Congratulations! You should be very proud of your accomplishments and your new job.
I probably don’t need to tell you that teaching is not an easy job. Showing up every day for your students will, at times, be exhausting and overwhelming. There will be times where you feel like you are buried in to do lists and not making a difference in the classroom.
Something that you might not realize though is that it is those tough days, those challenging moments and those failed lessons- that will push you to grow into a passionate and highly proficient teacher.
Nothing worth having is easy.
And, my friends, being a teacher is so worth it!
You are about to become a role model to children who have never had someone to look up too. You are about to show a child that they are infinitely smarter than they ever thought. You are about to grow your family by 25ish kids every single year.
Sound cheesy?
Sorry. I hate sounding like a graduation speech, but I need you to hear this:
Teaching is tough, but you are tougher.
Now that the pep talk is complete, let’s chat about what you should do, now that you have the job offer. The temptation is to buy all the cute school stuff at Target. But wait…
Do these four things first…
Contact Your Principal
Reach Out To Your Team Lead
- What is our supply budget and how do I access these supplies?
- What should I prepare for the first week of school?
- Is there an open house before school begins?
- Do I need to write my own classroom supply list?
- Does the school have papers for parents to fill out?
- Can you share the holes that you have found in the curriculum. Do they recommend anything in particular to fill those holes?
- What are the school’s procedures on arrival, dismissal, lunch, and recesses?
Read the Standards
Join a Facebook Group
I am excited to learn from you and all of the other teachers I encounter. This is my first year as a teacher, age 49 and I get to teach 3rd grade!
Thank you!
Jennifer P.
Hi Jennifer! I am returning to the classroom after 23 years! What grade are you jumping into? Third for me. 🙂
Do you have any good facebook groups with kindergarten teachers?
Hi Kaitlyn,
At Not So Wimpy Teacher we create resources for grades 2-5 because those are the grade levels where we have the most experience. We want to be sure we provide the best support. For that reason we only have Facebook groups for grades 2-5. I’m sure there are other teacher authors who specialize in kindergarten that also have Facebook groups.