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Here is an important question for student teachers: Will you still be teaching five years after you enter the teaching profession? Consider these statistics:

•	First-year teachers are more likely to leave the profession than more experienced teachers (Kelley 2004).
•	More than one third of beginning teachers leave the teaching profession during the first three years, and one half leave after five years (Kelley 2004).

Though these statistics may seem rather disheartening, they are a sobering reality meant to make future teachers aware of the learning curve going into the profession. Awareness leads to preparation, and evaluating reasons why other beginning teachers left the field could prevent you from leaving as well.

Novice Teacher Survey
A 2003 survey of 81 beginning teachers (Wegmann et al. 2005) revealed teachers’ concerns related to their first-year teaching experience. Time and paperwork were the biggest concerns cited. New teachers often are surprised and overwhelmed by the amount of time spent on tasks beyond actual instruction.

Factor	More than I expected	About what I expected	Less than I expected
Amount of paperwork related to instruction	51%	16%	5%
Amount of planning time available	4%	22%	52%
Amount of time spent disciplining	40%	29%	6%
Amount of time spent on administrative tasks (duties, committees)	38%	35%	5%
Amount of time spent on state test preparation	34%	39%	4%
Amount of time spent working at home	48%	23%	7%

* Percentages do not add up to 100% because not all respondents answered every question.

The remainder of this article offers sound and practical advice in response to these concerns. We believe that this advice will help you anticipate some of the problems you might face as well as provide insights to help you handle other difficulties. We hope to encourage you to persevere through those situations.

Time(ly) Advice

•	Enter teaching slowly; it’s too much to try to handle all obligations at the start.
•	Remember to allow time to adjust to the teaching profession.
•	Realize that you will sharpen your teaching skills over time (Black 2004).

Time and Discipline

•	Reduce disciplining time by choosing classroom-management techniques that fit your personality and style.
•	Establish and teach classroom routines at the beginning of the year and hold students accountable for following them.

Time and Planning

•	Find a teaching partner in your grade level with whom you can plan instruction.
•	Write lessons with your partner, or alternate the responsibility for planning lessons.
•	Limit the time at home you spend preparing lessons.
•	Recognize that you have a life away from school, and take time to enjoy it.

Time and Test Preparation

•	Involve students in authentic activities rather than drill-and-practice exercises for standardized tests.
•	Use instructional methods such as reading and writing workshops.

Advice on Paperwork

•	Prepare learning centers and other interactive experiences that don’t require a lot of paperwork.
•	Avoid overuse of workbooks and worksheets, which generate mountains of paperwork that must be graded.

Advice on Collegial Support

•	Accept support and guidance from more experienced teachers.
•	Establish a working relationship with a compatible person.
•	View the principal as a working partner and establish lines of communication with him or her.

We have remained in the profession because of our love of children and teaching. As teachers, we have faced many problems, and we have persevered. We believe that you can too. Be aware of possible problems and think through situations to be prepared for actual problems when and if they arise. We hope that following this advice will contribute to a long and fulfilling teaching career for you. Part of our jobs is to help you stay a little longer in this profession.

References
Black, S. 2004. Helping teachers helps keep them around.
     Education Digest 70(4): 46–51.
Kelley, L. M. 2004. Why instruction matters. Journal of Teacher
    Education 55(5): 438–48.
Murnane, R., J. Singer, J. Willett, and R. Olsen. 1991. Who will
    teach? Policies that matter. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
    Press.
Wegmann, S., P. Adams, B. Higgins, M. Miller, D. Price, C.
    Simpson, and P. Swicegood. 2005. Characteristics and factors
    influencing teachers who stay in the profession: No teacher left
    behind. Academic Exchange Quarterly (Fall): 235–39.

About the Authors
Melinda Miller is an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She teaches in the department of Language, Literacy, and Special Populations.
Betty Higgins is an assistant professor in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Special Populations at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

About what I expected

Less than I expected

Less
than I expected