Opinion
Teaching Opinion

9 Tips to Help You Survive Your First Year of Teaching (Downloadable)

By Gary Kowalski — August 15, 2024 1 min read
Vivid Color image of vintage books, an apple, a bell, and a globe sitting on an antique, wood desk.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The first year in the classroom can be overwhelming and exhausting.

“Everything from my classroom culture to my instruction spiraled out of control my first few months, and the reality of having my own classroom in an underresourced community hit me hard,” writes teacher Gary Kowalski.

To help first-year teachers manage an overwhelming transition into the classroom, Kowalski, who has taught 8th grade English/language arts and social studies for the past 10 years, penned an opinion essay with guidance on how to create a calm and inviting classroom environment right from the start.

See Also

School Setting Superimposed on Modern Community Head Profile Icons combined with an Abstract Geometric Pattern. Classroom management, early career teacher professional development.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + DigitalVision Vectors + Anastasiia Neibauer/iStock
Teaching Opinion How to Ace Your First Year of Teaching
Gary Kowalski, July 9, 2024
•
5 min read

Below is a helpful guide you can take with you (or even post on your desk as a reminder to yourself) and share with others.

Download This Resource

ew downloadable visual header making it through first year

Vanessa Solis, Associate Design Director and Dominique Bander, Opinion Editorial Assistant contributed to this opinion article.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Micro-Learning, Macro Results: Reimagining Professional Learning
Rethink professional learning with 3 strategies that personalize professional learning, validate expertise, and support educator retention.
Content provided by Mira Education & Modiv EDU
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
There But Not Present: Rethinking Student Engagement
Learn how to recognize the early signs of disengagement and what the behavioral science reveals about which interventions actually work.
Content provided by Frontline Education
Teacher Preparation Webinar What Teacher Education Should Look Like in the Age of AI
Explore the current trends around the use of AI in teacher preparation and continuing education with data from the EdWeek Research Center.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Opinion Shame Is a Natural Part of Teaching. Does Your School Make Space for It?
Every teacher has lost their cool in the classroom. It’s what happens next that matters.
Ashley Lusk
•
4 min read
Teacher submerged in Fear shame struggle affecting classroom environment
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Opinion ‘A Must for Effective Teaching’: 14 Ways to Fill Holes in Students’ Learning
Educators recommend strategies for making content accessible.
8 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion What Brings Joy and Fulfillment to Teachers? It's All About the Students
Teachers share their best classroom moments.
9 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion If They Didn’t Learn It, We Didn’t Teach It
After 24 years working in education, being a brand-new student again taught me a valuable lesson.
Sarah Berman
•
5 min read
Conceptual illustration of a human brain shaped landscape with rolling green fields, blue sky, clouds, and birds. Visual metaphor for mental wellbeing, balance, clarity, mindfulness, nature connection, and healthy cognition. Ideal for psychology, wellness, mental health, sustainability, and lifestyle concepts.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty