Dear new teachers,

I am still a new teacher.  This is my third year working as a novice who is supposed to be an expert.  There are a few things that I have learned in the past two years:

1. You have to find balance in your life.  You have to draw a line in the sand, separating your personal life from your work life.  Teaching can be like a black hole.  You can throw everything into it, being up until 1:00 in the morning only to be met with apathy the next morning on the lesson you slaved over...

2. You need to be you as a teacher.  Be yourself.  Don't make comparisons.  People tend to compare their weaknesses to other people's strengths--what a recipe for depression!

3. You really don't get paid much so be a wise consumer.

4. Be consistent with your expectations and rules.

5.  Communicate with parents.

6. Become friends with the media center specialist, the receptionist, the resource/special ed teacher of your IEP students, and the head guidance counselor.

7. Understand that The Dead Poet Society really is a movie.  And Freedom Writers, though based on a true story doesn't show the harder times in the classroom.  Don't feel like a failure just because not every day is as riveting as the films make it seem.

8.  You will face apathy from some students and flat out dislike from others.

9. You will also see students who are happy.

10.  Your class is just a small part of students' days.  While they can be your entire focus and your world, you are just a spec in theirs, one that might not be the most important in their situations.  You don't know what's going on at home: some are the breadwinners, some are abused, and some are depressed.  Does English really matter that much to the kid falling asleep because he worked until 12:00?

11.  There are politics in schools.  Be nice to everyone.  Avoid drama.  Don't gossip.  Be loyal to your principal.

12.  Don't settle for mis-treatment.  If you are working in a negative environment, try finding a new position.  Teaching at a new school seems like new teaching.

13. Strive to find points of common interests with your students.  You can win some of them over in this way.

14. Eat lunch with others.  The 30 minute break will do more for your mental sanity than powering through.  You need adult time and "you" time during the day.

15.  Have high expectations for yourself, but don't expect perfection.

16. Have high expectations for your students, but don't expect perfection.

17.  Have a happy place.  Go to your happy place when you are feeling overwhelmed.

18.  Mark your calendars for when grades are due.  Don't assign major assignments or tests that week; grading is a nightmare.

19.  Have set procedures in your classroom;  students like and need consistency.

20. Completion grades are sometimes okay.