Advice From a First-Year Teacher

Ever wanted to know the tips a first year teacher would have for you? Our guest speaker for SVEA's February general meeting gave us some insight:

Job fairs

• Have plenty of copies of your resume

• Get interviews with as many people as you can (even if you aren't interested, it's good practice)

• Highlight things on your resume that match that county's specific needs/interests

• Try to connect with the representatives at the table, even if it is through non-educational commonalities

• Don't forget to show what extracurricular activities you were interested in that you might want to coach/help out with if you teach at that school

• Research the schools/counties online beforehand if you know you want to talk to specific ones

• Look at how different counties expect their teachers' lesson plans to be formatted

• Define your specific area of teaching (don't just say you will take whatever they have open)

• Only bring a portfolio if it is easy to look at and very helpful for you

• There is no point in arriving super early, but be ready to go when they start

• Ask whoever you're talking to what their job is in that school system

• Ask what the relationship is between teachers and administrators (what is the support system like?)

• Some districts do not like it when you contact teachers directly, so make sure you go through the county if you have questions

• Don't be discouraged if you aren't offered the first few jobs you apply for; one will come!

First year teaching

• Don’t go to/do EVERYTHING, because people will pick up on that and start giving you more responsibilities than you can handle

• Also, it is important to take time for yourself and to hang out with your own friends rather than devote all your energy to your job

• Talk to as many people as you can- teachers in all grades and subject areas, administrators, cleaning staff, office people, etc.

• Make your classroom a comfortable space for yourself

• Get out of your classroom on your planning period (if you have time) and go sit in on other teachers' classrooms or go to the gym and play basketball with the gym teacher

• Always make sure the standards you are teaching that day are visible somewhere in the classroom

Interacting with students

• Let them know you are a real person

• NEVER friend them on Facebook!

• Let them know you are young and relatable to them (to an extent..)

Other

• Be aware of current events such as educational policy laws that might affect you

• If you substitute, figure out if there might be an opening soon that you could get

• Don’t go on Facebook in school since administrators can see what you do when you're connected to the school's server

• Work at camps over the summer or try to teach at a summer school if you can