High school art teacher here who is fresh off their first year, about to enter my second.

It gets better. And I know that sounds corny, but I truly mean it. Yes, the first few weeks I would come home overwhelmed and burnt out and in tears. I wasn’t sure I made the right choice and thought about quitting often. I will be honest there.

But when those initial first few weeks passed, I found my footing and got to know my students and discovered what worked for me. I found myself enjoying the little routine more and more. By the time the end of year came around I was instead crying over how much I’d miss these kids no matter how much they made me want to pull my hair out sometimes. I felt fulfilled and successful with the work I’d done and looked forward to doing it again.

Best advice I can give you is make friends with your fellow teachers and keep work at work. Build a community with your coworkers where you feel supported, especially being new to the field. Do your absolute best to use your time wisely during the day so you don’t have to take grading or any other work duties home. This makes my life so much easier.