New Job Jitters: Starting Fresh in a New School District
The episode encapsulates the apprehensions associated with embarking on a new teaching journey within a fresh school district. We delve into the myriad emotions that accompany such transitions, particularly the blend of excitement and anxiety that often manifests on the first day in a new environment. Emphasizing the significance of gratitude, we advocate for embracing change as an opportunity for personal and professional growth. As we reflect on our experiences, we provide invaluable insights and practical tips for educators who may find themselves in similar situations, underscoring the importance of nurturing relationships and cultivating a supportive classroom atmosphere. Ultimately, we aspire to convey that while new beginnings may evoke nerves, they also present a canvas for reimagining one’s impact as an educator.
The prospect of entering a new educational environment is often accompanied by a myriad of emotions, particularly apprehension and excitement. As I transition to Winnebago Public Schools after a lengthy tenure at South Sioux City, I confront the phenomenon commonly referred to as 'new job jitters.' This episode encapsulates my reflections on this pivotal change, highlighting the importance of embracing such transitions with a heart full of gratitude and an eagerness to learn. I convey my experiences and the lessons that accompany this journey, emphasizing that change, while intimidating, offers unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional growth.
In our discourse, I delve into the significance of maintaining a deliberate pace when embarking on this new chapter. It is paramount to recognize that building relationships and establishing a positive classroom culture is a gradual process that necessitates patience. I offer practical advice for educators navigating similar transitions, stressing that beginning slowly can lay the groundwork for robust connections with students and colleagues alike. The essence of teaching transcends mere curriculum delivery; it hinges upon the relationships we cultivate and the sense of belonging we foster within our classrooms.
Additionally, I reflect on the unique cultural dimensions of teaching in a Native community, where humility and respect for the heritage of the Winnebago tribe are paramount. I approach this new role with a commitment to honoring the voices and traditions of the community, recognizing that my presence in the classroom carries the weight of responsibility. This episode serves as a call to educators to embrace their own journeys, to prioritize relationships over perfection, and to recognize that each new beginning presents a canvas upon which to paint our aspirations and impact the lives of our students profoundly.
Takeaways:
- Embracing change with a sense of gratitude can alleviate the anxiety associated with starting anew.
- Establishing strong relationships with students is paramount to fostering a positive classroom environment.
- One should approach new beginnings with humility, particularly when engaging with diverse communities.
- The notion that one's presence, rather than perfection, is crucial in shaping a successful school year is vital.
- Taking the time to build a strong foundation in the new classroom is essential for long-term success.
- Recognizing that every new chapter offers opportunities for personal and professional growth is key.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Be a Funky Teacher
- Winnebago Public Schools
- South Sioux City School District
Transcript
Yeah, he's Mr. Funky.
Speaker A:He's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Mr. Funky Teacher inspires greatness.
Speaker A:Makes you feel good.
Speaker A:Like your favorite playlist.
Speaker A:Keeping that fresh and funky.
Speaker A:Yes he does.
Speaker A:He got some funky cool ideas to share for all you teachers.
Speaker A:He can empower others, students and teachers.
Speaker A:It's all about hard work and creativity.
Speaker A:He brings out the kindness in everyone.
Speaker A:He's got the passion to teach.
Speaker A:You hear it when he speaks.
Speaker A:He knows how to build strong relationships.
Speaker A:If you're seeking the best bunkiest, he is it.
Speaker A:He will empower you to improve.
Speaker A:You'll be helping others and loving it too.
Speaker A:He's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:This is Mr. Funky Teacher with Be a Funky Teacher dot com.
Speaker B:I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.
Speaker B:Well, welcome back to the Be a Funky Teacher podcast everyone.
Speaker B:Where we teach with heart, lead with joy, and always stay just a little funky.
Speaker B:I want to start today off with sharing three things I'm thankful for.
Speaker B:The first thing I'm thankful for is my wife and my kids.
Speaker B:We got to wrap up our summer break by heading out to the Wisconsin Dells for about five days.
Speaker B:It was just wonderful to spend some time to some time together as a family.
Speaker B:Spend those last few days off together and I'm just so thankful for that time.
Speaker B:I'm thinking about my brother and my dad.
Speaker B:My dad has been spending a lot of time with my disabled brother.
Speaker B:I'm so thankful my dad actually had to go through and get his his wheelchair van fixed to make it where it was possible.
Speaker B:It was giving him a lot of trouble and he couldn't, wasn't able to pick up my brother as much.
Speaker B:He got that fixed and they've just been spending a lot of time together and I got to spend some time with them yesterday.
Speaker B:So thankful for for my brother and my dad.
Speaker B:And finally I am thankful for Winnebago Public Schools because I starting a brand new chapter here.
Speaker B:New classroom, new students, new community and so much opportunity to learn and to grow.
Speaker B:And so I can't help but think about how thankful I am for Winnebago Public Schools.
Speaker B:Gratitude keeps us grounded and today it's fueling my first day in a new school.
Speaker B:Now I did spend some time working back in June doing some work for Winnebago Public Schools, working on some assessment work and getting some things ready that can be used for our our fifth grade team but for starting with other staff.
Speaker B:Just today is the day after 22 years in South Sioux City school district.
Speaker B:It was time for something new.
Speaker B:It's a funky new beginning.
Speaker B:It was a tough change.
Speaker B:It was a tough decision to have a new beginning.
Speaker B:Just because 22 years I have myself established in the other school in, in South Sioux City School District where I absolutely loved teaching in this school district.
Speaker B:But it was time for something new.
Speaker B:And why Winnebago?
Speaker B:Why would I explore Winnebago public schools?
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's really a purpose driven change.
Speaker B:This wasn't just a career move.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker B:It felt like a calling to me.
Speaker B:Anytime South Sioux 22 years ago when I.
Speaker B:When I started teaching there felt like a calling as well.
Speaker B:And, and I have to follow my heart.
Speaker B:I have to follow my passion to follow where, where I'm being led to go and led to teach.
Speaker B:This.
Speaker B:I always say that, that teaching is not just a job, it is a calling.
Speaker B:And we put so much energy and heart and soul into what we do in a classroom to effectively impact students that we have to lead and follow where we're being led to go.
Speaker B:So I had to make the tough decision to lead South Sioux City after so many years.
Speaker B:But Winnebago, huge opportunity.
Speaker B:New new hallways, new faces.
Speaker B:But of course the same mission.
Speaker B:We're good.
Speaker B:I'm gonna get to see kids, hear kids, help kids grow, help kids thrive.
Speaker B:Really, you know, while it's a different location, kids.
Speaker B:Kids are kids.
Speaker B:And I'm couldn't be more excited to be going to Winnebago public schools to help kids not just survive or just kind of get through one day to the next, but to thrive and to find their greatness.
Speaker B:And wow.
Speaker B:I'm so excited for this opportunity.
Speaker B:I'm going to be teaching in a Native community.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:Which will be different for me now.
Speaker B:Have I taught students who are Native?
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Have I taught in a Native based school district?
Speaker B:I have not.
Speaker B:And so I'm going to be looking for ways how I can honor the culture, how I can honor the heritage and the traditions of the Winnebago tribe.
Speaker B:When it comes to the Native community, I'm not coming in as an expert.
Speaker B:I'm showing up with humility.
Speaker B:I want to take time to listen deeply and to honor the voices in my classroom, the students who and their Native culture, their families, the people who have taught in the district for many years, who can help give me some guidance too.
Speaker B:When it comes to teaching in a Native district, to the voices in the community, the elders, the tribe members.
Speaker B:I'm so excited, y'.
Speaker B:All.
Speaker B:I'm just so excited.
Speaker B:I do need to approach it in a way where I'm approaching with some culturally responsiveness, where I'm.
Speaker B:I'm focused on relationship building also and building community trust because, well, I don't.
Speaker B:I know a few people in the community by and far.
Speaker B:They're going to be getting to know me just like I'm going to be getting to know them.
Speaker B:And there's going to be an opportunity for me to build that trust, to build that rapport where they see that I am there.
Speaker B:Not to change the culture or to change anyone's way of life, but to help guide and support young people in their growth and their development so they can be the best that they can be and impact and change the world right under a reservation, right in their community.
Speaker B:Or if they do choose to leave their community, that's okay, too.
Speaker B:But I'm excited to be a part of that.
Speaker B:And it'll be.
Speaker B:There will be some growing challenges, I know.
Speaker B:With that as well.
Speaker B:Boy, what an opportunity.
Speaker B:What, what excitement there is to.
Speaker B:To be a part of something really big in, in Winnebago.
Speaker B:So excited.
Speaker B:And this, this podcast, of course, never.
Speaker B:I don't speak on behalf of the Winnebago public schools or the community.
Speaker B:This is just.
Speaker B:If I talk about South Sioux City School District or Winnebago public schools or any other school district, I'm not speaking on their behalf.
Speaker B:I'm speaking on behalf of my own.
Speaker B:My own views, my own experiences, my own perceptions.
Speaker B:That's what this is all about coming from it.
Speaker B:From me, Nicholas Cleave.
Speaker B:Not me as a representative of any school district or any business outside of beafunkyteacher.com so.
Speaker B:But what, what an opportunity I have ahead of me that, that I cannot underscore how excited I am.
Speaker B:You know, there's real emotions there.
Speaker B:There's real emotions.
Speaker B:There's.
Speaker B:I'm feeling excited.
Speaker B:I'm a little nervous.
Speaker B:I mean, I've started 22 other prior school years, and I come in with a lot of experience as a teacher.
Speaker B:I come in with a lot of knowledge and wisdom when it comes to setting up a classroom, running a classroom.
Speaker B:I've taught in three different schools in South Sioux, and I've been through some of those nerves and some of that excitement.
Speaker B:I also come with this school year with deep gratitude for the opportunity to come into this community and to be a teacher to help shape the lives of the young people in this community.
Speaker B:It's super exciting to me, and I'm looking forward to what is ahead of Me today, even just today, you know, we take one day at a time here.
Speaker B:The smiles, the questions.
Speaker B:I, I know I will have questions others will have.
Speaker B:Yeah, students still don't officially start until next week.
Speaker B:We have an open house in a few days and then students don't officially start until next week.
Speaker B:And that's okay.
Speaker B:But I know there will be opportunities for interacting with fellow staff members.
Speaker B:One of the things that I truly want to convey as a teacher is I want every student to know from the moment they walk in that they belong here, they belong in my classroom.
Speaker B:And not only that they belong in my classroom, but I love the opportunity to teach them.
Speaker B:And so that's one, that's a big message that I want to convey as an educator to my fifth graders that I'm going to be trusted to teach.
Speaker B:So look, advice for teachers starting fresh.
Speaker B:If you're a teacher starting fresh now, you might be a brand spanking new teacher, never taught in a classroom before, maybe outside of student teaching and that's okay.
Speaker B:Or maybe you're a veteran teacher as well, starting fresh in a new place just because you needed a new fresh start as well.
Speaker B:Whatever that looks like for you.
Speaker B:I do have a few, just a few tips that I think might be beneficial for you to think about.
Speaker B:First off, start slow to build strong.
Speaker B:Start slow.
Speaker B:The builds.
Speaker B:So, so what do I mean by that?
Speaker B:Well, you know, you can't do it all in a day.
Speaker B:You, you can't do it all in a day where, where you can't build all the relationships in a day.
Speaker B:You can't set up your collection today.
Speaker B:I mean it.
Speaker B:Yeah, you gotta start slow.
Speaker B:I'm not saying just kind of like, you know, not, not start it, like start really passionate and work really, really hard.
Speaker B:But, but there's, there's, there's something in knowing that, hey, I'm going to start slow in what you're trying to achieve because you want to.
Speaker B:Ultimately, our goal is to build a really strong classroom.
Speaker B:A strong classroom that the climate is strong, where the systems that you have in place are strong.
Speaker B:That doesn't just happen in one day or in a week.
Speaker B:That takes a while to do.
Speaker B:And so start.
Speaker B:And so when you're starting somewhere brand new, start slow.
Speaker B:Try to take it all and try to process it and try to try to lay the foundation correctly.
Speaker B:Because if it's really easy to get kind of lost and caught up in things and stumble if you start too fast, if you start fast, you may stumble.
Speaker B:I'll say that.
Speaker B:And so it's okay to start slow, to kind of take it all in the process things to try to not get overwhelmed by all, all the changes that are happening.
Speaker B:And I think that, that, that you'll find that if you start slow, you'll build strong.
Speaker B:Start slow.
Speaker B:To build strong, you don't need a perfect plan either.
Speaker B:Just show up as your authentic self.
Speaker B:You don't have to have everything figured out the first day or the first week or the first month or even the first year.
Speaker B:You do as much as you can, but you don't have to have a perfect plan.
Speaker B:I'm walking in today not with a perfect plan, and that's okay.
Speaker B:Funny thing is, I'm walking in today.
Speaker B:I, I got locked out of my, out of my, my new school account because I didn't have the two factor authentication account set up.
Speaker B:So I got to talk to technology today to kind of get that sorted out because I could.
Speaker B:So I'm not 100% sure what the agenda looks like today, if I can admit that.
Speaker B:And that would might scare some people.
Speaker B:Like, you don't know what's going, you don't know what the exact.
Speaker B:No, I know I need to be there at 7:45.
Speaker B:I know they're going to be going over some new to the district teacher stuff, you know, some photo IDs and things like that, but I don't have everything.
Speaker B:I know I'm going to work in my classroom some, but I don't, I don't have a perfect plan for today or for this week.
Speaker B:And that's okay.
Speaker B:You know, there's going to be hiccups and bumps that, that you're going to encounter along the way.
Speaker B:And then, and then advice for, for, for starting fresh too.
Speaker B:I, I cannot underscore the importance of letting students know that they matter more than, than anything like they are the priority.
Speaker B:Like, sure, seating charts matter, sure, you know, supplies matter, sure, you know, systems matter.
Speaker B:But letting students know and conveying to students how important they are to you as your students, that matters more than anything else.
Speaker B:Building that relationship is critically important.
Speaker B:And so everything we do as we're starting off the school year has to be focused on, hey, how do we build connections with students?
Speaker B:How do we build relationships to help students feel like they can be successful and feel empowered to do great things in our classroom?
Speaker B:Now, I will say this too.
Speaker B:In every new beginning, there's a chance to reimagine your impact.
Speaker B:I know the impact that I have brought to students that I've been trusted to work with over 22 prior years.
Speaker B:I know that I want to have much more impact as I go forward with my career in Winnebago.
Speaker B:But I'm reimagining some things that I'm doing, some, some approaches that I'm doing.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:I already have an idea for how I might tweak things and, and, and, and how I may approach things differently and how I may bring some of the same methods too.
Speaker B:And that's okay.
Speaker B:But it's an opportunity.
Speaker B:New beginnings provide an opportunity to reimagine my impact, even in terms of how I set my classroom up to be most conducive to my students.
Speaker B:Reimagining how things that maybe I wanted to change for a few years that I've had now have an opportunity with a new classroom.
Speaker B:Hey, I can do that here.
Speaker B:I have the time to do that here because I'm setting it up.
Speaker B:So huge opportunity.
Speaker B:Whenever we start fresh, huge opportunities come with that.
Speaker B:And so it's pretty, I think it's pretty exciting.
Speaker B:If you start a new.
Speaker B:I want to leave this with you here.
Speaker B:If you are starting a new chapter, if you're starting a new grade, a new district, or maybe even a new mindset, lean into it.
Speaker B:Your presence, not your perfection, is what will shape this school year for you.
Speaker B:I want to challenge you to think about that, to remember that, maybe even write that down, that your presence, not your perfection, is what will shape this school year.
Speaker B:I'm not coming in as a perfect teacher this year to this new school district.
Speaker B:If they want a perfect teacher, then they probably should have hired someone else, because I'm not it they.
Speaker B:And I hope I'm not going to disappoint them because I'm not coming in as a perfect educator.
Speaker B:I'm not.
Speaker B:I'm coming in as, as someone who will be present, who will be passionate, and who will try to learn, to grow, to provide impact.
Speaker B:Every day that I'm here in the school district working with these kids, that's what I want to do.
Speaker B:But I won't be perfect.
Speaker B:And so my presence over perfection is, is what matters the most to, to me as an educator, coming in, starting fresh.
Speaker B:And I want to challenge you to have that be your approach too.
Speaker B:Once again, if you're a brand new educator or you're a veteran teacher coming in to a new district after 30, 40 years, even that, that presence over perfection.
Speaker B:And it's easy, it is easy to kind of get away from that or to forget, forget, lose sight of that.
Speaker B:With all of the challenges and obstacles we face in education and all of the distractions, the noise, if you will.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:There's a lot of noise in education that we face.
Speaker B:And so to remember that our presence over perfection is what matters the most, and that's how we're going to provide the greatest impact to our students.
Speaker B:Well, with that being said, I bring this episode to a close.
Speaker B:Now, I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people.
Speaker B:And don't forget to be a funky teacher.
Speaker B:Bye, now.
Speaker A:He's Mr. Funky Teacher yeah, he's Mr. Funky Teacher yeah,.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Sam.
