What to Do In Your First Year

OK.. so you are new.. Welcome to the Club (I initially want to use 'welcome to the jungle' term, then I think, if I use this term, then the students are the animals, it sounds rude! )

I wrote this post in my 8th years as a teacher. So read and pay attention well, Junior!

If this year is your first year, then I want to say CONGRATULATION, you chose the greatest profession in the world. It has the highest EMOTIONAL salary (lol.. hope you were not disappointed).

Since this year is your first year, then I recommend you to think thoroughly over this year, whether you see this as a JOB or as a CALLING. I told you this because if you see this as a job, then being a teacher is a very tiring and demanding job. But I really hope and pray, that you eventually find this as a calling, so you can truly bless by this bliss.

Now, the real checklist :

1. Prepare your brain, coz you will need to remember a lot of names.. a lot.. and sometimes even parents names. It is good to ask previous teachers for students' photos, ahead of class.  You also need to remember a lot of rules, routines, procedures, bla.. bla.. and blaaaa...
2. Check on your class.. Clean and neat class bring excitement in learning.
3. Find a mentor. Someone with bright smile and enough experiences. Someone with positive attitudes and words - If you found someone who like to complain, STAY AWAY! they are toxic. 
4. Set the TONE! Repetition is the mother of learning. Decide what rules and routines that you want to build over the year. Be clear and consistent about it to your kids.
5. Smile! Give your best impression on students' first day. You don't want they run and tell their dad that they don't want to go to school. 
6. Be WARM and COOL enough. Your goal IS NOT to be liked by the students, but to educate them. It needs someone who warm enough to start relation, and cool enough to be respected.
7. Ask.. -I don't know why in my country people are rarely ask - Stop assume that you know. It's OK to ask, you are new anyway.
8. Subscribe to my blog :p You will get a lot of good information regarding education. Subscribe and follow education blog, channel, Instagram, or Pinterest. They will give you bunch of ideas.
9. PRAY... you are not handling a machine, you are handling people, so you need God to help you with this...
10. Enjoy the day. Learning is a journey, and you also just start your learning journey as a teacher

A professional once a beginner, so it's really OK if you feel you don't know a lot. The most important  thing is you have LOVE for kids, and it's enough to make you a MERAKI teacher. 

Welcome!