The First Year

Let me tell you, they aren't lying when they say your first year of teaching is an exhausting whirlwind.  But, on the bright side it doesn't have to be as bad as they say!  I've made it thus far without having one moment that I wanted to quit the teaching profession, move to Africa, or jump off a bridge!  From what I've heard my first year has been pretty smooth sailing so far.  Here are the things that I've heavily relied on:

• Resources from college and student teaching, (yeah, I actually use that stuff!).  I was a HUGE pack-rat during college, volunteering, and student teaching.  I took anything and everything people offered me, asked for copies of things that I liked, and wrote lists of things I would like to buy.
• Resources I scrounged out of what I like to call the "dungeon" at my school (aka the old shower room with piles of stuff that the teachers don't want anymore).  Warning:  Make sure you check with people before you make off with anything!  Teachers are very protective of their collections.
• My AMAZING grade-level partner.  She was recently moved to 4th grade after teaching 1st and 2nd for a long time, so the year is new to her, too.  BUT we plan everything together.  We share our good ideas, edit out our bad ideas, take turns planning units, etc.  It really has saved my life.  Oh, and she's been teaching and at the school for a long time, so she helps me remember the things a firsty might forget (meetings, calling parents about student of the month, etc., etc.).
• Utilizing the summer.  Be careful of burn-out, but I spend pretty much my entire summer planning my curriculum.  Many new teachers are hired on the spot and don't have this convenience, but I took full advantage.  I gathered up all the teacher and student books, brought them home, and poured over the school and my own resources and the standards to create a thorough curriculum.
• Create an organization system for EVERYTHING.  You are going to have so many calls, papers, meetings, planners, notebooks, tests, assignments, e-mails, appointments, forms... that it is critical to be organized.  I have a parent communication binder, a curriculum binder, folders in my e-mail, a file for graded work, work to grade, work that the students need to finish or start, a shelf for all my supplies for each day of the week, a hanging file pocket-chart for the day's activities, etc.  My students and I would be swimming in paperwork if it weren't for these things.
• Start the year out positive, firm, and know your stuff.  Of course things are going to come up that are unexpected, but the students are expecting to learn the ways of your classroom on the first day, and it's your job to have every detail planned out.  I probably spend the most time this summer planning out routines and behavior systems.  From going to the bathroom to sharing ideas in class to lunch count to homework, you need to have every detail mapped out.  Trust me though, there are going to be some things that you find just aren't working, and you need to make a little tweek.