I was fresh out of college, 21-years-young, and had no idea what was in store for me. My first position was at an incredible public school in a great part of the district. I went out searching for the perfect black suit for my interview. I desperately wanted to work at this school, so I had to go all out here. I made my then fiance, now husband, help me find said suit. I gathered up my 4-inch portfolio binder, pulled my hair back, and headed to the school for an interview. I didn't know what to expect, but when I got there, I was definitely not expecting ten people to sit in on my interview. It was a full on committee! I'm pretty sure they saw the color drain out of my face on that sweltering July day as I donned my black skirt suit.
Needless to say, I was hired to teach 5th grade. I was the youngest faculty member. I was terrified. I tried very hard not to get nervous by the fact that I was only 10 years older than my students. And that some were taller than me. That entire first year, I wore heels to work.
I learned a lot that year. The first time I disciplined a kid for rolling her eyes at me (to which I responded with something in my sternest teacher voice and ended my statement with "...and check your attitude at the door."), I remember turning toward the whiteboard thinking, "Who am I?!" It was then that I understood why I was required to take a theater class in college.
We had a lot of laughs that year, and I'll never forget the day one of my students disappeared. I mean, one minute he was in the classroom, and the next minute he was gone. I panicked, of course, and thought of all of the worst case scenarios in my head, all of which ended with me going to jail, but then, there he was... waltzing in the classroom. I was too relieved to even get upset with him for walking out. Before I could even question him, he looked at me, and all of his classmates, raised his hands in the air in celebration, and yelled out, "I THREW UP!" I guess he really took heart to my rule: do not pass go, do not collected $200, please run out of the classroom to the restroom if you're feeling ill. I have since improved upon my sarcasm.
I can also think back to the first time I busted a kid for cheating. He basically copied straight from a website despite my warnings and instruction on how to properly research. I gave him one last chance to come clean with my "honesty is the best policy" reminder, but he still told me that he had written the report. It broke my heart to show him what I had found. But I think it taught him a pretty decent lesson.
I also cried a lot that year. A LOT, a lot. I think I cried almost every day on my drive home for all sorts of reasons. Stress, feelings of insecurity, incompetence, ineffectiveness, tears of pride, tears of joy. Mostly tears of exhaustion. I was also going through the first year of my credential clearing program, AND planning a wedding, so there was quite a bit on my plate.
At my first Open House, a parent came up to me, shook my hand, and thanked me profusely for the time and effort I put into educating his son. He told me that I spend more time with those kids than a lot of parents do, and for that he's eternally grateful. I cried again in that moment.
I will never, ever forget my first class. Those kids are headed into their junior year... of COLLEGE... this year. They mean more to me than they'll ever know.
Soon, I'll be starting my 10th year of teaching. It truly feels like it's been a decade, but it's also gone so quickly. Every year starts off with haste, I blink, and then it's Christmas. And with each passing year, I've learned so much more... about teaching, about my students, about myself. I've worked with some incredible educators and owe so much of who I've become to them and their influence.
My classroom is a lot cuter, way more functional, and I definitely have a greater sense of how to plan curriculum and implement a successful discipline policy. Best of all, I can finally say that I have experience! And it really feels great to be able to apply that experience in so many different ways. It's been a long, exciting, stressful ten years, but it's completely validated my choice in careers.
And as it turns out, ten years later, I'm still the youngest teacher on faculty.
Here's to another 10 years of growth!
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