By Lisa Neubert

After completing my first year of teaching, I am now reflecting upon the things I wish I would have known before stepping into the classroom. I just finished my first year as a science teacher at rural high school, just east of Madison, and I hope that I can share some of the ups and downs of first-year teaching to begin a constructive conversation that will help new and future educators.

Although I had student-taught as a biology teacher just months before, when I got hired to teach my own class of biology I did not feel like I had enough lesson plans prepared to begin the year. I am a huge over-planner, and as the school year started to approach I did not feel ready. I was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t really know where to begin. Luckily, there are two life-science teachers at my school, me and a veteran teacher. The biggest thing I learned this year is to not be afraid to ask for help.

I mentioned to the veteran teacher that I was really unsure where to start planning for the year and I thought she would think I was not ready to be a teacher, but she said we all have been in this place. Then she showed me her filing cabinets of lesson plans and worksheets from previous years. She was willing to let me look through and see what I liked. This was a HUGE time saver! In the beginning of the year while I struggled to balance all the new duties of a teacher, I had resources that I could go to that helped focus my lesson plans. As the year went on and I got more comfortable in the classroom, I was able to add my own flare to her filing cabinets. During the last week of school, both the veteran teacher and I told each other how grateful we were to have the collaboration we had throughout the year.

All teachers have been through their first year, and having someone tell you that you are not alone is sometimes all you need to get through that rough day! Even if you do not have access to filing cabinets of useful information, there are many resources for first-year teachers out there, like this WEAC blog. Also ask around once you start at your new school and see if they have a mentoring program that you can get involved in. Even if your school does not offer a formal program, communicating with your fellow educators at your school is valuable at so many levels during your first year teaching. One of my favorite online sources for education communication is The Educator’s PLN, the Personal Learning Network for Educators. This site has forums and groups with thousands of teachers sharing their ideas and asking for yours as well.

Please watch for my future posts as I reflect on my first year of teaching. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave a comment below.