My first year teaching Algebra 1? Honestly, it was a blur of graded quizzes, color-coded chaos, and more copies of the same worksheet than I care to admit. I tried so hard to be the “perfect” teacher. But looking back, I realize I made a lot of avoidable mistakes.
If you’re about to start your first year or still figuring things out, here are five things I did wrong AND how I handle them differently now.
1. I Taught the Entire Unit Before Giving a Quiz
What I thought: “They’ll understand better once they’ve seen everything.”
What actually happened: By the time we got to the quiz, they couldn’t remember anything from Day 2. I had no idea where the gaps were until it was too late.
What I do now: I quiz after every major skill. Just a few questions—enough to see who’s got it and who doesn’t. It gives me fast data, helps students stay focused, and stops the overwhelm. This is USABLE data that I can then use to drive my instruction moving forward. Do we need to spiral back and revisit something? Does everyone have it and ready to move onto the next lesson? Let’s do it. I use both short mini quizzes but also exit tickets for every lesson to gather usable data on my students every single day.
2. I Tried to Make Every Lesson Pinterest-Worthy
I spent hours trying to make every single lesson “fun” and “engaging.” I spent too much time “recreating the wheel” from foldables, interactive notebooks, manipulatives, elaborate games… every day. And I was exhausted.
What I do now: I pick a few solid go-to activities and reuse them. I batch my prep when I can. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE fun and engaging resources, but they have their time and place. Not every day needs to be a full production. Clear structure + meaningful practice = success (and less burnout).
3. I Expected Students to Take Perfect Notes on Day One
I assumed that because they were in high school, they knew how to take notes. hahahah boy was I wrong!!! most of them barely remember to write their names on papers I give them.
What I do now: I treat note-taking as a skill that needs to be taught. I model it. We practice it. I give guided notes with structure and space to process. Notes are chunked with important definitions and information on the top followed by tons of examples and AMPLE space to show work. It takes time, but it pays off!
4. I Assigned Too Much Homework
More practice = better, right? That’s what I thought. So I gave 20+ problems a night and expected them to actually do it.
Spoiler: they didn’t. Or they copied. And I spent hours grading it anyway.
What I do now: I give short, targeted practice—just enough to reinforce the lesson. I use exit tickets way more than I use homework. It saves time, gives me better feedback, and keeps students from feeling overwhelmed. Now the only homework students get is if they didn’t finish their classwork, they have to finish at home. This rarely happens and if it does it’s because a student chose to goof off during class instead of working and asking for help when stuck.
5. I Didn’t Ask for Help
My first year teaching was also my practicum 🫠 I was offered a full time job with the school I was supposed to be student teaching at because they were so short on teachers. So instead of a collaborative, student teaching environment I was thrown into my own classroom. I thought asking for help would make me look like I didn’t know what I was doing. So I stayed quiet and tried to figure it all out myself.
What I do now: I ask questions. I collaborate. I share wins and struggles with other teachers. Instagram, TikTok, teacher Facebook groups—there’s no shortage of support if you look for it. You’re not alone.
TL;DR – Here’s the Recap
- ✅ Quiz after each skill, not just at the end of the unit
- ✅ Reuse resources and batch your prep to avoid burnout
- ✅ Teach note-taking like a math skill
- ✅ Use short, targeted practice over loads of homework
- ✅ Ask for help—community matters
Ready to Plan Smarter, Not Harder?
Check out my full year Algebra 1 Curriculum here! Get done for you notes, assessments and exit tickets for every lesson. AND every single thing is FULLY EDITABLE! Try a free sample here!
It’s the exact set of notes that I wish I had when I was drowning in Google Docs and sticky notes, flipping through textbooks late at night trying to figure out what the heck I was doing!
Save your sanity. Get your time back. Start the year with a plan that actually works.
Fun With Algebra 