Just for the first year, give yourself a break, take on only the necessary obligations.
From experience my advice is: ‘If it is optional, opt out’.
The first year is a tough gig. It takes time to think things through and get a feel for the classroom. It takes time to move from writing up individual lesson plans to writing just weekly plans (you may still want to write yourself some notes for each lesson. I still do sometimes although a lot of my thinking is done as I write my program).
The first year is filled with getting to the know the school culture, figuring out your students’ personalities, learning how to use the photocopier, deciding how to set up your filing cabinet and how you will organise the administration each week. It takes time to adjust to working full-time as opposed to studying full-time.
As a first year teacher you will have enough on your plate just finding your feet. Emotions may be strong in you to get involved, but my advice is; if it’s optional, opt out, just for now.
I know you want to take on drama club and teach the school netball or soccer team. You want to help organise social events and take on the school veggie patch. My tip: resist, for this year anyway. Trust me, you will find that there will be a myriad of things to get involved in next year. Help is always needed, somewhere.
Give yourself time to enjoy the classroom. It might be fun to plan the school play, but leave it until next year. There will be events that you are not able to opt out of like the ‘meet the teacher night’, so instead of piling on responsibilities, give yourself fully to your students in your class. Everything else can wait a year.
‘Optionals’ always take up more time than what you think they will. Coaching not only requires afternoons after school, but weekend games too. The veggie patch needs attention not only in the school term, but during the holidays as well. Jobs for the school play multiply somehow and there is a never ending list until the last solo!
Parent/Teacher meetings, the school open day, the term bush dance, awards night and other necessary obligations will probably be sufficient for now. It’s a temptation to get involved, but my encouragement for you is to do only the necessary. Get support from your family to help you stay ‘option free’ for the year.
Your family needs you to be free to be you. Your students need you alert to assist them. You need you to be healthy to enjoy the journey of your first year and have energy for those necessary things.
Opt out. Just for the first year. There’ll be plenty to do just for your class and students during this time.
Next year could be a different story. But because you treated yourself well in your first year, you’ll still be present and keen to take up the options, right?
If it’s optional, opt out, just for now. You’ll be glad you did…and so will your family, so will your students and so will you.
