As a first-year teacher I was very nervous about entering the classroom on my own. Up to this point I had always been observed by other teachers and supervisors. I was never allowed to be teaching on my own without the presence of at least one of these individuals, but now it was just me. There were many mistakes I made but there were many successes as well, here is some advice that I would give to you beginning teachers, no matter what your subject area is:

1. Be confident in what you’ve learned. You have spent countless hours studying, attending class, taking tests (Praxis II anyone?). You have done the time and you know a lot. Just trust what information your brain has stored. No matter what you think you do or do not remember, you can be sure that you know more about your subject than the top student in the class.
2. Admit when you don’t know something. This is hard for many of us. We want to make the students think we have it all together and we know everything about our subject matter. This simply isn’t true because we are only human after all, we can’t always have photographic memory (I have photographic memory, I just ran out of film long ago). If don’t admit you don’t know and try to fudge your way through, students will find out; there will always be a student who doesn’t believe you and looks it up himself. Rather, just admit that you’re not sure but tell them you’ll find out and make sure you do it! You’ll learn something you didn’t know and your students will be able to rely on you when they want to know something.
3. Ask for help from other teachers in the building. Let’s face it, it is your first year and there is much to do outside of planning for your lessons and teaching your classes. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but it is a sign of strength. It tells other teachers that you admit you don’t know it all and can’t do it all, but that you’re not afraid to ask for help when you need it. The other teachers in the building are your allies. The better of a relationship you create with them, the easier your time at that school will be.
4. Seek advice from your out-of-school colleagues. Whether you recognize it or not, the teachers you did your student-teaching with, your collegiate academic advisors and your buddies that you graduated with are all your colleagues. Talk to those people who have been in the field longer than you and seek advice in whatever situation you find yourself. They did it when they were in your shoes, and your students will call you when they begin to teach. Here again, seeking advice is a sign of strength because it means you are actively seeking ways to be better at what you do.

I know there is much more that I have learned, but these are just some simple things that apply to everyone. Just be confident in what you know, admit when you don’t know and seek help from others. Are there any other quick tips that you would include with these four?

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