I have my first job. It is in a Catholic School, but I am discouraged. I have a small class of only 21 kids, but 1 is working 3 grade levels behind, 3 are ESL students who struggle with language, 2 have dyslexia, 2 have anger issues with violent outbursts, but there is no money to hire help....meanwhile, I appear to have dropped the ball by being lax with the dress code (I just don't notice if shirts are tucked in or buttoned up to the neckprincipal called me aside on that so I am trying to notice that more, but I feel so overwhelmed right now, that seems like a low priority to me...I'd rather focus on trying to get all the homework in!) I tried talking to the principal for advice and she tells me I am doing great and everyone feels like this their first year...Here I am 7 weeks into the school year and I feel like I've burned out. Any suggestions? (Its in middle school and most of the students are real sweethearts..maybe I just need to focus on that.)
I want to thank everyone for their advice. Maybe I was just more tired and cranky than usual :o). I will focus on the good, accept I can't do it all, ask cohorts for advice, and finallynot forget about myself. It is only one day later and I already feel better. Thank you for all of your time to answer me! I appreciate it!

ur principal is right in that it is normal. everyone's first year is HELL. but it gets easier. tough it out. what i've heard is that it really helps if you could regularly consult with a mentor (who's a teacher hopefully). also find ways to relieve stress off of work so you feel refreshed. also dont you love kids? at the end of the day when i go home, i can't wait to go back and see them again. i mean sometimes i feel like telling them to shut the f*ck up but i still love them. if you dont feel that way ever then ur in the wrong profession. but otherwise it's 100% normal to feel overwhelmed ur first year.

and yes it gets easier cuz you will get all your lesson plans down and can reuse some or modify them for next year instead of starting from scratch and you get the hang of things.

I walked after my practice teaching and never regretted it. Knew I'd probably strangle a kid if I was a teacher.

My aunt is a felician sister who has taught for 57 years,our son was ADD we thought we would ask her for advice.She responded that it was her job to reach the student on thier level. She also said she would be the one that had to stand before god and answer for it if she did'nt. Now please dont think "oh my" she didnt quite mean it like that I am certain.Actually she said she never paid attention to medical/mental/politically correct labels. She was devoted to her calling and teaching was part of that devotion.She loved children very much. She was a principle a few times and taught many different grade levels in her carreer. She is now in a nursing home Im certain her memories both bad and good are Golden to her.I guess the best advice is dont sweat the small stuff,and find the best in all you do.

Get the more advanced students to help you.

I have to say I am in agreement with everyone ... Your first year is always tough. You are learning how to exercise your teaching muscles. They are really out of shape right now because they have never been used upp until now. You are so exhausted after school each day because of this. You probably feel like you are in a war zone and have to watch your back every second. You probably feel like you can't sit down, can't smile. And don't. Not this year.

But don't worry, by January you will come back and the kids will seem to have learned so much. You will then feel like maybe you are not a failure and then you will be so much more motivated. But this is actually because you have been out of the fire for two whole weeks and have had time to let your gaurd down for longer than 48 hours at a time (weekends)LOL

Trust me, I am in my fifth year... you will always be in the "war zone" and you will always have to watch your back but there is a reason why they call us "veteran teachers". The war zone that is classroom mangement has become second nature to us and we can actually relax a little. Even if you feel like you can't do it, I have worked long enough to see new teachers get their classrooms under control and even start smiling at work.

Oh and as for the ESL, ADD, dyslexia, anger issues and children below grade level... you will never be in a classroom without them. You will learn to deal with them too.

So hang in there. And make sure you aren't there until they close the school every night! You will not be paid for overtime, girl!

Your first year teaching really is hard. I haven't met anyone who had an easy first year. One girl I knew sat in her closet everyday after school for 10 minutes and cried! During my first year orientation a speaker said "If the first year hurts, the second year works." And I think that's true. It really does get easier. You just need to be able to see the forest through the trees. If you think putting up with this hard stuff for a little while is worth it to get to the good stuff, then I say stick with it.

There are a few things I think first year teachers need to accept. Number 1, you can't do everything. You will not be "super teacher." Focus in on a few of the things that you feel are most important. Planning is probably the biggest. That's what you want to spend most of your time on. Little things like bulletin boards or all the extra frilly stuff can wait. Don't spend tons of time on this stuff. No one is expecting you to do it all. Guarantee yourself at least one day during the week when you actually leave on time and don't do anything school related at home. You need your down time. Buddy up with some people at school and enjoy time together away from work. Happy hours on Fridays are always rewarding! Elicit help from resource teachers for suggestions or advice for your more challenging students.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but time really will make everything better. Teaching is one of those jobs where despite everything you learned in college and student teaching, you really don't know anything until you're right in the thick of it. You're just getting started. You'll figure everything out soon enough.

1.The first year is the worst. It will ony get easier.
2. Don't beat up on yourself for minor problems like lax dress code or a flubbed lesson plan or two.
3. Borrow lesson plans from experienced teachers. no need to reinvent the wheel every day.
4. Chat regularly with a teacher. Just don't choose someone who is burnt out. Best to chose one first year and one experienced mentor.
5. Make sure you give yourself breaks. go on walks or to the gym. Read a novel. Call old friends.
Notice you have a whole yahoo answers board full of people pulling for you. You can make it.

This is my first year teaching.. and my mood about teaching changes by the second. I am on rotary and see over 180 students a day. With every class having esl, ieps, behavioural issues etc.

I rarely notice when my kids wear hats! lol..

My principal is very supportive.. she says after thanksgiving (here in canada.. oct 8th) things start to calm down. Just take it one day at a time. Things will come together (it may not seem like it)

I wish I had small classes like yours :) I have several intermediate classes with 34 students. Make small goals, and everything will come together. What grade are you teaching? Maybe you could put the dress code into your daily routine and have the students help you out. If you have younger students, you can have then sing a song or cheer .. and have them double check their neighbour. Or you could say "something here looks out of place..what could it be..." have the students notice their own dress code violations.. soon they will be doing it on there own. Intermediate classes are another story.

Please don't give up... the way you feel is perfectly normal. And it will get better.... I promise. I am in my 3rd year teaching at a high school, and it's gotten better every semester. The best advice I can give is to be consistent.... call parents.... be consistent... follow the prescribed steps of the school concerning discipline.

It will come... good luck to you.... All teachers understand just how you are feeling.

please make sure you stick it out this year. i teach in an inner city school and last year was my first year there. i was cursed at, hit in the face, and was expected to bring their reading level up by 4 grade levels at the same time. one girl vomited in my room all the time for the attention. it was nuts.

about half way through the year i finally stopped crying and realized that there are only so many things i can do at once, and i just had to battle them one at a time. our kids wear uniforms, and apparently girls aren't allowed to wear earrings that are larger than a quarter. and my principal has said to us multiple times that it is very important that their earrings are smaller. well, honestly, i don't carry a ruler around to measure each earring, and half the time i don't really notice. if i see them, i see them and just tell them to take them off. if i don't see them, then maybe i was busy actually teaching and not sweating the small stuff.

you can't let what your principal says about tucked in shirts get to you. eventually, you will start to see the untucked stuff, but with only 7 weeks under your belt, you need to be focusing on classroom routines so you can get a good schedule and flow going and reach those kids that need your extra support.

you went into teaching for a reason. revisit those feelings. and if all else fails, start a countdown calendar for the summer. summer break really helps you gather your thoughts and actually go back for another year.

next year you won't have to worry about sucking in all of the information and guidelines that you are learning about now. with every year it gets a bit easier.

good luck! give yourself (and the kids) a little more time. you may find yourself missing the ones who caused you the most trouble.