Friday I completed my first year of teaching. Well…technically I still have three teacher workdays, but in my mind it is complete. I have heard many a horror story about teachers’ first years. The planning takes forever. The kids are crazier than you can ever imagine. All of your brilliant ideas that you think up never work out how you think they will in a classroom. You’ll want to quit. You will stay sick…etc. etc. etc. Needless to say, I was a little nervous entering this school year in August, but I dove right in and never looked back.
Yes, there were long days. Yes, the planning took a lot of time. Yes, the kids were crazy…they’re middle schoolers what else could I expect. BUT, I did not want to quit. I did not go home and cry everyday. I did not apply for other jobs. I didn’t even search for other jobs. I didn’t get sick beyond a few bad colds. You could probably say I was blessed with the best first year a first year teacher could ask for. And, I can only give the Lord all the glory for that. He worked out everything perfectly…again. He’s pretty good at that.
While I was having a great first year, I did learn a lot! And, as I was walking endless circles around my classroom staring at the wall during EOGs, I began to reflect on this year because I do not want to forget all I learned and the areas I feel like I did well.
Let’s start with the good…planning. As a first year teacher, you might have some random resources from student teaching and other college classes, but overall you have nothing. So, my Saturdays this year were spent planning lessons and making flipcharts for the upcoming week. And, I can say that I went into every week completely planned. Part of that is because I was required to turn in lesson plans for the week on Monday mornings. I am so excited that I will not have to make flipcharts from scratch again next year. I will have some changes/improvements to make, but the majority of my planning is done. Woo hoo!
At the beginning of this school year, I told my students I would enter each class with a fresh, positive attitude no matter what had happened earlier in the day or what was going to happen later in the day. I asked them to do the same. I’m not saying that I kept that positive attitude throughout a whole class, but I did go in each class this year with a clean slate even if the previous class had really frustrated me. Some days it took counting to 10 and taking several deep breaths. Other days it took me biting my tongue and just giving a look so I didn’t say something I regretted. But, I often said to my students when they were upset that I was sorry they were upset, but that I did not deserve the attitude or frustration they were showing as I had nothing to do with whatever they were mad about from last class. Since I said this a lot, it reminded me that I needed to give them the same courtesy. And, I’m proud to say I feel like I did that this year.
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