5 Things Every New Teacher Needs to Know

By Barbara R. Blackburn

Are you a new teacher? Are you nervous about starting the school year? I know I was my first year.

When I was writing my first book, one of my colleagues, Jason, pointed out that everyone has butterflies the first day of school. The goal is not to get rid of them; the goal is to line them up in formation!

Over the course of my teaching, and networking with other teachers, I’ve learned five key lessons about being a new teacher.

You dug the hole, planted the tree, watered it, added fertilizer and some TLC — but because it takes three to five years for an apple tree to grow to full height, someone else will enjoy the apples.

Teaching is exactly like that. You invest lots of time, energy, and passion today, but sometimes you have to trust that the fruits of your labor will flourish sometime in the future. You do the work and you trust there is a benefit in the years to come.

It’s important that every single day, you keep the faith. Your kids watch you; they read your moods; and they notice what you wear, what you say, and even sometimes what you think! And every single day, every single moment, remember, “On your worst day, you are still someone’s best hope.”

You are still their teacher. You—and you alone—are the key to someone learning today.

Barbara Blackburn was named one of the Top 30 Global Gurus in Education in 2017.A former teacher, school leader and university teacher educator, she is a best-selling author of 21 books including Rigor is Not a Four Letter Word and Rigor and Differentiation in the Classroom: Tools and Strategies (Routledge, 2018). A nationally recognized expert in the areas of rigor and motivation, she collaborates with schools and districts for professional development. Barbara can be reached through her website or her blog. Follow her on X-Twitter @BarbBlackburn.