Dear first year teachers,
This is about the time, at least from what I remember, that things get... rough. Well, it's always been rough. There's the curriculum, planning, grading, and building student relationships. But this is around the time when things feel like they're falling apart. When choosing between the ever-growing pile of grading, planning your life away, and figuring out how to deal with five very discouraging students... it may even escape our mouths, "Why did I choose this path?" I remember as a first year teacher, i had these great ideals and I tried to implement all of them. every. single. one. all at once. I know it sounds ridiculous because everyone had told me how challenging teaching would be, but I was sure I would get it right by my first year. Surely, they haven't met me. I'll work twice, no three times as hard, to get my classroom to look like my ideal. Instead, around this time, I was faced with all the things going wrong in my classroom. Those beautiful ideals transforming into an ugly truth. I write this not to dishearten you, but to let you know that EVERYONE goes through this. I remember having a first year teacher as a roommate as she explained some of the difficulties of first year teaching. 90% of the time, I didn't even have a solution. The only thing I could say was, "Yep, sounds about normal." And I think just hearing those words is helpful. Teaching can feel so isolating, and often people are sharing about BEST practices making their classrooms sound like unicorns and star dust. Hardly anyone's classroom is unicorns and star dust. and if it is, it took a lot of years of struggle to get there. Honestly, some of the most soothing words I've heard as a teacher has been, "Oh that kid? Yeah, he's like that in my class too." As in, I'm not the ONLY ONE struggling. So, first year teacher, you're NOT the only one struggling, and what you're going through is normal. Secondly, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just like a flower has to wait for night to pass and morning to come before it sees the sun, as teachers you'll have to endure your own kind of "night" but TRUST that the morning does come. The struggle is worthwhile and you will learn from it (easy to say but hard to believe). Taking risks in the classroom (like changing up homework or doing standards based grading alone or trying to make group work work) has its rewards NO MATTER WHAT. Even when you feel like an activity or idea failed horribly, the reward is that you will know how to make it better. And if you try it the next year, it will be so much better. I failed a lot as a first year teacher. I mean A LOT. I was emotionally a mess. and the next year, I was so thankful for those failures because I was that more more prepared. Let me tell you though, failing was no fun at all. But you may see yourself next year grateful for those failures. Lastly, great teaching takes great time, great energy, and great community. I know that many teachers have a "solo thing" going. Something along the lines of a) I can do this on my own ... or b) I don't wan't to bother anyone else .... or c) I don't want anyone to see my weaknesses or ... d) I feel judged by other teachers or e) some other reason to be on your own. To this, I'll respond sharply but in the most loving way possible. How can one, in the same breath, say "I want the best for my students" and "I'm going to do it on my own"? Our students deserve the best. And we need to rely on each other to provide the best for them. Trust me 2 heads are better than one. I've never left a Noyce conversation without it having a different and better impact on my students. Don't fly solo. So if you didn't read anything here. That's okay. I'll sum it up here: You are in every way exactly where you are supposed to be with exactly the right people at exactly the right time. Don't give up.
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