It is so hard to decipher what you actually NEED versus all the fads when you are just starting as a teacher. Sometimes all the information at our fingertips is just another recipe for overwhelm!
We are in the business of helping new teachers eliminate overwhelm here at Rainbow Sky Creations. For us, these are the essentials that all teachers NEED, which will get you off to a great start!
If you prefer watching and listening over reading, here is an overview of this blog post here (all resources we talk about are linked below):
This can be paper, digital, a daily or weekly spread. It is absolutely up to you and your preference. Your planner is where you will put all your important dates, plan for the week, and make sure it has some room for brainstorming and ideas.
We sell a planner that you can customise to your own needs. If you prefer a premade planner, we recommend Mrs Edgar’s beautiful planners or The Daily Planner (both ladies are Aussie teachers themselves).
It is absolutely essential to start recording data from Day 1 (trust us, you will thank yourself come report time). Again, you can record data digitally or in paper format, depending on how you like to work.
This is how we set up our Assessment Book, so we are ready to record all the data:
Drinking water is important when teaching because we talk so much as teachers. Invest in a drink bottle that can live on your desk and keep you hydrated. Personally, we prefer the Kmart glass bottles (but everyone is different). Just go with something you enjoy drinking from.
Schools these days often require keys for you to get in EVERYWHERE! A lanyard will help keep those keys on you without always needing to hold them. Adding a whistle or even a mini class list are helpful additions on your lanyard.
Looking for a funky lanyard, check out Ruby Olive, Miss Inclusivity or Miss T’s teachables.
Going in with a plan in advance is a game changer. As teachers, we already need to make a million decisions on the fly. Having a plan for your classroom management is going to minimise some of those daily decisions.
For more detailed guidance check out this blog post: How to Master your Classroom Behaviour Management Plan
There is A LOT of learning in your first year. It is really handy to have a place to store all your notes so you can go back and find what you need easily.
It is also important to record what Teacher Standards your professional learning covers, because you will need this information to help with accreditation and logging any professional development.
A professional development diary has been a game changer for us, we have lots of different designs to choose from:
This one is a little cheeky 😉 but we truly believe that we are all the better as teachers when we help and support each other.
We have written a guide for new teachers, which is a one-stop-shop for all the information you need as a new teacher. You can find it here.
OR if you prefer more of a personal experience and love the idea of a mentor, we run a membership for new teachers.
For the cost of less than a latte with oat milk per week, we provide a library of masterclasses and teacher checklists, a monthly teacher tool, a monthly differentiated resource to use in your classroom, live Q&As and mentoring sessions and a community of teachers in exactly the same boat as you that support each other!
Doors only open twice a year. Click here to learn more.
For our visual learner’s, here is an overview of today’s post:
We genuinely hope this post helps decipher what bells and whistles you need to focus on to get ready as a beginning teacher. If you loved this article and want more, check out all our blog posts for new teachers here.
Before you go, grab this FREEBIE!
What to read next:
5 Back to School Freebies for Beginning Teachers
5 secrets to help you have a successful first year of teaching
Our fave classroom setup and display hacks
