Recent research showed that the 1st year of teaching is challenging, and that teachers deserve a smoother transition into the classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore how 1st-year teachers served as a support network for each other and what benefits derived from their interactions. This led to a theory regarding the first-year teacher support network phenomenon. The theoretical and conceptual frameworks were andragogy and transformation that posit adults as self-directed learners. The research questions that framed this qualitative study focused on how 1st year teachers serve as a support network and what benefits result from their interactions. Grounded theory was employed because it was the appropriate design for developing a new theory. One-on-one interviews, focus group interviews, and participants' journals were used to explore the experiences of 20 novice teachers. Open, axial, and selective coding was implemented to analyze the data. From the analysis, the first-year teacher support network theory was derived which purports that the commonalities of 1st year teachers unite them and enable them to support one another by sharing ideas, communicating their thoughts, creating a comforting environment, providing encouragement, offering friendship, and completing specific tasks collaboratively. The 1st year teacher support network may be a viable enhancement to the teacher mentoring programs. The emergent potential for social change is embodied in the fact that 1st year teachers may no longer have to depend primarily on veteran teachers to support their transition into the classroom. An additional and valuable support resource, fellow peers, may aid novices in their acclimation to the profession which may positively impact their students' academic achievement. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]