By Nick McDaniels – Hopefully, as we enter the second half of the school year, many first year teachers are beginning to feel comfortable in their teacher skin, are beginning to gain some traction in making up for mistakes made early in the year, and are developing a system of planning and grading that allows for more free time at home.
If you are a first year teacher and you still feel completely overwhelmed, stop reading now, bookmark this post, and read it during the summer. If you are feel like you are getting the hang of it, here is a little bit of advice that will make you navigate the personal side of your career.
Most people will tell young teachers that they need to find a way to balance work with personal life so that free time maintains a reality. This is important. But mid-way through the first year, I see this as the perfect opportunity to begin making your professional and personal contacts who will help you in the future. As the saying goes, it’s not what you know…
Here’s the list of people to know in a school system to make sure your professional life is making your personal life better. By knowing the names and contact information of these people, you will be able to fire off emails and get immediate responses when you have questions about various topics, rather than bouncing around on automated phone menus and between central office voicemails, before finally reaching the person you need to talk to. Take some time and learn how to contact:
1) The person who handles certification either for the state or your school district so you know exactly how to apply for recertification when the time comes.
2) The person who handles tuition reimbursement for graduate coursework if your district offers it. This is a typically complicated process, so know the right person can save you some time.
3) Your teacher’s union representative in case you have an issue that needs to be rectified.
4) The person who manages your health, dental, and vision insurance for your school district as this is something that will need to be updated anytime you get married, have a child, etc…
5) The person who handles tenure for either your state or school district to ensure that you are granted tenure as soon as you are eligible.
6) The person who manages your sick time/vacation time/maternity leave for the unlikely event that you may have to be our of the classroom for an extended period of time.
7) The person who manages your payroll in case your check gets messed up for some reason.
8) The person who manages your pension/retirement fund for the event that you would ever leave the district, position, or field and would need to withdrawal/roll-over your funds or in the event that you would like to make changes to your contributions or the way your funds are managed.
Not only will knowing the names and contact information of these people help you, you’d be surprised how much you will be able to help your colleagues who also need to know this information. I cannot overstate the importance of knowing who to contact when you need something, especially as a young teacher. Not only are you dealing with the newness of a career, but many other things in your life are brand new as well, making any help you can get incredibly valuable.
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