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10 Must Know Tips for New Teachers

What first year teacher doesn’t need some great tips to survive the school year? I’d say a good hack is way more valuable than all the Target Spot back to school goodies in stock right now! I’m sure all the adorable ‘school is in session’ decor and bins are calling your name and reminding you that summer’s end inches nearer and nearer. With school starting soon, I wanted to share with you 10 MUST KNOW tips to help make your first year a little less stressful! If I were you, I’d also save this post to revisit it in October, January, and March. If those months seem random to you, it turns out those are some of the most stressful months of the year! Who knew, right? These tips can help ground you back to what’s important in education and how to continue pushing through learning and growing with your kiddos! 

10 must know tips for new teachers blog post

1. Get To Know Your LEARNERS

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s definitely a number one priority as an educator.  When I say get to know them, I mean learn about who they are, what their interests are, who is in their family, and how they learn best. Truly knowing your students will help them trust you, and ultimately, help you teach them. Students can’t learn from you until they feel loved, respected, and have trust. By spending the time getting to know them, playing with them on the playground, talking to them about what their life is like outside of school, and doing activities where you can really connect, you will find that you can achieve almost ANYTHING with your students! 

2. Build a Positive Classroom Community

Right at the top of the list with getting to know your students is building a positive, kind, and healthy classroom community. This takes time, energy, and work. However, taking the time to do this at the beginning of the year will make for a classroom that works well together and helps lift each other up throughout the entire year. There are a number of ways to help build your community. Engaging in Team building activities, Morning Meetings, Connection Circles, and targeting Social and Emotional Skills are just a few of the great ways to start out strong and build a foundation. Starting from day one and continuing every day will ensure a strong, healthy classroom community. Always remember to greet your students with a smile EVERY DAY. It may be the only one they see all day. A great and easy way to connect with students is with morning greetings! Check out the FREE one below!

morning greeting freebie

Love this FREE resource?

Sign up now and get exclusive access to this freebie and many more in the continuously growing freebie library!

3. Take TIME to Establish Routines and Procedures

Routines and procedures are like the glue that keeps your classroom together. They are both things to not only plan out, but to spend ample amounts of TIME establishing and practicing with students. They should be very EXPLICIT and CLEAR and modeled by you as many times as needed. Getting these crucial components down at the beginning of the year will save you for the REST of the year. Plan to spend the first SIX WEEKS with students building those rules, routines, and procedures and this will help your students hit the ground running when it comes to instruction, because they know what is expected of them. Thinking through things like carpet time procedures, hallway procedures, and bathroom procedures, are just a few but very important things to think about. Check out this blog post HERE to learn more specifics about teaching routines and procedures to students. 

4. Be Creative in Engagement

Your students have you as their teacher and do you know why that is special? Because no one else is YOU! No one can do things the exact way as you, nor does anyone have the exact same passions or interests as you. So USE THAT! Be creative!! Engage students with YOUR bag of tricks. This will take some time to build, but think about what you’re already good at and use those skills to your advantage! Are you really funny? Use that as an engagement tool. Love to sing or rap? Add music into your lessons! Build your bag of tricks and engage students with YOUR passions and interests. Chances are… if you’re into it, they will be into it too. This also allows students to freely be them and makes them feel comfortable bringing their own creativeness to the table. It’s an overall fun time! 

5. Learn the Standards

This will take time to do and years to get really good at, but LEARN those standards! This is one of the best ways to ensure you are covering things students need to know and that you’re not creating unintentional gaps. Curriculums for subjects may get outdated, but your state standards typically won’t. They may shift and change some, but learning the standards will help you understand the what, why, and how of teaching skills and strategies to students. 

10 must know tips for new teachers

6. Utilize Your Families

Your families will be your partner in growing and learning with their kids so UTILIZE them! Get to know who is a part of your student’s family and who helps care for them to foster connections. They typically know your students better than ANYONE so use them for information, ideas, and even help in the classroom if they can! Share the positive with them and keep them in the loop of what goes on in your class. This will help you have a smooth year and build even stronger connections with your students!

7. Take Care of YOU

While all the things are important, nothing is more important than your mental health. It is SO easy to get consumed and say yes to ALL the things. HOWEVER, it is important to set boundaries for your time outside the classroom, know your limits, and set clear expectations for the extra duties you do pick up. The first year is HARD. So don’t forget to take care of YOU. Know when to leave and put things down for the day. Try to stay around the positive energies and not delve into the drama. Set timers to do things like drink water and take deep breaths. Don’t feel guilty about using those personal days. Take a mental health day when you need it. I know it’s hard to step back, but sometimes it’s not only the best thing for you, but also your students. 

8. Organization is Key

This is a HUGE one. There are SO many things in the classroom. Between your things and the students’ things, needless to say- it is A LOT. Try to create spaces for things at the beginning of the year so that they can stay organized throughout the year. Sometimes even having a place for miscellaneous things can be very helpful! Also spending some time in the middle of the year reorganizing can really help get you through the end of the year. Things WILL pile up, but that’s ok! Just try to organize as much as you can. Even if you don’t think it needs to be organized, chances are, it does. 

9. Ask for Help

This is something I wish I would have done more of my first year. Do not be ashamed or afraid to ASK FOR HELP! There is SO much to learn and it is VERY overwhelming. Find a few teachers who can help and support you in times of need. It may end up being some teammates, someone in administration, or even people on the opposite side of the building from you. Whoever it is, build a support group of people who can and will help you. Sometimes you even just need someone to talk to. The first year is not easy, but you DON’T have to do it alone. 

10. Have Fun!

The last and probably most important tip of all is to HAVE FUN! While the first year is full of many challenges, lessons, and yes even tears…try to make the most of it and have FUN with your students. You will only have this group of students one time so make the best of it! Be silly, laugh, and enjoy your first year. It only happens once in a lifetime and believe me, it is a year you will NEVER forget.

Are you feeling completely overwhelmed and not sure where to start as a first year teacher? Check out the Beginning of the Year Teacher Survival Guide. This guide goes into extensive detail on how to successfully set up your classroom for the entire year. You’ll learn how to successfully set up your classroom in a way that flows and stays organized, strategies for building a positive classroom community, and all kinds of information on classroom management and instruction! This guide will have you SET and help take some of the stress and pressure off. For a more interactive version, you can check out my brand new Building a Student Centered Classroom HERE!

Beginning of the Year Teacher Survival Guide

I really hope you enjoyed learning 10 must know tips to thrive the first year! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the Morning Greetings FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how-to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me  @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.

To follow me on TPT and get all the latest updates on HALF OFF new products, click HERE!

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A fun place to be apart of the educational journey. Full of all things teaching! The good, the bad, and even the ugly. Join my experiences and subscribe to my email list to get the most up to date tips and tricks.

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Let’s celebrate back to school with a book G*I*V Let’s celebrate back to school with a book G*I*V*E*A*W*A*Y 🥳🥳🥳

Enter to win a book of your choice!! 

1️⃣ Make sure you’re following me 
2️⃣ Tell me your favorite back to school activity 
3️⃣ Tag some friends who would love to win too 

🌟 BONUS!! Share this post to your stories and don’t forget to tag me! 🌟

I’ll choose 3 lucky winners Monday morning! 🤩

AND one lucky winner will get to choose a book of their choice and get the mega first week kit to go with it! Good luck! 🥳
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It’s time for a G*I*V*E*A*W*A*Y! 🥳 All week It’s time for a G*I*V*E*A*W*A*Y! 🥳

All week I’ve been sharing about how to totally rock your first week of school with tons of ideas and tips. 

Now it’s time to celebrate and help kickstart your year by giving away one of these mega kits!

Entering is EASY! 

1️⃣ Make sure you’re following me
2️⃣ Tell us your favorite part of this kit 
3️⃣ Tag some friends who would love to win too!

🌟 For BONUS entries…. Share this post to your stories and don’t forget to tag me! 

I’ll choose one lucky winner Monday morning! Good luck! 🤩
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Let’s have some fun! If you had to choose one, w Let’s have some fun! If you had to choose one, which would be your IDEAL classroom?! 

This is a hard choice for me but if I had to pick only one I would choose classroom 4!!

Which would you choose? Let us know below! ⬇️

Image credit @educationtothecore 
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It’s time for #tptfreebie Friday! 🥳 This is It’s time for #tptfreebie Friday! 🥳

This is one of my absolute favorite back to school activities that I hand out at our meet the teacher event.

It’s a super simple easy activity to get to know your students even better. Students put three things that represent them in the bag and bring it back to school during the first week of school.

They bring the most THOUGHTFUL things in. I have definitely shed some tears at the sweet stuff they bring in. 😭

With this EXCLUSIVE freebie, you will have everything you need for this great community building activity. 

Grab yours now! Happy Friday! 🎉
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Save these classroom set up tips! After spending Save these classroom set up tips!

After spending a LOT of time setting up classrooms…. I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. Here are a few of my favorites! 🤩

🌟 Hot glue is a great way to attach laminated sheets to concrete, brick, and other types of walls. 

🌟 Line up all your pages to be hung up and count until you find the middle. Start hanging from the middle and work your way outside to make sure it’s even.

🌟 Use matte spray on laminated sheets to greatly reduce the glare from lights. 

🌟 Line up letters and gently tape them onto bulletin boards or the wall to get them lined up exactly the way you want before gluing or stapling. 

🌟 Velcro dots are a life saver for things like your calendar and daily schedule.

Let us know your favorite classroom setup hacks below! ⬇️ 
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I feel this sooo hard! 🤣 Anyone else relate to I feel this sooo hard! 🤣

Anyone else relate to this right now? 🙋‍♀️

Image credit @lonestarclassroom 
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Save these easy, fun, and engaging back to school Save these easy, fun, and engaging back to school craft ideas! 🥳

Crafts are a great way to get to know students, break up the first weeks of school, and show off new learning.

BONUS!! They look GREAT in the hallway! 

These and SO much more are all apart of the First Week Kit MEGA bundle. 

Drop a 🤩 to learn more about the kit now!
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Help students get to know their space with a scave Help students get to know their space with a scavenger hunt!

This is one of my favorite first week activities because not only does it help students but it is also a great way to get them up and moving around for those much needed movement breaks! 

Learn more fun first week activities now! 🥳
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Let’s talk about back to school stress for a min Let’s talk about back to school stress for a minute. 

This is the time of year that is so exciting and of course so stressful. The back to school nightmares began, the to-do list starts to fill up, and of course the work emails start back up. 

Which of these has you the most stressed right now?

It’s A LOT. But don’t worry… I CAN HELP!

Drop a comment with something that’s stressing you out the most and I’ll help by sending you some of my favorite tips and tricks for the beginning of the year. ❤️
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Lindsay Sauer

17 hours ago

Lindsay Sauer
It’s time for a G*I*V*E*A*W*A*Y! 🥳All week I’ve been sharing about how to totally rock your first week of school with tons of ideas and tips. Now it’s time to celebrate and help kickstart your year by giving away one of these mega kits!With this kit, you will have your ENTIRE first week of school planned for you. We’re talking detailed lesson plans, anchor chart headers, daily classroom slides, editable procedure posters, engaging activities, and of course tons of team building!Entering is EASY! 1️⃣ Make sure you’re following me2️⃣ Tell us your favorite part of this kit 3️⃣ Tag some friends who would love to win too!🌟 For BONUS entries…. Share this post to your stories and don’t forget to tag me! I’ll choose one lucky winner Monday morning! Good luck! 🤩••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #tptfreebie #tptsale #igconnect4edu #firstyearteacher #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #teacherinspiration #teachershare #classroommanagement #backtoschool #classroomcommunity #makelearningfun ... See MoreSee Less

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Lindsay Sauer

1 day ago

Lindsay Sauer
Let’s have some fun! If you had to choose one, which would be your IDEAL classroom?! This is a hard choice for me but if I had to pick only one I would choose classroom 4!!Which would you choose? Let us know below! ⬇️Image credit @educationtothecore ••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #iteachtoo #igconnect4edu #tftpickme #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #teacherweekend #primaryteacher #teachershare #backtoschool #teacherquotes #teacherfun ... See MoreSee Less

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Lindsay Sauer

2 days ago

Lindsay Sauer
It’s time for #tptfreebie Friday! 🥳This is one of my absolute favorite back to school activities that I hand out at our meet the teacher event.It’s a super simple easy activity to get to know your students even better. Students put three things that represent them in the bag and bring it back to school during the first week of school.They bring the most THOUGHTFUL things in. I have definitely shed some tears at the sweet stuff they bring in. 😭With this EXCLUSIVE freebie, you will have everything you need for this great community building activity. Grab yours now! Happy Friday! 🎉{🔗 on profile}••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #iteachtoo #igconnect4edu #ilovemystudents #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #classroomcommunity #teacherinspiration #backtoschool #meettheteacher #backtoschoolnight ... See MoreSee Less

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Lindsay Sauer

3 days ago

Lindsay Sauer
Help students get to know their space with a scavenger hunt!This is one of my favorite first week activities because not only does it help students but it is also a great way to get them up and moving around for those much needed movement breaks! Learn more fun first week activities now! 🥳{🔗 on profile}••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #iteachtoo #igconnect4edu #teacherinspiration #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #makelearningfun #primaryteacher #clasroomcommunity #backtoschool #classroommanagement #firstweekofschool ... See MoreSee Less

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Lindsay Sauer

3 days ago

Lindsay Sauer
Let’s talk about back to school stress for a minute. This is the time of year that is so exciting and of course so stressful. The back to school nightmares began, the to-do list starts to fill up, and of course the work emails start back up. Which of these has you the most stressed right now?It’s A LOT. But don’t worry… I CAN HELP!Drop a comment with something that’s stressing you out the most and I’ll help by sending you some of my favorite tips and tricks for the beginning of the year. ❤️••••#elementaryteacher #teaching #classroom #teachingideas #classroomideas #education #handsonlearning #teachertribe #teacher #teachers#teacherlife #teacherproblems #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachersofig #iteach #iteachfirst #iteachtoo #igconnect4edu #teacherspayteachers #weareteachers #teacherquotes #backtoschool #firstyearteacher #classroommanagement #classroomcommunity #firstweekofschool #firstyearteachers ... See MoreSee Less

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  • What do you envision when you think of your writing classroom setup? Writers workshop for 1st grade is a great way for all students to work on the writing process, no matter what their age is or developmental skills are. Today, I will talk about how to get started with writers workshops for your elementary classroom. I include ideas for writing workshop organization, a list of read aloud books for kids that are great to use for teaching about the writing process, and other writing resources.
  • Do your 2nd graders find it difficult to work with partners? Today, I will give you some of my classroom tips and tricks for partnering students and ideas for utilizing partner activities in the classroom. A great way to pair up students for working as partners is with partner cards. I also include a link to my activity pack for partner cards in the classroom that include sentence starters. Also, check out my classroom poster for perfect pairs that is great for the beginning of the school year.
  • Are you looking for some faBOOlous Halloween activities? Activities that will be engaging during October? I have planned some wonderful Halloween themed activities for my students. I have included Halloween science experiments, Halloween reading activities, Halloween writing activities, and math lessons. Find Halloween books for kids, a reading comprehension activity using the book Crankenstein, and a STEM activity.
  • Fall in the classroom is right around the corner and you are probably looking for seasonal classroom activities. Check out this blog post for 5 fun and engaging fall activities for kids. Some of my fall activities that you can read about here include sensory bins with acorns, handwriting activities with leaves, and a writing activity that you can use as a fall bulletin board in your 1st grade classroom. Learn about all of these fall activities for kids elementary today.
  • Are you using math workshop for 1st grade? Today, I talk about why you should use math workshop, or what is also known as guided math in the classroom. Math workshop model combines hands-on learning activities with direct instruction so that your elementary students can increase their math skills. In this blog post, you will see some of the math resources I use, including some engaging math center activities and math rotation slides to help guide students during their work time.
  • Are you looking for fall literacy activities that you can use during fall centers? Today, I am sharing some of my favorite fall activities for kids including sight word task cards, upper and lowercase sensory bins and a beginning sound activity. I also share a digraphs activity and a fun fall rhyming words activity. These fall activities are great for literacy centers, morning work, or early finishers.
  • Does your elementary classroom have a centers setup that helps facilitate independent learning with small group learning? This blog post gives you everything you need on how to set up centers in a classroom that will help your 1st graders be successful. See my list on how you can start preparing your classroom for successful centers like anchor charts, practice centers for literacy and math, and more. You can even check out my ideas for center organization and my center rotation display here.
  • Fall in the classroom is right around the corner and you are probably looking for seasonal classroom activities. Check out this blog post for 5 fun and engaging fall activities for kids. Some of my fall activities that you can read about here include sensory bins with acorns, handwriting activities with leaves, and a writing activity that you can use as a fall bulletin board in your 1st grade classroom. Learn about all of these fall activities for kids elementary today.
  • Parent Teacher Conferences can be extremely stressful but it doesn’t have to be! It’s so important to be organized and know everything you want to discuss during the conference. Today, I am sharing my top teaching tips for parent teacher conferences that will help build those parent teacher relationships. Do you want to know more ways for a successful parent-teacher conference? Find all of my parent teacher conference ideas now!

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