I'm going to let you in on a really BIG secret, new teacher friends. So grab a piece of paper, your favorite pen (aff link) and get ready to take notes. I'm about to blow your mind with this piece of insider information, and will even throw in a couple excellent first day tips for you, too!
Okay, are you ready? Ready to know what all the "put together" veteran teachers already know? Okay, here it is:
NO ONE HAS THEIR S#!T TOGETHER. NO ONE. So don't sit in bed crying the night before school starts thinking you don't have the prettiest room (chances are you won't because that takes a lot of cash flow - so it makes sense to build your room slowly over time) and that you're not prepared for what's to come. NO one is prepared for what's to come! That's just the nature of the game. But hold on a second, I will tell you TWO things you ABSOLUTELY need to have in place for your first day of school.
Number One: Know how your students are going home at the end of the day! Whatever routines and procedures you teach during the day pales in comparison to not knowing how each student goes home. Are they walkers? Child care? Do they bus? Great - which bus do they take? Know this information. Put it on a clipboard and carry that sucker around with you at end of day like it's a pot of gold. Even better - throw it onto paper and stick it to your lanyard. You won't regret being prepared. Also, give yourself a good 20 minutes at the end of day to get everyone situated in their right lines. Scrambling at the end of day is a terrible feeling. Don't do it to yourself.
Number Two: Get yourself a kick-a$$ teacher bestie. Like, ASAP. Someone you can chug down a glass of wine with at the end of your crazy week. Someone you can confide in, someone you can trust to have your back and not judge you for not having all your $#!t together. Someone who can make you laugh AND likes to cut out laminate. Because we know that in itself is a full time job and nobody wants to do it.
Once you know how your kids are getting home, and you have plans to decompress with your teacher bestie, sit back and ENJOY the first days of school. Let the rest come naturally. But please, I beg of you - please remember that even those who have been teaching for 15+ years still don't have all our $#!t together. It's all smoke and mirrors. I promise you, you'll do great!
