Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 204: Five Things Every New Teacher Should Do in May

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Ep 204: Five Things Every New Teacher Should Do in May · New Teacher Talk

Welcome back to New Teacher Talk.
We are so glad you're here today.
Whether you're teaching in a big city, a suburban school,
or a small community where everyone knows your name.
And, we really do see you small community teachers.
Today, we're going to talk about May.
And if you're a new teacher right now, first of all,
you made it.
You are in the home stretch.
That is not nothing.
Give yourself a moment.
May is a lot.
It's exciting and emotional and chaotic and somehow every
week has a spirit day, a field trip, a testing window,
and a birthday party all happening at the same time.
It's truly a lot.
So today we're breaking down five things every new teacher
should do in May,
not to add to your already overfilled plate.
But to help you finish strong and set yourself up so that
next year's version of you is a little less frazzled.
Think of this as your main survival guide from two people
who have been there and lived to tell the tale.
We have many tales.
Okay, let's get into it.
All right, number one.
And I want you to actually do this,
not just nod and forget about it.
Take 10 minutes this week,
grab a sticky note or your phone and write down three
things that went well this year.
Just three. That's it.
Because here's the thing,
new teachers are really hard on themselves,
like really hard.
And I get it, I was the same way.
You remember every lesson that flopped and every moment you
wished you'd handled differently.
Oh yes,
I have a highlight reel of my worst moments from my first
year.
It plays on loop at about 2am sometimes.
In 4K, right?
But here's what you forgot.
You've also grown so much.
You've figured things out.
You've learned what works for your students, your building,
and your style.
And, when you stop to actually write that down,
you're not just being nice to yourself.
You're building your playbook for next year.
You're identifying what's sustainable and worth keeping.
So pause.
Breathe.
Celebrate the things you nailed.
You've earned it.
Number two,
ask your students how it went and before you panic,
we're not talking about a formal survey with bubble sheets
or a liquored scales.
We're already past testing season.
Let's not do that.
We're talking about something a little different.
It's May.
Exactly.
We mean something simple and honest.
Just ask your students three questions.
First, what helped you learn this year?
Second, what made class feel safe?
And third, what should we do more of next year?
And then brace yourself,
because kids will tell you the truth.
They will not hold back.
They will not,
but they'll also tell you things that genuinely matter,
things you would have never thought to ask about,
and that feedback is precious.
You know,
I had a student once tell me that what made her feel safe
was that I always said hi to her at the door.
That was it.
It was just a hello.
I had no idea how much that meant to her.
That's exactly it.
And this works in every setting, rural, urban, suburban,
and all grade levels.
Your students know what's working.
Give them a chance to tell you.
Doing this also shows them respect.
It shows you see them as a partner in your classroom,
not just kids to be managed.
All of this really matters.
It does.
Okay, number three, and this one is really important.
Document the things you want to remember.
Write them down now while they're fresh.
Because I promise you, and I say this with deep love,
by August,
your brain will have completely erased half of what you did
in May.
And part of that is good, and it's true.
Summer is a hard reset.
You'll show up in August with absolutely no memory of that
one parent communication strategy that absolutely saved
your life in March.
So write it down.
The procedures that actually worked,
the lessons that you hit,
the ones that flopped spectacularly and taught you
something anyway.
We've all been there.
Hmm. Take pictures of your classroom setup before you tear
it down future you will be so grateful.
Especially if you're switching rooms or grade levels next
year or if you're in a rural district where you teach three
different subjects and you need to remember what you did
for all of them.
Think of it as your own personal teacher archive,
your receipts for a really hard year of work.
I like that phrase, your receipts.
That's pretty cool, Anna.
Number four, start building relationships for next year.
This is the perfect time to do that.
And no,
we don't mean making a new best friend in your school
before June.
That's not what we're talking about.
What we mean is something more strategic than that.
Think about the people who actually make your school run.
The front office secretary, the custodian, the tech person,
the para who seems to know every single kid's full life
history.
Those are your people.
They are the ones who will obviously help you when the
copier jams at 7:45 in the morning,
and when you desperately need a new desk or something for
your classroom,
or even when you're trying to figure out some unwritten
rule of the building that nobody has really ever taken time
to explain to you.
And if you're in a small school,
these relationships are everything.
In a bigger school,
they'll help you navigate systems that can feel really
overwhelming.
Start now, it's May.
A genuine thank you, a note, a conversation,
just a kind word.
All of those go such a long way and people will remember
who saw them.
And honestly,
those relationships make teaching so much better.
This job is not meant to be done alone.
Teaching is very collaborative,
and we need to recognize that element of what we do as
professionals.
And number five, this one is from the heart as well.
Protect your energy.
May will try to take you out.
I mean that lovingly, but also literally.
The field trips, the assemblies, final year testing,
the end of year celebrations,
the random schedule changes that appear out of nowhere.
Hey, your class is going to be cut to 15 minutes today.
And I just started a lab that takes 45 minutes.
Well, yeah, and you know, I don't know about you, Anna,
but why are there so many spirit weeks?
It seems like spirit weeks happen every week in the month
of May.
Why are there so many of them?
Nobody knows!
But here's the thing.
You get to set some limits.
Leave at a reasonable time, say no when you need to,
don't wear the funny hat if you don't like it,
eat your lunch sitting down more than once this week.
That counts as self-care at this point in the year.
And, don't feel guilty about any of that.
You cannot pour from an empty cup.
We've mentioned that numerous times in podcast episodes
we've done with New Teacher Talk.
You've heard it before, we get it,
but we really want you to hear it.
You cannot teach well when you're running on empty.
Rest is not laziness.
Rest is part of the job.
Take care of yourself so you can finish this year strong
and actually start next year feeling like a human being.
You deserve that.
Your students deserve a teacher who is rested so give
yourself permission.
Don't feel guilty.
Okay, so there you have it.
Five things every teacher should do in May.
First, check in on what's working.
Second, gather some honest student feedback.
Third, document everything before you forget it.
Fourth, build those relationships.
And five,
protect your energy like it's precious because it is.
You're doing good work.
You've made it this far, and that means something.
Be proud of yourself today.
If this episode was helpful, as we always say,
share it with another new teacher who might need a little
encouragement right now.
We all need someone in our corner, especially in May.
And come find us on Instagram and Blue Sky and New Teacher
Talk.
We post weekly resources and Thursday Thoughts to keep you
going all the way to the last day.
You've got this, and we'll see you next time.
Take care of yourselves, everyone.