Surviving Your First Year of Teaching

The First Year is Just About Surviving

When I was hired for my first full-time teaching job, the principal who interviewed me offered a piece of advice I’ll never forget: “The first year is just about surviving.” I chuckled nervously, thinking, Oh boy, what did I just sign up for? AI lesson plans didn't exist when I started teaching, but I wish they had.

The truth is, nothing can fully prepare you for your first year of teaching. High school students, in particular, have an uncanny ability to sense when a teacher is unsure of themselves—like sharks smelling blood in the water. You have to earn their respect. But once you do, the rewards are immense; that’s when real teaching happens.

The easiest way to gain their trust is simply by showing up—being consistent and present. The second best? Having a detailed AI-generated lesson plan. The Attrition rate among first-year teachers is quite high and the realities new teachers face in the classroom take a toll on both students and teachers. 15% of teachers leave the profession after their first year and another 14% switch schools. Many cite feeling overwhelmed, ineffective, and unsupported as the main reasons for these decisions (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003; Smith & Ingersoll, 2004).

A Year of Survival

My first year of teaching really was about survival, and not everyone made it. The principal who hired me, along with the vice principal, both quit just three months into the school year. I sat in the staff meeting as they announced their resignations, equal parts stunned and confused. But honestly, I didn’t have time to dwell on it. My focus was on getting through each day and preparing for the next.

Most of my planning consisted of scouring the internet for resources to teach U.S. and World History. It felt like piecing together a quilt without really knowing how to sew. I cobbled lessons together, and while they worked, they weren’t polished. Using AI for lesson plans would have made it much easier. The flow between topics was disjointed, and I often questioned whether I was teaching the right skills.

Case studies highlight the challenges new teachers face, including "just trying to come up with enough curriculum" while working 10 to 12 hours a day to manage lesson planning, grading, paperwork, committee responsibilities, and extracurricular activities (Fry, 2007, p. 225) AI-generated Lesson plans offers us a way to throw a lifeline to these new teachers by providing them with the curriculum they desperately need. Furthermore, our team at STEM Forged has built a great tool that allows teachers to easily modify lesson plans with our "Get and Modify" Feature.

My saving grace was the rapport I built with my students. Pro tip: having a sense of humor—especially about your own shortcomings—goes a long way in building trust and connection with high school students.

Learn more about Get and Modify

My Textbooks Were From 1999

On the first day of school, 35 U.S. History textbooks were wheeled into my classroom and stacked neatly on the shelves. Curious, I grabbed one and flipped through it. The publication year? 1999. I chuckled, closed the book, and promptly decided we wouldn’t be using them.

That first year was a crash course in teaching. By the time summer rolled around, I was ready to dive back in and prepare for the next year. Teaching is a constant cycle of iteration: you gather materials, teach, reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), and adjust. Over time, teachers develop their own carefully crafted lesson plans tailored to their style and students’ needs. It would have been more efficient if I started with AI lesson plans right from the beginning.

But what if there were a better way? What if teachers—especially first-year teachers—had access to personal, well-crafted lesson plans from the start?

This Is a Boon

AI is an incredible tool, and for first-year teachers, it can be a lifesaver. With platforms like the STEM Forged AI Lesson Plan Platform, teachers can quickly create effective lesson plans that not only build on one another but also incorporate standards-based learning.

During my first year, I often marveled at veteran teachers who seemed to effortlessly create meaningful, skill-based instruction that wowed both students and administrators. With AI, this kind of planning is no longer reserved for the experienced.

AI allows teachers to build deeply personalized, engaging curriculum quickly—helping them focus on teaching rather than just surviving. It can also impress school administrators, like the principal who hired me and understood the realities of that first year. But what if the first year didn’t have to be about survival at all?

At STEM Forged, we’re building the best lesson-planning platform we can, with a special focus on supporting teachers. If you’re curious to learn more, click here to explore what we’re creating.