I just got hired!!! Now what...

So there’s a moment soon after the shrieks and shrills of you getting a job die down when you it hits you… “Holy cow this means I’m a real teacher, not like a wanna be teacher like I was last year during student teaching but a real, grown up, professional.” And that’s when the nerves kick in. But trust me you’re not alone! Heck I’m still a ball of nerves and I was blessed enough to get hired and start preparations back in March. Now I could honestly talk all day about how nervous we all are at this point but that won’t help anything. So below I’ve put together a list of things I’ve done as of late in order to get my classroom rocking and rolling! (And veteran teachers out there if I’m missing anything please share your words of wisdom. Us newbies need all the help we can get!)

1. Reach out

 

The very first thing I would recommend would be getting in contact with your team leader! This person will be vital in helping you feel prepared and comfortable as you go through this new process. Ask them questions like: What will my classroom be stocked with? Or do new teachers get a budget to help with new classroom supplies? Don’t feel like you’re bugging them, I truly believe they mean it when they say “I’m here to help.”

2. Choose a theme/color scheme

 

 

I don’t know about you but if I’m going to be stuck in a room for more than eight hours of the day I want to love it! Choose a theme that’s you, gender friendly and one you’ll never get tired of. This year I am going with a bee themed classroom!

 

 3. Decide what locations in your room are must haves

 

Do you want a large library that allows the kids space to sit and relax? Do you want a writing center? What about a math market? A small group area? Listening center? Science lab area? There are so many great room ideas but you have to remember to make it unique to you and your classroom environment. One of my special places in my room will be our “Bee in Control Area (sticking with my bee themed classroom)” this will be a place where students can go and cool down and get in control of their behavior. In this area I will have books about feelings and emotions and I will teach my students different techniques on how to be in control of their bodies AND minds.

4. Make some lists

Once you decide what areas in your room are must haves take that list and one at time start deciding what each area needs.

Bee in control area

a.  1 comfy chair

b.  Books about emotions/feelings

c.   Pencil/paper

d.  Signs that display the cool down steps

Classroom Library

a.  Books galore (Don’t worry- blog coming soon on how to go from 0 to 300 books in no time. All while keeping your budget in mind)

b.  Bean bags (1-2)

c.   Standing lamp

d.  Black, white and yellow Pillows

e.  Shelving

f.    Book boxes to organize books

g.  Sign that says “Buzzy Reading”

h.  Additional reading posters (genre poster?)

Continue this list until you have gone through all your “must have” classroom locations.

5. Fill those blank walls!

One thing teachers cannot stand is an empty wall so here’s the next challenge, filling your walls with meaningful decorations. Remember to be expressive but keep in mind your walls are learning tools so buying/making lots of educational posters are key! For my classroom (okay so I went overboard) I bought over 30 posters to hang on the wall. Now who even knows if I will even use them all but at least I have them! For my Kinder class I have signs that display the alphabet, numbers, shapes, colors, months, days of the week, rhyming words, sight words, basic sign language, basic Spanish words (I live in Texas, you never know when you need to bust out in some Español) and basic hygiene posters just to name a few. Start a list then start collecting.

6. Management, management, management!

 

The single most important part of being a new teacher I believe is learning to manage your class effectively! Now this step, not going to lie is going to take some time. There are so many elements in creating a safe, positive learning environment that it can NOT be slapped up overnight. (So again don’t freight we have an upcoming blog on that too!)

But here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to get you started: What type of behavior system do I want for my classroom?  What are the consequences? What are my incentives/rewards? Do I want to have classroom jobs? How should I arrange my student’s desks? What is our morning procedure going to be? What is our end of the day procedure going to be? How will my students line up?

I’m not kidding the list goes on and on! Once you have those techniques in place you can start deciding how you want to display them around your classroom. But like I said, more to come on classroom management systems.

7. To buy or to make, that is the question

 

By now you will have about 200 lists anxiously waiting you to start marking things off of it in that red teacher pin you love oh so much. But first you must ask yourself can I make this or should I buy it? If you haven’t already started buying materials you will soon realize it is EXPENSIVE! So if your crafty use those skills and if you’re not, ask a crafty friend to make it for you! Overall I’ve probably spent (close your ears mom and dad) close to $900 on classroom materials and resources. I read an article that said the average new teacher spends about $770 stocking their classrooms… but in my defense that article was written back in 2009 and I think times have changed since our high school days. Regardless let’s all make a vow to be smart buyers and only buy the things that we cannot make on our own… unless you just really really really want it, then I guess that’s okay ;)

8. Time to find some good summer reads

 

The last thing I’m going to mention is how helpful literature can be for us as new teachers. I am on my fourth educational book and have found them to be very helpful. So far I’ve read or am reading: The First Year Teachers Checklist by Julia Thompson, Welcome to Kindergarten by Bonnie Brown Walmsley and Debra Redlo Wing, Getting the most out of Morning Message and other Shared Writing by Carleen DaCruz Payne and Mary Browning Schulman and have just started Whole Brain Teaching for Challenging Kids by Chris Biffle. Look into books that suit your needs, having trouble with time management there’s books on that! Check amazon, ebay or your local book store.

When it’s all said and done you want your classroom to feel like home. So be happy with your choices, if you buy something then hate it the next day take it back no biggie. This is your space for the next 180 days make it right!

-The new kid on the block Alera