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
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, and responsible adoption.
Content provided by Lightspeed Systems
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
Student Absenteeism Webinar
Removing Transportation and Attendance Barriers for Homeless Youth
Join us to see how districts around the country are supporting vulnerable students, including those covered under the McKinney–Vento Act.
Content provided by HopSkipDrive
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
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Two Jobs, One Classroom: Strengthening Decoding While Teaching Grade-Level Text
Discover practical, research-informed practices that drive real reading growth without sacrificing grade-level learning.
Content provided by EPS Learning

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 We All Agree Student Voice Matters. But What Do You Actually Do With It?
Start by assuming that students come to the classroom with important things to say.
10 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 Data From 50 States: Teachers See Student Behavior as a Significant Problem
They want smaller classes, tougher discipline consequences, and firmer parenting to counter the issue.
1 min read
Teaching Opinion I’m Iranian American. Here’s What I Want Educators to Understand About the War
Understanding Iran requires holding multiple truths at once, writes education reformer Nina S. Rees.
Nina S. Rees
5 min read
Tehran, Iran, 06.24.2023: Golestan Palace details
The Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tehran, was damaged by an Israeli airstike earlier this month, according to media reports.
S. Kahraman/iStock
Teaching Opinion How Teachers Are Solving Classroom Problems by Doing Their Own Research
Educators share how they are using their own data and self-reflection to support their students.
11 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