Let's Get Acquainted: Advice for New Teachers

I have been a little bit AWOL recently.  I am discouraged that I do not have a job and instead of setting up my classroom and getting ready with new ideas I am wondering if I will have a classroom, what grade I might be teaching and what I might do if I am not a classroom teacher this next year. But I miss my blog friends and so I am joining up with Flying into First Grade for her Let's Get Acquainted linky.  This week it is about advice for new teachers. I am not so far from being the new teacher since last year was my first year teaching, but I decided to participate anyway! 

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Here is my advice: 

Buy: organizational items for your classroom. An organized classroom is worth a thousand words, or dollars, or pictures. It is worth a lot. It is the key to being successful at so many things, like keeping to your schedule, training students to work independently and so much more. 

Always: be prepared. Get your plans done on time and have everything ready. Get out the next day's materials before you go home each day. Another thing you should prepare are emergency sub plans. You can find plans on TpT and print and prepare ahead of time and then if you are gone unexpectedly, it is all ready for the sub. Remember that part of teaching is going with the flow and maintaining some flexibility, so be prepared to change your plans at the drop of a hat. 

Never: bail on a commitment. If you told your teaching team that you would do something or you are assigned a task on a committee or organization, do it, and get it done on time. It is not JUST the right thing to do, it also builds trust and strengthens morale and makes people willing to help you out in a bind. 

Find: a friend in your building. You need a friend that you can trust and that you can go to for advice and to vent. Some days are longer and harder than others, you need someone you can trust to be honest with. 

Make: friends with the custodian and the secretary. This will pay dividends. 

Be friendly and be open to new ideas. Some days you don't feel like being friendly, do it anyway. And people offer advice and share ideas and sometimes you may not think you need them (and you may not) but listen with an open mind, maybe their ideas can make your life easier or fill your students with knowledge.  

Now head over and read up and maybe even add your own link!