Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 165: Ask for Help: A First-Year Teacher's Guide to Finding Support and Building Community

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Ep 165: Ask for Help: A First-Year Teacher's Guide to Finding Support and Building Community · New Teacher Talk

Hello everyone, and welcome to New Teacher Talk.
I'm Samar Abousalem,
a fifth grade math and science teacher at Glen Oaks
Elementary School in Hickory Hills, Illinois.
Today,
I wanna share a piece of advice I wish someone had shared
with me during my first year of teaching.
It's simple, but powerful.
Don't be afraid to lean in on other teachers' expertise.
If it is your first year and it feels like a whirlwind
right now,
if you are feeling overwhelmed or questioning your decision
about teaching,
or if you're questioning whether or not you will survive to
the end of the year, I want you to know something,
you are not alone.
Even after 15 years in the classroom and having taught a
variety of grade levels and content areas,
I still remember exactly how that first year felt.
It was a struggle, a real struggle.
No matter how well I thought I'd prepared myself during
student teaching,
nothing compared to being the one responsible for an entire
classroom.
There are lesson plans, district initiatives, meetings,
student needs, parent emails,
and somehow I was supposed to balance it all while still
having a personal life.
I'd stay after school for hours planning lessons,
curating material, scraping things that didn't work,
trying something new the next day,
and trying to make every detail perfect.
And then, of course,
I'd go home to more planning while juggling dinner,
my family, my own children's schoolwork, games,
and after-school activities.
Plus, you know,
all those million little things that life throws at you.
Honestly, it was exhausting, truly exhausting.
And looking back,
I realized it really didn't have to be that way.
Part of the stress was my own doing.
As always, I set the expectations high for myself,
always trying to be a bit of an overachiever.
I wanted to prove myself.
I didn't want anyone to see what I didn't know.
I thought if I asked for help,
people might think I wasn't capable or prepared.
So I told myself I can figure it out on my own.
But that was a mistake, a big mistake,
because teaching isn't meant to be done alone.
It is a profession built on community, on sharing ideas,
wisdom, and experiences, and that collaboration piece.
It wasn't until my second year that I finally started
leaning in on other teachers, asking questions,
observing their classrooms, seeking feedback,
and then everything changed.
I started learning faster, feeling more confident,
and realizing that no one expected me to have it all
figured out, even in my second year.
The teachers around me wanted to help.
I just had to ask.
So here's my advice to you, ask for help, lean in.
The experienced teachers in your buildings,
the ones who seem so calm, so organized,
they've all been where you are.
They've made mistakes, tried new things,
and learned what works.
And most of them,
they're happy to share what they have learned.
Start with your mentor teacher.
They're there to support and guide you,
not to judge or evaluate you.
I wish someone would have shared this with me.
Chances are your mentor was paired with you because of
their experience in your grade level, content area,
or their ability to mentor effectively.
Use that connection.
And if your school doesn't have a mentoring program,
reach out to your grade level team,
or even a teacher in another grade level who inspires you.
But here's the key, be intentional.
You don't want it to be a session to then about being
overwhelmed.
It is okay to be honest about being overwhelmed.
I'm sure even that teacher that you're going to,
for advice,
is also feeling a bit overwhelmed as well at this time of
the year, except for they have the answers.
When you ask for help, come with specific questions.
Today,
I've broken down five key areas you may want to ask questions
about.
Curriculum and planning, pacing and time management,
classroom management, instructional strategies,
assessment and feedback.
For curriculum and planning,
here are some questions you may want to focus on.
How do you break down the curriculum across the year to
make sure you cover everything?
What standards or units tend to take more time than
expected?
How do you decide what to prioritize when there isn't
enough time for everything?
How do you align your lessons with district pacing guides
while still meeting your student needs?
What are some must-teach lessons or activities that really
help support student understanding of key concepts?
How do you plan for differentiation in your lessons?
Pacing and time management,
these are four questions you can use.
How closely do you follow the pacing guide and when do you
adjust it?
What strategies do you use to stay on pace during short
weeks or testing seasons?
How do you balance reviewing old material while teaching
new content?
How much time do you typically spend on a lesson before
moving on?
For classroom management,
here are four questions you may wanna think about asking.
What classroom routines or procedures make your day run
smoothly?
How do you handle off-task or disruptive behavior without
losing instructional time?
How do you build positive relationships with students who
are challenging?
How do you use positive reinforcement effectively?
For instructional strategies,
these are six questions you may use.
How do you introduce new concepts so students really
understand them?
What's your go-to strategy when students are struggling
with the concept?
How do you check for understanding during the lesson?
What does a typical lesson look like in your classroom?
How do you scaffold lessons for English language learners
or students with IAPs?
How do you make lessons more engaging and hands-on?
Finally, for assessment and feedback,
here are some questions you may wanna consider.
What types of formative assessments do you use most often?
How do you give feedback that helps students grow without
overwhelming them?
How do you track students' progress effectively?
How do you handle re-teaching?
What's your approach to grading,
especially for effort versus mastery?
And what must be graded and what can I just check in?
You may want to ask if you can observe them teaching a
specific lesson or strategy in action,
or to see the flow of their classroom procedures to see how
they transition smoothly.
Sometimes even those small details make a huge difference
in a teacher's daily routines.
Remember, every conversation you have,
every small piece of advice will save you endless time,
frustration, and will add to your toolkit.
And little by little, you'll find your rhythm.
You'll notice that you're not just surviving anymore.
You're growing.
Leaning in on others is not a sign of weakness.
It is a sign of wisdom.
It is a growth mindset.
It means you're understanding what teaching is really about
learning, growing, connecting, and collaborating.
So my challenge for you is this.
Be brave enough to ask, be open enough to listen,
and be humble enough to learn.
Because one day you're going to be the teacher somebody
else looks up to, and when that happens,
you'll remember what it felt like to be a new teacher and
allow that teacher to lean in on you for support.
You've got this, and remember, you are not alone.
Thank you for listening to New Teacher Talk,
and welcome to an incredible journey of teaching.
That's a wrap on today's New Teacher Talk.
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