Teachers share how they REALLY feel at the start of a new school year (2024)

FAQs

Teachers share how they REALLY feel at the start of a new school year? ›

"Excited and refreshed, yet completely overwhelmed." "As nervous as I did as a kid on the first day of school, but ready to fill little brains with knowledge." "Both excited and that there is a long road ahead." "Enthusiastic."

First day nerves

One frequent reporting is that of being nervous on the first day. Many teachers are candid enough to acknowledge their fear—some said their anxiety levels were so high their hands and legs were physically shaking, and they had difficulty standing steady.

They become very focused and consumed with the day-to-day routine of teaching. There is little time to stop and reflect on their experiences. It is not uncommon for new teachers to spend up to seventy hours a week on schoolwork. Particularly overwhelming is the constant need to develop curriculum.

You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while.

For the most part, however, teachers viewed the year-round schedule as an improvement in their working conditions. Other research confirms that year-round education can have a positive impact on teachers, students, and parents.

Reasons Kids Might Be Stressed or Anxious

Other common stressors include having a falling-out with a close friend, getting cut from a sports team, dealing with a new learning environment, being assigned to a difficult teacher, and not getting into higher-level courses.

Back-to-school is an exciting time, even if you've been teaching for decades. Sure, you're excited to welcome a new class of students, but getting back to class may also bring first-day butterflies, stress and concerns about your ability to groom successful learners.

Teachers produce either positive emotions (e.g., pride, enjoyment, satisfaction, and happiness) or negative emotions (e.g., boredom, anger, anxiety, and frustration) or mixed emotions in each of these situations. Therefore, it is not surprising that teachers report experiencing various discrete emotions.

Needless to say, stress is common for new teachers, and some don't make it past their first year. In fact, one out of ten teachers won't return for a second year, according to a recent study from the National Center of Education.

Beginner teachers have various fears when starting their careers. These fears include encountering hierarchical relationships in schools, falsification of documents, pressure to focus on results, heavy workloads, and lack of freedom.

How does it feel to be in a new school? ›

You're going to meet lots of new people and be thrown into new situations. That's bound to make you feel lots of different emotions. It could be exciting and fun – if that's how feel you, then enjoy the moment! But for some of you, it could make you feel scared and worried.

It's normal to feel weird and different in a new place, and to miss your old friends. Then there's having to learn a different school layout, feeling nervous about talking to new people and being drained from adjusting to all this new stuff. Try to be patient: good things take time.

Many educators often find that the month of April can be one of the most challenging to teach in high school. This is because April is typically a time when students are dealing with various stressors, such as upcoming exams, assignments, and projects.

My main emotions at the end of the school year are: stress, relief, and excitement. As I write this, I'm sitting at my desk in my classroom, taking a break from a 4-inch-high stack of essays I need to grade by the end of next Friday… the last teaching day of the school year. At this particular moment, I'm stressed.

Pros of Year-Round School

Decreased need to re-teach skills after long vacations, allowing teachers to use classroom time more efficiently. Extending the school year may help make teaching a full-time, more lucrative profession for educators if year-round schools can cut costs through multi-tracking programs.

Much like any other child, I was also scared on my first day. I remember clearly not letting go of my mother's hand, hesitant to go in the classroom. On my first day, I got up excited and put on my uniform for the first time. The feeling it gave me was so memorable, I can never forget it.

Students arrive with a mix of emotions. Most, however, are nervous. The reasons vary from child to child, but kids tend to feel anxious about starting school. This is not necessarily a bad thing; some anxiety is normal, even healthy.

Findings from this study reveal that the policy of healthy school start times can have a significant, positive impact on adults who teach in later-starting secondary schools. Later school start times for secondary teachers provide greater parity with their elementary colleagues in terms of sleep opportunity.

Your first day may leave you feeling lost and uncomfortable, but give it some time — every big change requires an adjustment period. Rely on friends, teachers, or even older siblings to help you find your classrooms, learn the lunchroom dynamics, find new clubs to explore, and get used to the new academic rigors.