Learning to Teach While Teaching

Staudt Willet, K. B. (2024). Early career teachers’ expansion of professional learning networks with social media. Professional Development in Education, 50(2), 386–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2023.2178481

 As a teacher in my 3rd year of teaching, I found myself relating to this article Early career teachers’ expansion of professional learning networks with social media a lot. My first two years of teaching were rough. I didn’t receive much support my first couple years and found myself creating my own little support system of people I follow on social media, other teachers I’ve networked with online, and educational articles/videos just trying to discover what works and what doesn’t.


One thing that stuck out to me from reading this article is how early career teachers essentially have to teach themselves how to teach while also learning how to balance the classroom, plan lessons, communicate with parents/guardians, and develop into their teacher role. Social media is great because we have access to teachers from all over the world and can learn from their experiences, but it can also leave us feeling confused about who we should take advice from.


Reading this article reminded me that there are so many teachers out there just like me learning on the job while also trying to just survive and better ourselves.


If you’re a teacher, especially one who is early on in their career, did you feel like you had support when you first started? Or did you have to find your own little tribe as well?

Staudt Willet, K. B. (2024). Early career teachers’ expansion of professional learning networks with social media. Professional Development in Education, 50(2), 386–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2023.2178481



Comments

  1. Ashley FergusonMay 30, 2026 at 9:01 AM

    Hi Lydia! I was a teacher for a few years and I appreciated reading your post. I think teaching programs prepare you on how to lesson plan, stay organized, and follow specific teaching practices, but it can't prepare you for every situation you will encounter in the classroom. It is absolutely an on the job learning process. When I first started, I was part of a mentor program at my school. This honestly saved me those first two years. I always had someone to answer my questions, give me advice, and teach me how to be a better teacher. Our school also added Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), which is similar to PLNs. I discussed this over on my blog. Feel free to check it out!

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    Replies
    1. Lydia JMay 30, 2026 at 8:20 PM

      It sounds great that you had a mentor while you were learning to teach those first couple years. It makes a world of difference to know someone is there to answer questions and help you figure things out. I know not all teachers have that opportunity when they first start teaching. I look forward to reading your blog to see what else you think about PLCs. Thanks for writing!

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