Howdy, y’all!

If you are following along in my neck of the woods, we are staring down the barrel of Week Three. The initial whirlwind of icebreakers, roster shifts, and endless administrative shuffling is finally starting to settle. Reflecting on my own journey over the past 17-plus years, I wanted to take a moment to write a bit of a different post today. Think of this as the start of an occasional series on the blog—an open letter to our new teachers entering the trenches.

In my first few years of teaching, I used to hit the ground running on day one with heavy course content. Over time, I swung the pendulum the other way, leaning heavily into icebreakers and getting-to-know-you activities. Finding that perfect balance can feel like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands. But what really swallowed me whole as a green teacher was sitting through meeting after meeting about things happening far off in the distant future, leaving me zero time to plan ahead or create solid backend structures for myself. Why? Because my door was always open.

So, to every new teacher trying to find their footing right now, hear me when I say this: It is absolutely okay to close your door.

Dear New Teacher: Setting Boundaries and Asking Questions

Closing your door is a physical and mental boundary. It means it is perfectly okay to look at a colleague, smile, and say, “I am buried in prep right now, so I can’t chat.” You do not have to entertain every single side conversation in the hallway.

At the same time, closing your door doesn’t mean isolating yourself from help. It is okay to be direct and ask the burning questions you have. You are not expected to know everything on day one—and honestly, you probably won’t even by year five. Even as a veteran, I learn something brand new every single year. The hardest pill to swallow in education is that things are always going to change. No matter how perfectly you plan or how fast you pivot, the landscape will look different tomorrow.

As we move into Week Three here in Georgia, the best thing you can do for your sanity is look ahead and embrace the age-old concept of backwards design.

• Review the standards and look at the big picture.
• Ask your collaborative teams for materials and see where everyone else is headed.
• Tweak those shared resources to fit your personal style and do what is best for the flesh-and-blood students sitting in front of you.

You are still learning to navigate discipline, school policy, and everything in between. Give yourself some grace.

Protect Your Planning Time (And Your Sanity)

Close that door and focus on getting ahead on your grading. The absolute last thing you want to do is drag a heavy crate of essays home to your family. Know exactly what your formative assessments are, what your summative assessments are, and what needs a grade shield each week.

Of course, a little trick of the trade: you don’t necessarily want to broadcast to the students exactly which minor assignment is going into the gradebook. If you do, human nature takes over and that is the only thing they will focus on. Students need to complete foundational work and take notes because it builds the skill, not just because there is a checkbox in the portal.

When I say close the door, I mean it literally:

• Shut the door physically and turn off your classroom lights during your planning block if you aren’t required to be in a meeting.
• Take five quiet minutes just for yourself to breathe and reflect.
• Grab a Post-it note and write down three things you did well today, and just one thing you want to work on. Focus on that one thing, get it done as best you can, and let the rest go.

Grades need to go into the system every single week as a true, steady reflection of student progress. If you can stay on top of the planning and keep your head above water with the grading, you are doing your job.

The Ultimate Goal: Work-Life Balance

Your real job is making sure you have a life outside of these school walls. If I could go back in time and whisper one piece of advice to my younger teacher self, it would be to close that door. You are not being rude. You are not being dismissive. You are not being exclusionary in any way, shape, or form. You are simply taking care of business so you do not get overwhelmed, bring schoolwork home, and burden your family with a stressed-out version of yourself who spends all evening sending emails.

Yes, you need to build relationships with your peers. Yes, you should go talk to the veteran across the hall when you have a question. But boundary that time: wait until the last few minutes of your planning period to run out and ask your question, and make sure you are always back in your own classroom at least 10 minutes before the bell rings.

And for goodness’ sake, use the bathroom when you have to go! We all joke about the legendary “teacher bladder,” but please do not suffer in silence. The one thing I will absolutely open my door for is to stick my head out and ask a peer on their planning to watch my room for two minutes. Trust me, we get it. That senior teacher across the hallway will happily step in so you can run down the hall, because we have all been there.

Respecting your peace is not being disrespectful to others. Respecting your peace is protecting yourself from the chaos.

Let’s Chat! What Are Your Burning Questions?

Since this is the first of what I hope will be an ongoing series of open letters, I want to hear directly from you! What is currently making your head spin as you start the year? Whether you are navigating your first classroom economy, trying to figure out how to align your lesson plans with new standards, or just trying to find a minute to run to the restroom—no question is too big or too small.

Drop your burning questions down in the blog comments below, and in my next “Open Letter” post, I’ll be pulling from your comments to share some practical veteran advice, tips, and strategies to help get you through it. Don’t be shy—we are in this village together!

Until next time, y’all take care.