Once you have gained your teaching qualification and you have secured a teaching position, you might think the most difficult challenges are behind you. However, the fact is that teaching is full of challenges so it’s wise to be prepared, especially when you are new to the profession. We’ve put together some useful tips that new teachers can consider to help them navigate their way through this incredibly rewarding career. Read on to find out more.
Don’t Stop Learning
This first point is highly important to bear in mind because you might feel as though your learning days are behind you, and now it’s time to teach instead. The truth is that teachers should always keep learning to stay up to date with the latest news and methods, and to ensure they don’t fall behind which would mean offering their students a less satisfactory education.
You can take additional courses and gain more qualifications, and for some, this is the ideal thing to do, especially if they love learning and want to keep studying. For others, it might be better to join teacher workshops or attend conferences to discuss new ideas. Even reading blogs and journals can be helpful. As long as you work in the way that suits your situation best, you’ll be able to stay up to date and relevant.
Ask For Help
Just because you’re a newly qualified teacher who was successful in obtaining a job, that doesn’t mean you know everything – as we mentioned above, there is always more to discover. This is why it’s crucial you are able to ask for help if you need it. There will always be people there to help you, whether they are colleagues in your school who have plenty of experience or strangers in an online forum who understand what your challenges are.
Asking for help is not always easy, especially when you want to prove you can be good at teaching and be as successful as possible. However, you can’t learn if you never ask for help, and you can’t provide the students in your care the best knowledge and learning experience if you’re not confident about what you’re doing. Asking for help will put you in a better position and no one will think badly of you for asking.
Take Breaks
Newly qualified teachers often try to prove themselves and this can mean pushing harder than you really need to, or harder than you should for your mental and perhaps physical health. Remember that teaching is hard work, and although it’s admirable to go above and beyond for your students, you do need to ensure you take care of yourself as well if you want to be successful.
Taking breaks is the answer. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can leave in the middle of a lesson, but it does mean that you should schedule breaks into your day and even your downtime. Having good time management skills will help you do this in a way that benefits you and does not impact your teaching at all. When you allow yourself to have regular breaks, you’ll be a lot more energetic and productive.
