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Not a high school teacher? Check out our New Teacher Thrive Guide for PreK-8.
If you’re a first-year high school teacher, you may be feeling a million different emotions at the start of the new school year. Whether you’re feeling excited, nervous, or prepared to run a high school classroom for the first time, you can rely on TPT for the teacher-tested solutions that’ll help you teach at your best. As you head back to school, check out this new high school teacher guide, which offers:
- Resources created by high school teachers for high school teachers just like you
- Fresh ideas for engaging and inspiring students
- Helpful strategies for social-emotional learning, fostering diversity, and more
Bookmark this guide, and make your first year of teaching high school (and every year after) a success!
Building Your Teacher Toolbox
Why reinvent the wheel when there are endless resources for absolutely any learning need right at your fingertips? You can save time by using materials that other educators have created, tested, and used in their classrooms. Search through TPT Collections to find the back-to-school resources teachers like you love. Or browse the TPT Catalog for grade- and subject-specific activities and lessons that will help you help your students all year long.
Getting Ready for Day One
As many experienced high school teachers will tell you, getting organized ahead of time can make a big difference. Check out these posts for everything you’ll need to set up your classroom and prepare for the arrival of your students.
Building Classroom Community in High School
Building community is one of the most important things you can do as a teacher to strengthen classroom management and to create a motivating environment for learning. However, since high school students aren’t in your class the entire day, building these relationships can feel somewhat challenging. These easy-to-implement tips and resources will help you create a positive and collaborative learning environment for your high schoolers.
Connecting with Caregivers
As high school students inch closer and closer to life beyond the classroom, the bridge between school and home becomes even more valuable — but also harder. Just as you’re an expert in your given subject area, parents and caregivers are experts on the young adults in their care. Which is why an open line of communication between teachers and caregivers can be extremely beneficial in helping you both prepare students for college, career, and life. Keep reading for easy-to-implement strategies to connect with caregivers all year long.
Looking Beyond the First Month
Once the school year kicks into gear, it can often feel a little chaotic. Here you’ll find resources and strategies that can help you get a jump start on building out your supplemental curriculum, preparing for a sub, and more so you don’t have to worry about it if the need arises
Fostering Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in your classroom and curriculum is integral to supporting the growth of all your high schoolers. Even as teachers, learning doesn’t stop, and there are always opportunities to learn how you might incorporate diverse practices into your instruction. These posts are a good place to enhance your expertise
Taking Care of Yourself
Last but not certainly least: don’t forget to take care of yourself! As a first-year teacher, you’re likely so focused on making a good impression and putting your students’ needs first, that you forget to replenish your own cup. These posts offer practical tips for time management, work-life balance, and words of encouragement that, frankly, all teachers should hear.
As you embark on your first year as a high school teacher, it’s important to note that you won’t get everything perfectly right. Some days will be a breeze and other days might leave you feeling deflated. If you find yourself struggling, know that your students are going to remember the care you showed them and the effort you put into getting to know them, more than the lesson that could’ve gone better. So, above all, be kind to yourself and remember that teaching is a learning journey — not just for students, but also for you!
This guide, originally published in 2022, has been updated for 2023.
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