Are you panicking about your first year teaching? Welcome to teaching!!! We still get the jitters no matter how long we have been teaching. If you are thinking about the school year with weeks ahead of time, you are in the right profession! Here are some things to get you started:
Things to do before the workday:
Create a syllabus - include contact information, grading scale, major assignments and your expectations. Check with your department or administrators to see if we have changes. One double sided page will do. BUT DO NOT PRINT IT.
Plan flexible lessons for first 10 days - be confident, bring your plan, but don't forget that flexibility is your key. UCA will support you and help you develop lesson planning skills but you are probably bringing a lot of ideas to the table so use them!
Set up your classroom - it will take about 2 days for you to be set up in your classroom, don't stress out about it, you can change it as you go and add posters, decorations and character with the help of your students.
Ask for help - contact teacher leader, Mrs. Jody Smith ([email protected]), if you have any questions, explore the resources on this website, or submit a question in our forms.
Relax - set up a timer or a time when you will start and stop working, your health and peace of mind is essential to be a successful first year teacher.