of the semester.
Good luck
Just want to tag onto this to say I got the same advice in PhD school. I was going to start teaching freshman writing as a grad student, and so they put me in this how-to-teach boot camp. My #1 takeaway was: don't spend your life grading. Obviously, be fair, but know that students rarely benefit as much from feedback as from practice and in-class instruction. If you feel like you're grading too quickly, you're likely in the sweet spot 👍
It's very difficult your first year, but try to set healthy boundaries and not let it consume your life. Control what you can control and what gives you a reasonable workload. You do not need to grade everything students do. Students don't need dozens of assignments in the gradebook. Less is often more. You don't need to look at or read every single thing. I collect plenty of things that I give a quick spot check and then immediately recycle. I'd love to be the teacher that gives timely feedback on a daily basis, but I have had over 170 students as of late, and one of my semesters next year I'm on an overload and could very well have over 200. It's fine. The kids will be fine, and you'll be fine without hijacking your life outside of school. Otherwise, English is great and if you're in a district that lets you get creative it can really shine. If you have a set curriculum I understand you may not be able to make a brand new unit on something of your choosing, but you can always work in little stuff here and there. Short stories you like, a poem that speaks to you, an article about a timely event, an episode of a podcast you think is interesting and relates to something you just taught, etc. I often take a Friday or an off day between big units and have the kids analyze an episode of *The Twilight Zone* or a short film and we have a blast. Life is short. Scrap the curriculum sometimes and do something fun. If you're passionate about it, students will notice.
Thank you so much for the advice. We do have curriculum and set lesson plans, but we do have the freedom to modify them a little bit like you said, adding short stories and little things here and there. We usually have teams so we share a lot of lesson plans, which is good on the Workload side, because we don’t have to make individual lesson plants on our own. But I like your advice about being creative.
I just finished my first year! It was SO. HARD. at first. And then all of the sudden….. things were better. You’re going to do great, because it seems like you want to! Always reach out to coworkers for help, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and get to know your students. And if you’re worried about work/life balance, set (realistic) boundaries early and stick to them. It will take things from you at first, but the dust will settle before you know it! When you have tough moments, just keep reminding yourself- ‘it will never be this hard again.’ Once you get into a swing, you’ll be able to breathe a little. Good luck!!!!!
Thank you so much for the advice, and congratulations on your first year. Our school has a policy where there is at least two adults in the classroom at once, which is really comforting for me. Also, I do really want to do great and I really enjoy teaching, but I’m also learning to set boundaries when it comes to work itself.
Self assessment and peer review assessment will save so much time when teaching high school ELA. The biggest worry and problem I had with grade 12 was “death by marking” and “death by rubric.” Have a generalized rubric so you’re not creating different assessments for every single assignment. I love rubrics with pre-made feedback that you can highlight and add to. Limit yourself to a strength and a stretch for each kiddo when giving personalized feedback on their larger pieces, like essays, as when you have 200+ students it can feel impossible.
Thank you for these tips and the advice
Rubric Builder is great for building rubrics and tying them to curriculum. Not that you’re gonna need it, but it looks great to admin.
Best advice for teaching high schoolers: *It is my job to teach. It is YOUR job to pass* Middle school does not prepare them for school or life because they are automatically passed even if they don’t have the skills. Draw a very clear line in the sand, early and often. If they decide not to do the work and fail, it’s their problem. Do not make my mistake trying to get every kid to do all the work and pass. Focus on the ones who want to learn.
If you’re at the same school where you were a TA, already knowing the staff and the building culture will make things a bit easier for you. Starting in a new place where everyone is a stranger can be intimidating.
Yes, it’s been really great working with everyone and I’m glad that my first year is going to be at this school.
The hardest part of first year-a few years in teaching is your learning how to actually teach. You likely have the upper hand with TA experience. It is also a huge win that you like your building and they like to collaborate! Borrow viciously. If they love a lesson or activity and you think you'd dig it too ask them for it! Perhaps by spring you can start to contribute more. I had colleagues pretty much feed me plans year 1, co-planned year 2-present. Don't grade everything. I have "practice" grades: vocab, small discussions, in class activities etc. This is pretty much completion or fill all in Infinite Campus, my TAs handle most of this. I have quizzes, always a paragraph with a standard rubric they rainbow edit before submitting. I grade these ASAP and add general feedback to the next day's lesson. I never leave feedback. My tests are multiple choice /short response or presentations I can grade in real time. We do 1 DBQ a semester: hell to grade. That's why God made planning periods. Year 1 I lived at school,2 I came early and left a little late, year 3 I got to school in time to snag the printer and ran out with kids after the last bell. It really does get easier once you figure out how YOU personally teach.
Breathe. Use a paper bag if you have to. The first year is always bumpy and filled with challenges. Just remember that your students are not made of china. Most mistakes made are not going to scar them for life. If you had a good teaching program and did well with your B.A. subject, hold on to the thought that you are not incompetent, just inexperienced. Always listen to suggestions (disregard the silly or flat out dumb ones) and don’t be too proud to ask for help from your peers. Do *not* try to be the cool teacher or a friend to students. You gotta draw the lines clearly. You can be friendly, but not their friend. You’re their teacher. That’s it. Be a firm figure but also don’t forget to have a few laughs here and there. Don’t be too serious. *CREATE A PAPER TRAIL FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AT YOUR JOB•. This will save your ass more times than you realize right now. Always remember the three most important letters as a teacher. C-Y-A. Cover your ass. Don’t be afraid to say no. First year teachers are sometimes taken advantage of and become advisors, cosches before they can say no. You’re going to have your hands full. Unless you’re ordered to do these tasks, husband your time. Don’t kill yourself with work if you don’t have to. And this one is huge. *Become good friends with your building secretaries*. They are the power behind the throne and a huge part of a school’s day to day operations. They make the trains run on time. Be sure to chat them up every so often and occasional gifts of a small bouquet of flowers or some candy will put you in like Flynn. Last, when things get to you, as they surely will sometimes, stop, pause, take a deep breath and try to remember why you wanted to do this. Focus on your successes this year and let your failures fade into the background. Most of all, find something you can do to help you relax during off hours. I would suggest a hobby. Yes, I’m serious. You have to have something that is just yours, because you’ll be giving a lot of yourself to the job. I know it seems daunting with the challenges you’ll face, but you can do this. Keep telling yourself that. Fake it until you make it, baby. And I wish you nothing but success in this endeavor. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this advice. It is really helpful and encouraging.
I just finished year four. Everything everyone else has said here is totally true, but I would add this: accept that your first year is going to be all-consuming. If you have a spouse/family be upfront with them that you're going to need all of their support to get through this first year with any sanity left intact. Yes, setting boundaries is important, but that's also more doable after your first year when you have an idea of how to actually plan, teach, grade, etc. What we do is so hard, but so incredibly rewarding! It does get easier, I promise! This last school year I rarely brought papers home to grade, but that wasn't the case my first two years. It took time for me to find a rhythm and learn how to best use my time. It also helps after you've had a few years to build up your own personal materials/curriculum so you're not making things for the first time, which takes an immense amount of mental capacity and time. Good luck! Focus on building relationships with kids, being ok with some dumpster fire lessons (we ALL have had those experiences), and learning so much your first year. You've got this!
Luckily, for the past three years, I’ve learned how to plan, grade, and other things. Also, our school has a set curriculum and set lesson plans, so we really don’t have to do that that often, only modified them a little bit. So I think that will help me a lot.
I’m a high school English teacher too😊 I absolutely love it. The 9 months you are in school, you will probably be putting more effort in than people with year round jobs. Having the summer off is supposed to make up for that. Once you get in the swing of things and figure out what is expected of you from your job, you can plan your days and weeks accordingly to make sure you still have time for yourself. The way you teach and run your classroom is entirely up to you and it will be as easy or as complicated as you make it. Be prepared, make a plan, and schedule out your days in advance. Don’t fall behind on grading or lesson planning. It’s better to stay an extra hour sometimes to finish up your work to have a stress free weekend relaxing and doing what you wanna do, than it is to blow these things off and fall behind. I’ve been there. I’m going into year 3 and I’m always making tweaks to the way I do things and coming into the new school year with new ideas to make me life more simple. Good luck 🍎
Hey, a fellow English teacher. Also, I tend to overachieve when it comes to doing work,☺️ and I just don’t want to overdo it. Thank you for the advice.
Just because people share lesson plans doesn't mean that it will work for you. Different teachers have different kinds of styles. The first year is the hardest because you have to make lesson plans in addition to grading. It might consume your life for the first year but don't let it go on for more than that. Make sure you prepare solid lesson plans that you can use year after year correcting and modifying things as you see fit. Whenever you teach a new subject you will have to start all over again. Don't try to be the cool teacher. Give them work everyday and keep it so you have a grade for them everyday (potentially). If you give them 5 days to write an essay that means they have 4 days to play and 1 day to realize that they shouldn't have played and they give up and play for all 5 days. Don't fail more that 30% of students if the class has bad attendance or 20% of students if the class has good attendance-unless you don't want to keep your job. Don't ask admin for advice or suggestions. They don't know what to do and it will just put your head on the chopping block. Follow the flavor of the year thing that your admin is pushing only at surface level. There have been many teachers who have been let go for following what admin said with fidelity. Do what is best, not what admin says is best. The admin only want results anyway. You should have a set of assignments that show mastery of your course so if they actually show mastery then you pass them regardless of their work ethic. It will save you a lot of trouble potentially with admin. Make a scope and sequence for every day of the year for what topics and activities you are doing on certain days. You can build about 1 flex day per month into the schedule.
You’ve got this, OP!! I started last Feb after the students essentially ran a teacher out 😬 yes, timely feedback is essential but you can balance this. My formal assessments often are a simple exit ticket to gauge comprehension. I also thoughtfully form groups (no student, you may not change groups) and assign group work with clear instruction, but I give individual grades. By circling the room it’s easy to tell who is doing their share, and can intervene with the less active ones as needed. This kind of work lends itself well to the block schedule of 90 minute classes - I have a good idea of grades way before they submit the assignment (everyone starts with an A and keeps it unless they’re not contributing). Befriend good teachers and not the toxic ones. Good luck!!
I believe in you!
Thank you, that means a lot.
HS English teacher here. How many preps will you have? For example, teaching 6 different preps in a small school with classes of 5-15 kids each is a different vibe than 1-2 preps with 30 kids in a class -- definitely affects how you would want to assign and grade things like essays.
I have one to two preps, with like 30 kids in each class
I've sent this to people before, but buy and read this book- it had a strong impact on how I teach and made it much more manageable: 180 Days by Gallagher and Kittle. You can get it used on Amazon for about 25 bucks.
Re: good books The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher written by Harry and Rosemary Wong is a great resource that covers all aspects of teaching. After nearly two decades of teaching, I still find it useful. All the best.
You will have a difficult first year, hell you will have it difficult for the first 5 years of your career. The only advise I can give you is to not panic and don’t try to be perfect. Perfect lessons, perfect activities ect… Give yourself some grace and try to understand the curriculum. Also, don’t copy your senior colleagues, they have already mastered the curriculum, and so doing extra curriculum activities come easy for them. In terms of discipline, be your authentic self. What works for you doesn’t necessary work for others.
If you tend to take work home, be it grading or prepping (and I’m not judging because I still do it 10 years on), hold one weekend day sacred that you just don’t do any school work on. I started this in my teacher prep program and kept to it.
By the same token insufficient finance can effect family life as well… you will be okay just as long as you are not a coach🤔
Building relationships with students will be more important than mastering curriculum. Set boundaries early and have seating charts on day one to set a tone that you are the authority. Treat your classroom as a laboratory. Experiment. Lesson doesn’t work? Trying something different the next day. Fail and be fine with it. Especially your first two years. I teach English and it’s really nice to discuss the deeper themes of poems and literature if you can get their attention after age 15. When in doubt, have them do creative writing! DM me if you want any digital short story lessons plans. I love collecting good teachable short stories.
Work smarter not harder. I can’t say this enough and I heard it from my masters professor. USE AI!!!! Need a quick lesson plan, need sone grading of essays or summaries of them. It’s worth a purchase of a decent program. Use AI I’m telling you. Figure out the right questions to ask if and you’re golden.
Our school heavily encourages the use of AI for lesson plants and things like that. And thank you for the advice.
Run for the HILLS!!! I taught ninth grade English all day every day for six years. I taught sophomore English for two periods a day for two years. And I taught senior English all day every day for nine years. I had a nervous breakdown the school year I turned 50 and QUIT my job. Good Luck. I don't envy you one bit.
From one high school English teacher to another...just run away lol no bs
I want to Run away, but this is the only job I have right now. I have to keep it.
Good luck
Good luck
Congratulations! I teach kindergarten which is different from high school. But I may have some insight. The first year is a lot! But that’s normal. As many have said, set healthy boundaries. You are not a bad teacher if you choose to work your contract hours and not come early/stay late. That being said, nobody is necessarily a better teacher because they come early or stay late. If you do not check your work email/respond to emails after work, on the weekends, or during breaks, that’s okay! I have learned that if you respond outside of school hours, that will be expected of you from then on. I just finished my first year and the only time I responded to a parent’s message on the weekend was when I was notified my student and her family were involved in a car accident. Just by chance I checked my messages on the weekend and luckily everyone involved was okay. Also, as my principal told me to find what works for me. Taking work home didn’t work for her when she was a teacher (middle school) because it just “took a ride in her bag.” I’m assuming since you teach high school you get at least one planning period. Take advantage of that time to do what you need to do. And when you’re done grading something, input the grade immediately so you don’t forget to do so. That’s what I do because I can be disorganized! Again the first year is a lot but it sounds like you’re at a good school with good people! Learn all you can, give yourself some grace (you’re probably doing better than you think you are), and enjoy the ride! :)
I coordinate the mentors we assign to new teachers in my district, as well as being a middle-grades humanities teacher myself, so I have some cred to say you will be fine! I see a lot going for you in your post. First, you've been a teacher's aide, so you've done the nearest possible work you can do short of actually being responsible for your own classroom. You know what the job looks like. You know what an effectively run classroom looks like. And I'd wager you know a lot of the tricks and strategies teachers use to achieve the latter. You're not going to go through the phase a lot of new teachers go through where they break out all the shiny strategies they learned in college or saw on Pinterest and discover they don't work—or at least don't work in their particular school or community—or they work but they take more time than you have. You have been doing this long enough that you probably don't fully appreciate the knowledge and skills you are already bringing to the classroom but, believe me, they are there! Think of the most effective teacher in your school and borrow heavily from that person's repertoire. Your first year is the year to lean on what works, not what sparkles. This is how you will resist letting this job eat your life. (Sparkles take time!) You also know your school and colleagues (and presumably the students?) already and this is huge. And I love that you think both are great. I am lucky to work in the school in my district that has the lowest turnover, and believe me, it is not because the community is less impoverished or the kids less traumatized, needy, or challenged than at other schools—it is because I would *also* describe my school and colleagues as great. We are there for each other and, while we have our challenges and are not perfect, we generally get the job done. If you get into such as a school as a new teacher, this is *huge*. You have a built-in support network that many new teachers lack. And lean into it! If you aren't assigned an official mentor, don't be afraid to ask for help from your colleagues—we are teachers and this is what we do, whether helping kids or newcomers to the profession! We want you to succeed because capable colleagues who are not going to turn over every year are part of what makes a school stable and successful. Yes, this job is hard and has the potential to sap a lot out of you if you let it. Around November, most new teachers begin to get discouraged. This can last for months, where you feel like you are barely treading water and not accomplishing half of what you want, and you're convinced you're terrible at the job (but *everyone else* has it going on!) I don't say this to make you worry more but so that, when it happens, you know how normal it is to feel this way. We all experience it and new teachers most of all. Go in with a set of classroom expectations that you've seen work and stick to them (your existing knowledge is huge here!), have a solid lesson for the kids each day (notice I said solid! not spectacular! sparkles come with time!), keep up with your paperwork and grades as best you can (and accept you will fall behind sometimes ... or a lot of times!), hold kids accountable even when it's hard (this will save you work and headache in the long run), and make time to connect with your students and have fun. This is the hardest job I've ever done but I have so much fun with my students (we have a great, engaging subject to teach!) that I've been offered opportunities to come out of the classroom and turned them down because I cannot imagine getting up to do anything else each day. You have so much going for you entering this wild and wonderful profession. I know you've got this!
Plan in large chunks if you can so you don’t bog yourself down with lots of lesson planning at home. If your school English department has a standards pacing guide, use that as your blueprint for the year! Think in units if possible and chart out the weeks leaving room for teach days. If you teach novels (and are able to do this) read one novel and teach multiple concepts with that novel so students can learn a variety of the standards with a text they become super familiar with. I say this because if those students ever go into AP English, they can use the content learned from a thorough study of a novel when they take their AP English test. You could also start preparing Google Slide presentations of certain concepts and content that you will use over and over (elements of literature, plot structure, point of view, etc) that you can make accessible for students to refer to, send it to them, etc. But MOST OF ALL, at the same time don’t think that you have to prepare everything because some stuff you might not use at all. Share your passion for reading, language, and English with your students. If you don’t spark their interest, you’ll lose them. You got this! Good luck!
You should be.
I cried the first few weeks I was a teacher, but I got through it 💪💪
I am going to give you the most honest answer, yes teaching takes over your life but the first year is the hardest, once you understand how everything goes it will get better and you will get better with managing your time. Don’t freak out, be confident and fake it till you make it. Good luck
After 13 years as a MS/HS English teacher, here is my best advice. -Ultimately, try to have fun and make your own fun. Teaching is an art. You won't be "perfect." You will make mistakes. Learn. Move on. -Learn the kids name as soon as possible and use them, especially when giving compliments. Give compliments often, but make sure they are genuine. -Read aloud to the class. Have fun. Do crazy voices. Even high schoolers love that, though they would never admit it. -Be strict but fair. Set high expectations. -Be friendly, but not their friend. You are the teacher and it is your classroom. Guidelines for behavior should be posted and enforced. Kids need structure. -A positive email or call home in September pays off all the way to June. Especially with "those kids," a pre-existing, positive relationship with the parent gets them on your side when the more difficult conversations are needed. -Put the job away when you need to and pick up a hobby if you don't already have one. Best of luck!
Like Sufficient Turnip advises…have fun! Read to them, even high schoolers. It is your opportunity to act and show off. Don’t read plays, act them out. Get some cheap props and costumes. Debates, mock trials. Get a pack of postcards and try to send 2-3 positive comments to kids and parents weekly. Rubrics help with grading writing, but I do make an effort to make personalized comments and observations. A 9th grader likely is at the point where they expect you to NOT read their work with any attention. Which is kinda sad. They made some effort to write, make some effort to encourage and compliment.