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Teaching
By Cathy-Dee

I loved Lisa's post. I remember my first class, it is awesome. And even now looking towards starting my 9th year I'm still excited, looking at which kids I'll have. Starting to think about changes I'll make, it's great.

I
found my first 2-3 years were my busiest as far as the general planning, classroom management tricks, etc., Now I spend more time finding new things to do in my class or updating my unit plans, etc., So I can have some "down" time during the Summer and other holidays, and I don't spend every evening or weekend at school.
As far as what to do when you are first starting out. First

don't panic when you start to feel overwhelmed. There's a lot to teaching. No one can do everything in their first year. Most Principals (especially with the primary grades) are concerned with language arts and math. The other subjects are important too, but spend your time with the first two. Then in following years you can work on science, social studies, etc., and make them great too.
Don't buy tons of stuff until you've had a chance to see what the school has. I bought so many resource books, etc., that I never used even in my first year. Once you know your grade - it's a good idea to find 5 or 6 good resource books - math, reading, writing ideas, even some with extra workpages you can copy, etc.,

Check out yard sales, garage sales, look for things like, craft items, yarns, old books, games, small book shelves. I'm still looking for a nice low table I can fit in one corner for puzzles, this way they can start more difficult puzzles and not have to put them away each day.

Get into your school as early as you can and ask for your school handbook, curriculum guides, and see what your classroom looks like. This will give you a much better picture of what you need to do and also help you to start focusing your thoughts.

On the strict vs. mean thread - the first few months will determine much of how your year is going to go as far as classroom atmosphere. I agree with the posts that stated strict means having rules and consequences that are fair. Kids need to know your expectations. I learned the hard way that if you say this is your last warning - then it has to be the last warning. I have thought through what my consequences are for my kids (one recess missed, 10 minutes of gym class, a phone call home, a trip to the Principal's office, missing centers, etc.,) To threaten missing a field trip - you have to be prepared to follow through.

And although some of Wong's ideas are old-fashioned - many of those older ideas still do work wonders. For my first graders a name on the chalk board and checkmarks often does more than anything else I've tried. I do try different things, but I will revert to the old-fashioned ideas if nothing else works. Your first few years of teaching will be finding out what your style is and what works best for you and your class.

Good luck to all the new teachers, you've entered a fantastic and rewarding career!