Advice for New Teachers!

 Flying into First Grade is having a linky regarding advice for new teachers... so here goes: 

Buy: Clorox wipes (and Febreeze air freshener). They make any situation cleaner and fresher.

Always: Plan ahead. I'm a stickler for forward planning. Some teachers like to teach on the fly, but planning ahead gives you a clear vision of your goals ahead. Of course, with this you should also be flexible for changes as they arise. I do my planning at the beginning of the week every week and I try to look forward to two weeks at at time. Understanding by Design is a great framework to help you plan your work.

Never: Lose faith in yourself. There will always be toxic parents, colleagues, admin who has something negative to say to you or about your craft. Just don't let them affect you.

Find: Good teacher friends. You can learn a lot from them.

Make: Friends with your I.T. techs. You need them to come quickly and promptly when one of your 21st century devices need troubleshooting. My IT tech team are always on call and arrive within minutes of my tech problems. I always send cookies at the end of the school year to show appreciation.

Be: Confident!