One month from today I will have (hopefully) survived my first year as a classroom teacher, amazingly with only minor cuts and bruises. In celebration of this milestone in my life, I thought I'd share with you some of my more interesting "firsts", that every classroom teacher probably experiences.
First...day of school. I honestly can't remember a thing about the day. I hope I'm not the only one who can't remember their first day as a teacher, but I really can't make anything come to mind. I know I was so nervous, but this year has been such a whirlwind, it all sort of runs together. Oh well, moving on.
First...time I cried at work. I think it was only a week or two into school. I was convinced that I was doing a terrible job, and it was because of my lack of skill that I could not get these kids to behave! Not once did it cross my mind that most of these barely-5-year-olds had never stepped foot into an organized setting, and THAT was why they were acting like Tasmanian devils unleashed in a shopping mall. Nope. It was my fault. I cried for quite a long time to my lead teacher, who just smiled and handed me a tissue.
First...time a student said "I hate you." Whaaat??!? These tiny little creatures were supposed to worship me. I was supposed to be their role model, their teacher, whom they loved and adored. They aren't supposed to hate me!! Another of the many times I shed tears inside those classroom walls, and my student just looked at me like I was nuts. Turns out it wasn't the last time a child lashed out at me, and once you get used to it, it become hard not to chuckle a little bit at their tantrums.
First...surprise observation. My boss's boss, and his boss, came in for a visit. Luckily for me, they came on a day where the kids were wound up even more than usual. The academic awards assembly had been that morning, and quarterly celebration had just been announced. Just about the time I decided to throw my lesson out the window and start in on a nice long lecture about why they "JUST WONT LISTEN!", they all popped into my classroom to check things out. Stage 1: panic! Stage 2: tears. Stage 3: embarrassment. How two of those three people ended up as references for my new job, I will never know...
First...time a student vomited in my classroom. This story may also be interchanged with "First time a student went potty in my classroom." My sweetest, shiest student got up to tell me that he wasn't feeling well. He didn't even make it through his sentence before he got sick. Puke on his clothes, on the walls, the chairs, the desks, the floor, the other kids...well, you get it. Their reaction: "Ewwwwwww!!!" My reaction: "Ewwwwwwww!!!"
First...time I realized they were actually learning. It took until about January before I noticed it. I had finally gotten them organized into small groups for reading instruction, and one of my kindergarteners picked up his book and just.....started reading. I was amazed!! How did he learn to do that? Certainly I didn't teach him that, did I? I am still surprised every single day by how smart they are.
My first year in the classroom has been so many things. I could probably tell enough stories to write a book. It has been stressful, exciting, scary, exhausting, and every other adjective you can come up with. There have been many times that I've complained to family and friends, wondered if I picked the wrong profession. But every time I even wonder something like that out loud, my mind is telling me that I'm nuts. I wouldn't trade a day of this year for any other job. Looking forward into next year, where I will be moving on to a new city, a new school, and a new grade level, the only thing I can guarantee myself is that it won't be boring. :)
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