10 Crucial Lessons for New Teachers: What I Wish I Knew My First Year of Teaching

Stepping into my first classroom as a new teacher was both exciting and overwhelming. Despite years of preparation, nothing could have fully prepared me for the reality of that first year. I quickly realized there was so much more to teaching than what I had learned in school. In this post, I’m sharing the biggest lessons I learned in my first year of teaching—insights that I hope will help new educators navigate their journey with confidence and less stress.

1. Use your resources

Technology offers limitless possibilities for teachers, so use it to make your job easier. The internet in general is a great resource. Whatever you need is just a quick search away. If you are looking for resources, TpT has everything you need and many of the resources are free (because let's face it…teachers are on a budget, especially new teachers). There are also many other programs that you can use to keep you organized or enhance your teaching, such as Google Classroom, Nearpod, Kahoot, Boomcards, Quizziz, etc.

One of the newest technological resources is AI. AI can do everything from give you ideas for activities, to make full lesson plans with only a few parameters. Any AI program you choose to use will ultimately save you tons of time.

2. Preparation is key

Before you even step foot in your first classroom, you can begin preparing for the first day. Determining your classroom procedures and developing your behavior management plan is extremely important and can determine if your year will be successful or not. Your classroom management plan is very detailed and will take some time to finalize, so start on it as soon as possible. Students need to know your expectations and having a plan in place helps keep you organized.

3. Build relationships

Have you ever heard the saying that the secretaries really run the school? It's true. And not just the secretaries, all of the support staff are essential allies for teachers, especially new teachers. Introduce yourself to them and always have a kind word for them or show them how much you appreciate them and that will go a long way.

I was in a school that had a secretary who was a bit prickly to say the least, but because I showed her how much I appreciated her and made it a point to build a relationship with her, she was always happy to help me out which was not true for many other teachers. Building good relationships with your staff, fellow teachers, parents, and students can help your year be a success.

4. Talk to/observe veteran teachers

Education classes are great, but your best teacher is real-world experience, and there’s no better place to get the cliff notes version than from a veteran teacher. Veteran teachers are a wealth of information. If you want real world tips, tricks, and strategies, look no further than the other teachers at your school. A veteran teacher is always happy to help and many times will even become your unofficial mentor. And don’t just talk to them, observe them in their classroom. Watch how they engage with the students and try to mimic what they do or modify it and make your own.

5. Don't lower your expectations

This one is so easy to do especially as the year goes on and you get more and more tired. You just want to throw your hands up in the air and give in but don’t. It may seem easier in the moment, but you aren’t doing the students or yourself any good. The students can and will rise to meet your expectations as long as you are constantly supporting them. Pushing them to do their best and be their best is what education is all about.

It’s not about learning facts. Anyone can look those up on the internet. It's about creating young adults who have a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn, can take initiative, problem solve, and adapt, are reliable team players, with strong communication skills, and keep a positive attitude throughout it all. Remember to meet them where they are and pull them up to where they should be.

6. Enlist the help of students to keep your classroom clean

One part of holding students to higher expectations is making the students help keep the classroom clean. For 17 years, I worked in a school where teachers had to clean their own rooms at the end of the day, so I enlisted help from my students. At the end of every class period, I would stop 1 minute early and have the students pick up around their desk and push their chair in before they could leave the classroom. Sometimes if the room was particularly dirty, my exit ticket was to pick up 5 pieces of trash. Yes, there were moans and groans, but I tried to explain to the students that the classroom is their second home and they should treat it like they own it.

7. You don't have to grade everything

About half way through my first year of teaching (5th grade), I was complaining to a fellow teacher, who had been doing this for a long time, that the grading was overwhelming and I was going to spend my whole weekend trying to get caught up. She looked at me and smiled. She asked me if I had ever heard of File 13. Thinking that this was some super, secret, mysterious, teacher tip, I shook my head. She grabbed a set of papers from her desk and dropped them in the trash can. WHAT??? I could do that? Don’t get me wrong; I’m not telling you to just start dumping piles of student work in the trash can.

There are a few different things you can do to help you with the amount of graded papers such as having students switch papers and grade, check the work for completion (especially hw) then go through some of the answers in class, or even do a spot check where you look at a few specific answers to see if the students are on the right track. These suggestions are mostly for daily work, like classwork and homework, not assessments. 

8. Don't bring work home 

With these strategies for grading papers faster, hopefully, you won’t have to bring as much work home. That same teacher that told me about File 13 my first year, also told me she NEVER takes work home, especially on the weekend. She shared that she makes a point to stay late one day (or maybe 2 if needed) a week to get everything finished or at least to a point that it could wait until Monday.

Having two young children at home at the time, I coveted my family time. I picked a day of the week to stay late, so I could have the rest of the week to spend with my family. Only staying late one day a week helped eliminate a lot of the guilt I was feeling for not spending enough time with my family.

9. Its ok to say no

One way to avoid bringing work home is by simply saying “no” to anyone and everyone, no matter who it is: fellow teachers, administration, parents, students. Don’t feel bad for saying no. As much as we want to please everyone, we have to understand there is a limit to the amount of tasks we can do before we compromise our personal well-being.

Remember, you are not saying no to the person, just the request. This allows us to set boundaries, prioritize our own needs, manage our time effectively, reduce stress, and maintain healthy relationships by not overcommitting ourselves.

10. Self-care

Perhaps the most important piece of advice I can give is to make time for yourself. Teaching is HARD and can overwhelm even the most seasoned veterans. Over the past 25 years, I can’t remember how many times I said I was going to quit. But I didn’t; I just needed to be renewed.

Self-care can look like many different things for different teachers, such as sleep, journaling, meditation, prayer, exercise, going out with friends/family, or having a glass of wine. Remember, if you don’t take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of your students?

In Summary...

My first year of teaching was a whirlwind of lesson planning, classroom management, and figuring things out on the fly. Looking back, there are so many things I wish I had known—like how to set realistic expectations, prioritize self-care, and embrace flexibility when things didn’t go as planned. I learned that building relationships mattered more than perfect lesson plans and that asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness but a key to success. I hope these suggestions have encouraged you. Just remember that you can't do it all, so do what you can, the best that you can.