Good luck, Tony. The first several months can be brutal, but if you can get through your first year, you're good.
Just a couple of things, straight up:
Never speak over students or let them speak over you. If it's important enough for you to say, they should damn well be listening. They'll get the message after a while, but in the meantime, make sure you have their attention before you speak. Otherwise they figure nothing you say is worth listening to.
Don't second-guess yourself. Mistakes will be made, but if the students know you honestly want to deliver their education you will earn their respect. Just like Master & Commander.
Teaching can be a brutal profession. We used to have a government in Ontario which pooped and peed all over teachers, by way of right-wing media. It's one thing to take the crap from students and parents, but to take shots in the papers and from politicians is something else. The neurotic, overbearing parents never bothered me - it's a hell of an improvement than no caring parent at all, which is unfortunately often the case. But find some way to help handle stress - exercise is the best, IMO, 'cause there is a tendency to pack on pounds your first year -and everyone feels stress, even if they don't show it.
There's a really excellent flick out there called The First Year, about rookie teachers working with inner city school kids - not high school, older elementary kids, but well worth watching.
http://www.pbs.org/firstyear/
Good luck, Tony.
