So far, on my blog, I have posted some pictures of anchor charts and projects I have done with my students in my FIRST year of teaching (YAY!). Although these are glimpses into the work I do with my class and what we study, I think a reflection of how my first year went and what I learned would be beneficial. This is especially for other first year teachers as they begin their journey into being a professional educator, or as they wind down from the craziness of a first year. Either way, here it goes!
My first thought is...HOW DID I MAKE IT? HOW? I mean, when I got into teaching I assumed I'd get all this time one -on-one with my students and get to know all about them and talk to their parents all of time. What a reality check. The first month or so of my year was strictly testing the reading and math levels of my students along with setting up expectations. And... paperwork. PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK, PAPERWORK. My mom is a teacher, and I don't know how I missed all of the paperwork she had to do! IT IS CRAZY. Although the excessive amount of paperwork drove me crazy and stressed me out, I definitely understand the necessity of documenting what you do with students...especially if it will help other teachers help and teach those students. So as hectic as those deadlines can be, DO IT and prove it, it will help everyone in the long run!
So beyond the whiplash from paperwork my first month, we can't my student who decided to use the restroom on a tree at recess instead of running up the hill to the bathrooms. Yup, he peed outside. In front of everyone! Then tried to hide behind a small, skinny tree (which I could see him the whole time) and THEN tried to tell me it wasn't him. The tree was all wet, and then he had to confess. His confession went like this, "My stomach hurt." That was all, no apology, no tears, nothing. His stomach hurt. OK. I was horrified and thought, "What kind of teacher am I that a student pees outside!" but thankfully, all of the administration and staff just laughed, as they knew the student and, honestly, were not that surprised.
So after that, about a week later, one of my students got sick towards the end of the school day. I sent him to the nurse, but she did not want to call mom because he would be leaving on the bus in 20 min or so anyways. WHAT A MISTAKE! I wanted to call mom, but the nurse insisted on just sending him home. Well, guess how that went? As soon as he sat down on that hot, steamy, sweaty bus. PUKE. ALL OVER. Once again, I was horrified. And once again, others understood. My thought during this one was, "Thank goodness I'm not the only one who this has happened to!" LESSON LEARNED- always call mom.
The rest of my year, honestly, is a big blur. There were many, many, many other messy events and issues that I dealt with...but I get them all jumbled up! I would love to rant about the swear words, fighting, blaming, bullying, whining, crying, and excuses used by my students through out the WHOLE year...BUT that is part of teaching. I think that the most important thing I learned in my first year as a teacher was to not only help these students grow intellectually, but I also have the responsibility to help them grow socially and sometimes morally. For example, HONESTY. Sometimes, these little ones lie their buns off. Even when everyone knows the truth, they STILL lie. Trying to show them that honesty is the best policy is SO hard. So my lesson for this one is...LEAD BY EXAMPLE. STAY TRUE TO YOUR WORDS. and show them that they DO matter.
ALSO, just to interject another crucial lesson to be learned as an educator...BE FLEXIBLE. do not count on ANYTHING. schedules change by the minute, people cancel, meetings pop-up. Deal with it, and let it go. Life WILL be easier.
Overall, my first year was amazing. It was a roller coaster of emotions, but I will never ever forget my first year. Those students helped me grow SO much as a teacher, and I would have never learned the lessons I did with out them. They do not realize the gift of learning that they blessed me with. I can't wait to see what I learn next year!
Cheers!
(OH, and HAPPY HAPPY SUMMER BREAK!)
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