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Help! I'm a Brand-New Special Education Teacher!

Updated: Sep 2, 2023

The new school year is upon us, and many people are moving to new positions, or entering the field for the first time.  If you are one of those people, congratulations and/or welcome! I’m entering my fifteenth year in the education field and I can say that while it hasn’t always been easy, it’s been worth it!


I can clearly remember my first years of teaching, where, despite however much training I did (or did not) receive, after the first few days of school I felt like I had agreed to do something without fully understanding what the task entailed. I remember leaving my first week on the job, in front of my class, feeling a little something like this:

Yup, ready to take a lean back and swoon away onto some flowers in the grocery store. 

Anyway, I remember thinking that the only way I was going to get ahead and wrap my arms around the huge project I had undertaken as my career was going to be to work as hard as I could for as long as it took to get the job done.

With the benefit of hindsight I can say definitively that this is the wrong answer!  That kind of effort, just grinding away with no end in sight, is a recipe for burnout, and is one of the reasons that so many people leave the field (the other reasons could be blog posts all on their own- don’t worry, we’ll get to it!)


So if an endless grind every day isn’t the solution, what is? I’m happy to say there are a lot of other things that new teachers (and experienced teachers, if we’re honest) can do to make the first year easier, more enjoyable, and better for their students and themselves.


I give you…Five Tips for New Special Education Teachers!


1. Focus on one thing at a time. 

As a new special education teacher you’ve probably figured out by now that there’s always something to do and something going on.  I’m going to take a possibly unpopular opinion here and say that you will be better served finishing something than having five or six things half-finished.  This means avoiding distractions, keeping yourself organized (stay tuned here to the blog for future posts about systems that I’ve used) and staying in your lane. Especially in the beginning of the year it’s easy to become distracted by what’s going on around you. Try to avoid that if you can! 


2. Use your resources.

I’ve written her before about how new teachers need mentors (and about how veteran teachers need mentors too) for that matter.  That still holds true!  Not only do you need your official mentor, but you’ll need your unofficial mentors as well- your teammates, classroom neighbors, colleagues in other buildings, and even folks you meet through social media.  You’ll need people that you can relate to that are in the field, and that understand the ins and outs of what you’re navigating.  Keep in touch with these professionals and don’t be afraid to pick their brains!  Remember, everything is a suggestion until you implement it, so don’t be worried that you don’t have all the answers.  Nobody does.

3. Focus on the necessities.


Special education teachers have a lot to manage in terms of legal requirements, timelines, pacing of instruction, and collaboration and communication with colleagues, and the temptation is very real to just keep grinding away (but, like I’ve said, that’s not going to work long term.) Instead, keep your focus on what’s mission critical in terms of tasks to be done. That way you can spend most of your energy teaching your students and building relationships with them, instead of spinning your wheels over your epic to do list.


Not sure what should be your top priority? Remember those mentors I just mentioned? They are great people to ask!

4. Take time for yourself.

You’ve probably heard that first year teachers are sick all the time, and at least based on my personal experience, that was true (hello, stomach bug eleven times in one year…ugh.)  In order to get ahead of that, you need to take care of yourself!  Eat healthy food. Get sleep (even when you think you should be working- trust me, it’ll be there in the morning).  Spend time with family, friends, and loved ones.  Keep time for your own interests and hobbies- remember, you were a whole person before you became a teacher!  Being at the start of your time in the profession doesn’t mean you’ve given up on everything else that interests you.


For more ideas on self care for teachers, check out my post about Five Self Care Actions Teachers Can Take Today!


5. Remember it’s a marathon. 

We are at the beginning of the school year! This is exciting! It also means that we have a long way to go until the end of the school year, and this fizzy energy that comes with the beginning of the year does wear off.  That means we have to plan to have stamina, plan to stay the course, and understand that this will take time and effort.  It’s okay to work hard at things, but definitely remember that not everything has to be done today, right now. 


What is one thing you wish you had known as a first year teacher that you do know now? Drop it in the comments!

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