At the outset of this school year, we asked some members of our GYTO community to weigh-in with their best advice for first-year teachers. Knowing the overwhelm that many first-year teachers experience during the first quarter, we held on to it. As we’re in the home-stretch to winter break, and on the precipice of a new calendar year, there’s no time better than now to remind you that you can do this - and have done it for three+ months - especially with the support and wisdom of thousands of educators behind you. Everything that you are doing? It is is ENOUGH.

“Give yourself grace! It's ok to make mistakes; even veteran teachers do that. Find the people who feel like sunshine at your school and stay close to them.” - Princess Netherly, @pnetherly

“Take a deep breath and love on every child that comes thru your doors! The rest will fall in to place.” - Ally Murphree, @topknoteacher

“One piece of advice I would give to first year teachers is to not put so much pressure on yourself. It is okay to fail! Failure is scary for everyone and can be even more daunting if you are already someone who tends to be hard on yourself when things don't go the way in which you hoped. You have to keep reminding yourself that this situation is something no one has gone through yet and that it is okay not to know how to do something. Teaching in general is a learning curve, but even more so during this unusual time. When times get tough and you are being hard on yourself just remember to give yourself the grace you give to your students every day.” - Erin Sullivan, @eastcoastteachers

“Have heaps of grace ready to pass out for you, students, your school, and your families. This year is going to have speed bumps and don’t get me wrong it is going to have (small and big) victories too. As you approach those speed bumps, remember to have grace for yourself as you learn and grow this year – along with your fellow teachers. Grace for students who are trying to navigate ALL the things and for some who don’t have the same access to their services and this change is tough. Grace for families trying to figure out this new way of school and giving them flexibility because this pandemic shows no equity. Most importantly, grace in knowing you are enough and your students are blessed to have you guide them through this school year.” - Liz Sherman, @teachingwithasideofglitter

“I must pass on the best words of advice I ever received. It was from one of my cooperating teachers, Rose Aranda. She said this, "You only have to do your first year ONCE!" When you hear this know that things will not always be easy. You will most likely struggle, fall, and get back up again. You might cry more times than you want and that's ok! At the end of the day, this 1st year is a year of learning. Next year, on that first day of school you will have one year of teaching behind you and 180 days of experiences to guide you, as you venture into the rest of your teaching career. <3” - Lavon Pina, @lavon_sierra

“Find the joy in something each and every day. No matter how messy the day might have been, try and find something that makes you smile or laugh! Today, I almost tipped my coffee over but caught it right before it spilled! WINNING! Also, ask for help. I still have to tell myself this frequently because I like to look like I have it together, but a sign of strength and growth is knowing when to call in the troops! And... we've all been there. I will never forget the moment my door closed on my first day of teaching and I turned around and looked at my students, wondering if it was real! And all of the goof ups and joys from then to now have been part of a bigger plan! We are called to do this job and SO lucky for that!” - Meghan Williams Martin, @mswilliamsyall

“FIND YOUR PEOPLE. I wish I could hire a skywriter to write this advice over the house of every single first year teacher out there...and even to non first year teachers who haven't found them yet! Keep looking. Search high and low. Maybe it will be your next door neighbor or the teacher down the hall. It may be a teacher in the next town over or even a group of amazing teachers you met at a conference or on the Internet. Keep looking until you find them and when you do, hold on tight!

Even though we are surrounded by kids and most days feel like we don't have a minute to ourselves, teaching can be lonely. It is so easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you are the only one. The only one taking work home. The only one feeling overwhelmed. The only one not able to find a balance between school and family. The only one laying awake at night worrying about a student. The only one constantly second guessing how you handled a hard situation with a parent.

I think as teachers so many of us want to appear "perfect". We want to seem like we have it all together and can do it all. Teachers may have superhuman talents, but we are not indestructible. You will fail. You'll mess up. At some point in your career, you may even wonder if being a teacher really is for you.

Luckily, the amazing thing about being an educator is that you will be surrounded by some of the most creative, hardworking, and innovative leaders in the world. Sometimes you have dig around to find them...but they're there! It's these people that will help you through the tough times. They'll cheer you on and inspire you. They'll make you laugh when you need it most. They will challenge you to try new things so that you can bring out the best in yourself and in your students. If you're lucky enough, they may even become your best friends.” - Erin McCarthy, @learninginneon

“Do not, under any circumstances, take this year - your first year in the classroom- as the definition of your first year as an educator. Nothing about this year is normal, even for those going back face-to-face. You need to know that you are entering the classroom at a time where everyone in the education field is reworking, redefining, and in some cases inventing, the ways that teachers will do their jobs and the ways students will go to school.

Every year brings its challenges, but you are stepping into this world at a time unlike any other. So feel all the feelings. Celebrate when something goes well. Allow yourself to mourn what you thought your first year of teaching would be like. It's okay. Know that you will find a way to survive this year and it might just feel like that- survival. That's okay. You are not alone in that feeling. You are not alone.” - Nikki Ortiz-Tatarka, @mrst233

If you have some advice for first-year teachers, please add it in the comments! And to all of our second-, third-, and beyond year teachers: you’ve got this, too. You are ENOUGH.