How can I be this stuck??

I finally have my teaching assignment.  I will be teaching 7th & 8th grade science (track 3 for you year round folks).  I am thrilled.  Working with the older kids will be a big change, but one that I am interested in.

Yet, I find myself fast approaching a complete state of terror with every passing hour.  The amount and scope of things I have to do are so overwhelming that I am bouncing from one task to another, never spending more than 10 minutes on anything (this blog entry being no exception).  I don't know what I need to do.  Analysis paralysis indeed.

If I were going to be teaching like everyone else, this would be no big deal.  I'd read the scripted lessons, review the materials given to me by my new colleagues, and implement them using my own style.  But I don't want to be teaching like everyone else.  I want to do something more.  I want to be engaging, I want to be authentic, I want to be relevant.  I want my classroom to be as successful as the classrooms from every blog/tweet/article I read seem to be. (Seriously people, do your students just show up in your room being amazing??)

I think the hard part is I feel more alone than ever.  I need to talk to people to hash out my ideas, get feedback, process through things.  I used to do this with the people I work with, my team.  But I don't have a team right now.  I don't know the people I'm going to be working with.  No guarantees they're even interested in implementing the same things I am anyways.  Twitter is wonderful and all for finding like-minded people, but doesn't lend itself to in depth conversations.

If I were staying at my old school, things wouldn't nearly be so bad.  I already know the curriculum.  But this year I have a new principal to impress (one who I've already been told takes test data seriously and will compare you to others).  What if I try these new methods, fail, and lose his trust?  Not to mention, apparently he's already been talking me up to the staff.  So I have their expectations to live up to as well.

Do I throw caution to the wind and change everything at once?  New school.  New grade.  New curriculum.  New methods.  Or do I go back to my old ways for this year while I learn the curriculum and how teaching in middle school actually works?  The latter is certainly more appealing because it's the easier path.  Is it the right path?

Deep down, I know the answer is no.  Despite it being hard, I need to suck it up and do the right thing.  In the long run, despite any failures, I think I will be happier with myself if I do what is true to my beliefs.

Now to just figure out how...