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Hello! I will be graduating next year from college and was wondering if anyone had any advice for me? I will be a new teacher soon and thinking about what comes after college kind of scares me. As a new teacher I want to be sure I know what I'm doing and want to take it day by day, but I want advice on what I can do in my first year of teaching. If anyone has advice, I would love to hear it.

Janelle,

Thank you for your post. I think the best advice I can give you as a first year teacher is to find a positive mentor to work with. When I say a positive mentor, find someone in your building or district that you respect and that can help you grow. Stay away from naysayers in education because they are out there. A lot of districts are moving towards having instructional coaches or other mentor employees that have been in your shoes and can help you navigate difficult waters. Know that it is going to take time to grow as a teacher, time best used with someone at your side to bounce ideas off of. Always aim to get better, and work with people who talk about what you can do, not factors that you can't control that hold you back. 

Try new things. Fail sometimes. Pick yourself up and try something new. Teaching is an art as much as it is a science. Keep your passion for kids and don't get bogged down in distractions. Remember that you work for the kids, they don't work for you. Work to make the students' experience one of positive growth. 

And of course, have fun. You chose this profession to make a difference, so go out and do that!!

Good luck.