Overwhelmingly, teacher education programs prepare new teachers to develop and use effective pedagogical strategies, support student well-being, and evaluate learning for continuous improvement.
While these are basic skills necessary for teachers to be effective professionals, there are other factors, particularly for new teachers, that they must be prepared for. Teachers must be mentally prepared and have the ability to handle the colossal task of “all things” related to teaching and learning beyond the primary focus of instruction and assessment.
To that end, here are some ways new teachers can mentally prepare for teaching.
1. Prioritize and plan self-care
When preparing for any air travel, you are reminded to take care of your own oxygen mask before attempting to assist children and other passengers. The same can be said for teaching, except the oxygen mask is the focus of your overall mental health and well-being.
Prioritizing and planning for self-care ahead of time is a great way to center mental well-being. When the days are exhausting and stressful, you will know that you already have strategies prepared to help you cope. Similar to how our students require their physiological, physical, and other needs to be met (think Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs), teachers need their needs met to be mentally prepared to be the best version of themselves. themselves.
Engaging in mindfulness activities can also be useful.
2. Avoid taking on too much too quickly
After several years of preparing to become a teacher, it's exciting to be ready to jump in and try all the learning activities and technology tools you've learned in your own teacher preparation programs. But remember, in addition to your list of action items, the school administrator and/or school district will have other priorities and policies that you will need to adhere to and focus on managing.
Instead of taking on too much too quickly when starting out, choose a teaching element and technology tool that you want to incorporate into your teaching and gain fluency with it. This way, you won't have to worry about doing everything at once and trying too many new teaching strategies at the beginning of your teaching journey.
3. Prepare to turn
Even the best-laid plans don't always come true. Specifically in education, there are so many elements of life that come into the classroom for students and for other teachers with whom we co-create, as well as environmental impacts, that can contribute to the need to change well-planned lessons.
When planning the lesson and developing activities for each day, have a backup plan and be prepared to move on to something else, if necessary. By mentally preparing yourself to be flexible when these things happen, you can make a difference in how you feel during that moment and what actions you take to ensure that learning still occurs.
4. Connect with colleagues
Starting with new teacher orientation, make connections with other teachers, both experienced and new. It may also be helpful to connect with members of the front office and administrative staff who may be knowledgeable about the mutual operations of the school. Find time to share what is going well in your first days of teaching and the areas where you need support.
By networking and communicating with your colleagues, you won't feel alone and can enjoy being in community with others who share an experience. Beyond your school, try to connect with other people in the field. This can be done by joining communities of practice in social media spaces, at conferences and trainings, and while continuing your own teacher education.
5. Use mental health and wellness resources
In addition to self-care, it's key to know what mental health and wellness resources are freely available to you. Some of the Mental health resources used during the pandemic. may still be relevant in your work today. Discover all the resources available to you through your health insurance plans and employee benefits from the district's human resources office. Some districts even have integrated mental health days on the academic calendar and your district may have similar programming.
These are just five of the many ways to mentally prepare to teach as a new teacher. If one, some, or all of these interest you, give it a try and see what works for you.
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