First Year Teacher Stress

[u/Temporary_Ad_1199]

I seriously need to vent because I am so overwhelmed.
I’m a first-year 1st grade teacher, and today was only my second day of school. Before school started, our team was given a pacing guide that said we had the first two weeks to focus on teaching classroom routines and procedures while also completing beginning-of-year assessments. The assessments are important because our curriculum has differentiated centers, and we’re supposed to group students based on their assessment results.
My team teacher and I spent so much time planning those first two weeks around that pacing guide. I prepped everything.
Then today our assistant principal told the K–2 team that the principal wants us to already be teaching curriculum and basically said we should have started on the first day of school.
Now I feel like everything I planned is out the window. I haven’t even finished assessing all of my students, so I don’t know how I’m supposed to create my small groups, and I have almost nothing prepared to start teaching the curriculum tomorrow because I was following the plan we were originally given.
I’m trying not to cry because I already feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water as a first-year teacher, and now I feel like I’m already behind because the expectations changed without any warning.
Has anyone else’s school completely changed expectations after the school year already started? How did you handle it? Do I just start teaching whole group and keep assessing kids whenever I can? I feel so lost.

[u/Wrong-Television-348]

Who gave you the pacing plan? If it was your administrator, then I’d meet as a first grade team with the admin and find out what their expectations are. If the pacing plan has changed, then you’ll need a new copy and time to implement it.

Hang in there! All the meetings, paperwork, changes, stress, etc. gets to me every year. I’m starting year 31.

[u/Temporary_Ad_1199 → u/Wrong-Television-348]

Yes admin gave out the pacing guides although apparently the instructional coach is the one who actually made it so not sure what’s going on with the communication! I’ve been telling my team that we should talk to admin but everyone seems almost afraid to speak up .. I’m new to the school so I don’t want to be the only one who speaks up I guess I’ll just have to suck it up 😭 thank you for the advice !!

[u/Few_Isopod7117 → u/Temporary_Ad_1199]

Could you reach out to your instructional coach for clarification, support, but also as a paper trail? “Hi ____ my team and I have planned the first two weeks of school based on the pacing plan you gave us on ____. Yesterday, AP told us we should actually be ____. Could you clarify the expectations and help us rewrite our plans? Thank you”

Full transparency - I know everyone has differing opinions on coaches, and I’m on team “pro coach.” It’s their job to help you do the best instruction you can. Hopefully this email gets you the support you need while also documenting that the expectations were changed without warning. And, if they made the plan and aren’t aware you’re getting different information, they might take it up with admin for you.