Ferrier-Kerr, J. (2012). Moving into the profession. In C. McGee & D. Fraser (Eds.

), The professional
practice of teaching
(4th ed.,pp. 291-308). Auckland, New Zealand: Cengage Learning.
Lang. C. (2001). When does it get any easier?: Beginning teachers experiences during their first year of
teaching. Waikato Journal of Education,

7(1),
85 -97.
These readings provided some valuable guidance for as I enter into my first teaching position. They both
described the phases of the beginning teacher in relation to their state of survival. These phases are were
penned by Katz (1977) and Moir (1999), respectively. :
1. Anticipation
2. Survival
3. Disillusionment
4. Rejuvenation
5. Reflection
Below I have outlined the pointers from these reading that I feel will be important for me to remember as I
enter my first teaching role:
-

Access support within and beyond the school

Fill my tank. Maker the most of my holidays by having some designated down time. Do enjoyable
things on the weekend to refresh and replete my energy stores.
I will require coping strategies to get through the various phases of my first teaching position. How
will I stay resilient through these phases? I have written a letter to myself which outlines some tips
that may provide support in difficult times.
Observe other teachers as well as my tutor teacher.
Use a reflective journal to note down ideas, thoughts, develop reflective practice and collaborate with
my tutor teacher. Use headings such as: High points, low points, reflections, questions. What other
headings could I use? Things such as prayer & praise points.
Stop and reflect often, ask myself:
- Has teaching started to get any easier for me?
- What has helped me survive?
Ask about an induction and mentoring programme to support my work load and management
Prioritising is key!
Remember to smile lots!
Eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep. I know especially for me, the sleep and eating is a trigger
for me, so I will need to manage these in order to remain calm
Keep on top of my paper work
Be easy on myself in regards to my expectations and high standards, realise that I am not
superhuman
Encourage & welcome parent help
Collaborate with planning to ease the load
Use my time wisely, get to school early to get school work done before the children arrive