How to Support New Teachers Early On
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder discusses why new teachers need honest expectations, reassurance, and real support to make it through the early learning curve.
Key Takeaways
- Normalize The Learning Curve - New teachers need to hear that exhaustion, uncertainty, and slow progress are normal at first and improve with experience.
- Prevent Unnecessary Attrition - Many teachers leave because no one tells them what early teaching really feels like or helps them see that it gets easier.
- Reduce Isolation - Teaching can feel lonely because adults work mostly alone, so regular check-ins and encouragement matter.
- Provide Non-Evaluative Support - New teachers need a coach or mentor who is not their evaluator and can offer perspective, resources, and reassurance.
- Encourage Peer Mentorship - Experienced and second-year teachers can make a life-changing difference by checking in and helping new colleagues adjust.
Full Transcript
New teachers need to be told that this is a job with a serious learning curve, and I think we need to normalize the fact that when you are first starting out as a teacher, it is going to take some time to get good at it.
It is going to take some time to get into the swing of planning and grading and not feeling like everything is just completely exhausting all the time. Do you remember, as a new teacher, how exhausted you felt at the end of the day or at the end of the week?
I've told this story before. I remember falling asleep on the floor of my living room, on a Friday afternoon when I got home, planning to watch a movie, planning to do, you know, normal Friday night stuff, and just having no energy and feeling that way week after week.
And it takes time, right?
It takes time and experience to manage your energy, to get the hang of, you know, the workflow of teaching. And I think people who are coming into it and feel that exhaustion and don't know that it's temporary, they don't know that it's normal, they don't know what to expect, I think a lot of people walk away from teaching
because we simply haven't set the right expectations and let them know, hey, everybody goes through this, it is normal. And at the same time, people also need to know when they're dealing with something that's not normal that they need to get some help with.
Like, if you have horror stories about your administrators, like, probably it's not normal to have those horror stories, right? Like, I've had some great administrators, lots of people have had great administrators, and people don't always know, oh, this isn't normal, what I'm dealing with.
So...
If you know a new teacher, check in with them. If you are getting to the end of the year and you are a new teacher and you see new people coming in next year, check in with them and be there for them to help them get a handle on this profession,
because I think it is a worthwhile one, but it is a difficult one. And because we have this yearly cycle, because as an adult, you mostly work alone, right? You're with kids all day, you're doing your job, and you're not necessarily getting a lot of feedback from other adults.
It can be very isolating, and you can wonder, am I doing a good job? Am I learning this job at the right speed?
Is this ever going to get easier? And, you know, hopefully the answers to all those are yes. You know, I am doing a good job. I am going to get the hang of this. But people need a partner. People need some reassurance.
So if you can be that person for someone, do. If you are hiring and supporting new teachers, make sure that they're getting someone dedicated to work with them. Make sure they're getting a coach. Make sure they're getting someone who is not their evaluator, right?
Everybody has to have an evaluator. But I think new teachers in particular need support as well from someone who's not an evaluator, who can just be a source of perspective and a source of encouragement and a source of resources.
And I remember, personally, I had a mentor teacher. Her name was Anne, and we ultimately became principals at the same time. That was kind of cool, but I mean, she really made a life-changing difference for me as a new teacher. Did you have a mentor who made a difference for you as a new teacher? Leave a comment and let me know.