In the summer of 2019, I’d just accepted an eighth grade English Language Arts position in a new school district. Though I wasn’t new to teaching, I didn’t know anyone on the campus, and the principal that had originally hired me had been promoted to central office and wouldn’t be leading my middle school campus. Unexpectedly, I had an unplanned, emergency surgery the week before the school year began, and missed the first six weeks of the year due to the recovery plan advised by my oncologist.
I can still remember my first few weeks in the school building – learning names, trying to become familiar with the routines of this campus, and quietly hoping that I was meeting expectations that I was still trying to figure out.
It wasn’t the start I (or anyone in my shoes) wanted.
What do you want for your teachers?
➡️ When you think about the newest teachers in your building, how might they describe their first month? What has likely felt clear and supportive and what might still feel uncertain?
Reply in the comments and share one thing you believe a new teacher halfway through their first year in your building is experiencing right now in your school.
