Heading into your first term as a teacher: keep calm and progress

From planning to timetabling rest and reflection, Marie Hazeloffers her advice for surviving your first term in teaching

Marie Hazel advises teachers heading into their first term to keep calm, grab a brew and enjoy the last few moments of the holidays. Photograph: David Levene

Keep calm and P.R.O.G.R.E.S.S. So make yourself comfortable and see whether the following could apply to you and your first term:

P – planning

This takes a while at the start of your career and can be a bit tedious, especially during your PGCE. But it's worth doing well. There are many versions of the five-minute lesson plan out there, which cover differentiation, challenge and marking foci – all essential to streamlining your approach to planning. The Guardian Teacher Network and other websites have planners that you can manipulate to suit your needs. Use them – don't waste time reinventing the wheel.

Alongside this, use a good medium-term plan. Do it in your holidays and you'll reap the benefits later in the term. Include on it learning objectives, outcomes, possible learning activities and potential marking foci. Plan your own timetable too, detailing what you'll do with your frees, when you'll carry out your workload and time for rest and relaxation.
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