I was reminded of my very first classroom of kids recently. Those second graders are now starting fifth grade. It seems like a lifetime ago, but it really hasn’t been that long. In addition to simultaneously missing them and thanking God I’m not at that school any more (another story for another time), I’ve been thinking about all the things I wish I’d known. I’m sure every teacher (and every other person who enters the real work world) feels this way at some point, so I started making a list of things I wish I’d known as a first year teacher.
Here’s what I would go back and tell myself as I dove into that first school year …
- You can’t do all.
- It’s ok to ask for help.
- No one is perfect.
- That one “perfect” teacher struggles too.
- Just because another teacher has a printable, chart or activity doesn’t mean you need it too.
- You don’t have to be like everyone else.
- Poor performance on standardized tests is not a direct correlation to your abilities as a teacher or worth as a person
- Behavior problems within the classroom don’t define you – how you handle them does.
- “Fake it ‘til you make it” is 100% acceptable.
- Charter school environments can be rough.
- Not all administrators care about you.
- Administration doesn’t have it all together.
- Administrators are not gods. They are people too – with their own issues and pressures.
- You should speak up immediately when you are taken advantage of and when something isn’t right.
- Crying daily is typical and totally okay, therapeutic really.
- Simply getting through the day is a totally acceptable accomplishment.
- You will need to constantly research, revise, and revisit your behavior management techniques.
- You are in charge of the environment of the classroom – you set the tone and the expectations.
- Staying calm and level headed (emotional constancy) is the key to all things.
- Positives must outweigh negatives – with kids, other teachers and administrators.
Some of these things are probably universal – others were lessons I had to learn uniquely. Tough situations like diving into a classroom full of young children tend to bring out the best and the worst in you. Personal issues you thought you’d dealt with or didn’t even know you had rear their ugly heads. It’s an intense learning process, but it’s so incredibly worthwhile. Teaching in all its forms has the ability to make better people – if we choose to learn as we teach.
What would you go back and tell yourself before or during that first year of teaching?
What have you learned from working with kids?