Summer time tends to pass by rather quickly, especially for teachers. As I spend my summer time relaxing ( a.k.a planning for next school year) I can't help but smile on the fact that I survived my first year teaching. For all the teachers out there reading this, you know what I mean when I say "survive", and for those of you who have never taught let me enlighten you on what I mean. Teaching can be one of the most emotionally rewarding and all around adventurous careers out there, believe me there is never a dull day in the classroom. However, it takes a surplus of dedication, commitment and never-ending-faith that at least one student was/has been inspired by your passionate ramblings. That dedication, commitment and never-ending-faith will sometimes result in 10 hour work days, working on weekends, forgetting the last time you ate and among many other things having coffee be your BFF.
(First year teachers/anyone interested or contemplating a teaching career, please do not be discouraged by that sad little list above, all those things quickly fade away when you see the smile of discovery and comprehension on a child's face. )
Inspired by my survival and completion of my first year teaching I came up with a list of 5 things that I have learned going through this amazing experience.
1. Relax
As simple as this lesson sounds it's actually one of the toughest ones to learn. Being a teacher means you grow to be unbelievably organized, resourceful with scheduling, timing and the ability to improvise will have you wondering where we acquire our magic from (this is especially true during testing season). So knowing that you have all these amazing attributes can give you an opportunity to take a deep breath and relax, you got this under control. One of the best tips one of my colleagues gave me when I started was to always keep my cool. Her theory is that if you look frantic and freaked out for any reason at any moment, a student will catch on and feel/act out the same way. It's a psychological trigger that we acquired from an early age. For example, when you watch a toddler fall and the parent comes running concerned and frantic the child looks at his/her parent and starts crying. The opposite also holds true, if the parent calmly walks over and picks the child up then the child senses that there is nothing wrong and proceeds to stay calm.
2. Every day is different
This may seem like another no-brainier lesson but it took sometime to both understand and embrace. I am currently an educator at a middle/high school in which I teach 7 periods, grades 6-12. We work on a block schedule in which we have 1st period everyday (homeroom), and we toggle between odd day and even day. Obviously in knowing this information I knew that every class period was going to be absolutely different from one another. What I wasn't ready for is the fact that I'm teaching preteens and teenagers, What does that mean? It means raging hormones everywhere and everyday is a whole new overstimulating experience. I clearly remember one of my classes being extremely energetic one day and absolutely inanimate the next class. You would think that the teaching career would bring a form of consistency into your life, realistically speaking it does in some aspects but overall everyday is a whole new experience. How I went about overcoming these emotional and energetic shifts in my students is by focusing on myself. Remember, you set the pace and energy for your class. I discovered that if I incessantly showed a passion and adoration for color theory (or whatever lesson you may be teaching), that the students would eventually pick up and attempt to understand why anyone would be so interested in such subject matter.
3. Communicate with your colleagues
A while back I saw the movie Freedom Writers and discovered that it was based on true events. Throughout the movie I found myself laughing, crying and on the edge of my seat. As an educator I highly recommend you check it out, it is very inspiring and gives an interesting perspective on the education system in the 90's. With that being said I noticed that the work environment in both the movie and the book was very hostile between educators. In contrast to the educators in the film I am one that believes that communication is key, pretty much in any situation. In terms of teaching I have found that by sharing stories, advice and the occasional coffee, your colleagues become your mentors and support system. It can be difficult to relate work based questions, incidents, stories to your friends and loved ones, your work family is there when that's the case. Also keep in mind that some colleagues might no be open or comfortable with that idea, in which case just be respectful and empathetic.
4. Don't take it personal
I briefly mentioned in number 2 that preteens and teens tend to be a bit inconsistent with their energy and attitude. With that being the case the 4th thing I have learned my first year teaching is to not take anything personal. These are preteens and teens for crying out loud, emotions are flowing out left and right. I've had a student tell me to my face that they hate me and my class and then a week later give me a hug and tell me that they love me and my class. So the next time you have a student acting out just take a deep breath, handle the situation and shrug it off. Don't let him/her kill your awesome teaching vibe.
5. Keep snacks in your room
This lesson I learned isn't exactly the most amazing or it might not sound like its life changing but believe me, it is. A teaching day will typically fly right by, with that being said you might even discover that you missed your lunch break or maybe you even forgot your lunch at home. Those two things have happened to me and the consequences were not so delightful. I am the kind of person that gets to be frustrated fairly quickly when feeling hungry. Did I mention that wonderful headache that also occurs? I love art and I love teaching art, but there's no way that I enjoy a million questions about Picasso on an empty stomach and a pounding head. So after going through that experience I learned from my colleagues that along with coffee, snacks are your best friend. So whether you forgot to have lunch, left it at home, or are skimping your day through with a salad, a bag of crackers can really save your day. I also like to keep an assortment of nuts, pita chips, chocolate (my favorite pick me up) and those pudding cups. Full stomach = happy teaching
