The Iconic First Year

Last Friday marked the last day of my first year of teaching! I have a mix of emotions streaming through my body. It’s all very bittersweet as I reflect upon the year. One thing is for sure: I’m physically and emotionally tired. I’m looking forward to some downtime before the chaos of the summer begins.

Of course I told my students to continue reading and learning throughout the summer. I got some eye rolls… Actually, I got a lot of eye rolls. Just as I hope they continue to use their brains, it is important for me to do some writing; therefore, I think it’s time to dust off this blog!

I would like to share some of my thoughts regarding my first year of teaching. 

Aside from some curriculum elements (I won’t bore you), here’s what I would do way differently:

-       Ask for more help. For some reason I was reluctant to reach out and use my resources. I suppose deep down, I thought this was a sign of weakness; however, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Others have valuable knowledge and experiences that I could have incorporated into my daily routines.

-       Over-plan. There were way too many times that the students were left twiddling their thumbs with ten minutes until the bell. While I know they appreciated this, I wasn’t comfortable with it. I’m not necessarily a fan of ‘busy work,’ but I need to keep the students occupied from start to finish of each period.

-       Parent communication. There were times that I should have contacted parents. I talked myself out of that email or phone call. This just simply must change.

-       Grading. I need to spend more time grading and focusing on each student’s work. I felt like I did a lot of skimming. Ooops.

Now for the positives. These are things I thought I did well:

-       Listened to the kids. We had quite a few “relationship building days.” I loved this part of my job. The fact is, kids have a lot of great things to say. It matters to them if you ask about their lives and listen. Getting to know the kids is so important. Plus, they are hilarious. I really believe that they appreciated how I made it a point to remember what was going on in their lives.

-       Managed my time wisely. I am a fairly organized person. I plan ahead, so I did a pretty good job balancing school, health, and my personal life. I guess I was a balanced banana ;-)

-       Kept on smiling. I realize there were times when the kids were laughing at me, and I am completely okay with this. I can smile through the craziness. There were good days and bad days, but we laughed a lot.

-       Remembered kindness and honesty. Kids can tell if someone is genuine or not. My kids saw who I am; I didn’t sugarcoat things. I gave advice when they asked for it. When they asked a question that I didn’t know, we looked it up. I will not pretend to be something I’m not. The kids recognized this, and overall, I believe they appreciated this quality.

Kids are underappreciated. They have so many great thoughts that deserve to be heard. With all of the adversity and negativity that seems to be happening, it is important to listen and be kind. I love those kids, and they need to know that.

Most importantly, I couldn’t have done any of this without the love and support of family and friends. Above all else, the strength of Jesus Christ was at the center of each day. He is so good, and I am blessed beyond words.

Now, bring on the summer!!