Ķvlog

Opinion
Teaching Download

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
Email Copy URL

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

College & Workforce Readiness Webinar How High Schools Can Prepare Students for College and Career
Explore how schools are reimagining high school with hands-on learning that prepares students for both college and career success.
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
GoGuardian and Google: Proactive AI Safety in Schools
Learn how to safely adopt innovative AI tools while maintaining support for student well-being. 
Content provided by 
Reading & Literacy K-12 Essentials Forum Supporting Struggling Readers in Middle and High School
Join this free virtual event to learn more about policy, data, research, and experiences around supporting older students who struggle to read.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

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

Read Next

Teaching Opinion How Are Trump Administration Policies Affecting the Classroom?
Leaders cry in coaching sessions. Still, they show up brave and stand strong.
7 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 Students Aren't Being Indoctrinated. The Real Problem Is Mistrust of Teachers
Teachers are avoiding important, complex topics because they fear backlash.
Ken Futernick
5 min read
Training, presentation, education icon. Speaker and listeners sign. Redacted information, self-censorship, distrust.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Educators on the Six-Seven Trend: 'Embrace the Chaos'
The viral trend has teachers dressing up as six and seven, and using it as a tool to teach.
1 min read
Collage of hands holding 6-7 with a background in blue of teenager group.
Liz Yap/Education Week and E+/Getty
Teaching What the Research Says Teachers Value 'Patriotic' Education More Than Most Americans
Nearly two thirds of teachers favor presenting America as "fundamentally good."
4 min read
Image of a small U.S. flag in a pencil case.
iStock/Getty