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 … [Read more...]