Getting Started as a New Preschool Teacher

Although I started my career as a preschool educator in 2013, I can vividly remember the nerves and excitement that accompanied my first day as a teacher. I asked myself the following questions: Will I be an effective educator? Will the kids listen to me? How can I build relationships with families? Will I get along with the other teachers? 

I survived my first day (and second and third…), and now I know the difference that I can make in the life of a child. 

Here are the top tips I wish I had heard at the start of my first year of teaching.

9 Tips for New Preschool Teachers

1. Be a positive thinker: To calm the thoughts of self-doubt that inevitably creep in before the start of a new school year, consider reframing your thoughts in a positive manner. Don’t ask, “What if I don’t know what to do in the classroom?” Instead, tell yourself, “I may not always know what to do, but I can find out.”

Excitement is contagious, and showing up with a positive attitude can be an important first step in your teaching career. The more you practice positive thinking, the better you will be at it. You can try talking to yourself in the mirror, writing down things that make you feel grateful, or repeating a mantra. Remember, you should never say something to yourself that you would not say aloud to another person. 

2. Dress for success: Clothing can play an important role in how we feel and how we move around a space. I dressed too formally my first few weeks in the classroom, but I quickly learned that I needed to wear things that would allow me to sit on the floor with the kids. Also, wear comfortable shoes! Teaching often requires a lot of standing and walking, and you don’t want to wear shoes that make your feet hurt. 

You should consult your handbook in case there’s a dress code, but I strongly encourage new teachers to pick out their outfits ahead of time so that they can feel confident and comfortable. When you feel good in what you’re wearing, it shows in how you carry yourself.

3. Stay organized: Teaching often seems like a never-ending list of tasks and deadlines. Knowing what system(s) of organization you’re going to use can help alleviate stress and cut down on your workload. I keep a written planner and use highlighters to color-code different events. I also add reminders to my Google calendar so that I don’t miss important deadlines. Being consistent and intentional with your system will help you stay focused throughout the year. 

4. Plan your environment: When you walk into your classroom, view it through the eyes of your students. Young children can develop sensory overload when there are bright colors and too much clutter. When you do your walk-through, pay attention to the arrangement of your learning centers. Will children be able to use the materials in the way you intend? Will the classroom setup cause conflict between students (e.g., the construction area is next to the reading nook)?

When you plan your classroom with purpose, you may find that there is better communication between you and your students and fewer behavior problems overall.

5. Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and no question is too small. Coworkers, administrators, and online teaching communities such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children are all great resources for information. Your first few weeks on the job will go much more smoothly if you know how to get a bathroom break, where to go for a fire drill, and what to do in the event of a medical emergency. 

6. Embrace flexibility: One of the most important qualities a teacher can possess is the ability to embrace flexibility. Despite your best intentions, your daily schedule will get interrupted by bad weather, illness, and behavior issues. When the unexpected happens, you can model for your students how to adapt to things that are out of your control. This promotes resiliency and may lead to unexpected moments of creativity, engagement, or collaboration. 

7. Set boundaries: Teacher is a wide-encompassing term, and it can be easy to take on too many tasks when you’re first starting out. This approach can quickly lead to burnout. As a teacher, you can protect your work-life balance by taking your scheduled breaks throughout the day, leaving work on time, and not completing lesson planning during off hours.

I also strongly recommend establishing communication boundaries with preschool families early on. Let parents know how and when they should contact you about their child, and don’t respond outside of your normal working hours. 

8. Reflect and set goals: As a new teacher, I spent a lot of time both reflecting with a mentor and by myself about how I was doing in the classroom. My mentor was able to point out issues with classroom management that I was unaware of, and she also helped me write out concrete goals for professional development. Personal reflections can be a few quick notes written at the end of the day or something more in-depth at the end of every quarter. As students do when creating a student portfolio, I like being able to track my progress and to see how far I’ve come. 

9. Be yourself and have fun: As you begin your teaching career, bring your authentic self into the classroom. When you share your feelings, likes, and dislikes with children, they are likely to reciprocate. This will build a warm, trusting, and positive classroom environment. 

Although there will be challenges and hard days, remember that being a preschool educator is fun. As a preschool teacher, I brought my passions for cooking, science, and art into the classroom by doing projects like making homemade butter, raising caterpillars, and creating fairy gardens out of recycled items. Remember, every day is a new opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun with your students. 

Good luck to all the new teachers embarking on this exciting journey.