Why Teach
It’s your first year. Late nights, anxiety, stress, caffeine-induced insomnia, canceling dates, missing family events, and freaking out plays like a broken record in your mind. Rewind, rewind again, and hitting play with the same emotions repeatedly. Hard to believe this—it gets better! Questioning your decision on the regular will take up a majority of your thoughts. God bless the person you’re dating during that first year because your relationship might get a little rocky. My wife wondered where my personality went during my first year. “I liked you so much better before you became a teacher,” with an old lady’s nagging, husky voice. Pretending to be an excellent teacher and acting like you know what you’re doing will prevail during this time period. Self-doubts will arise and tests will challenge your confidence.
From this experience, you will grow into the best version of yourself as a teacher. Don’t judge the field by the first year. It’s a huge transition, including those lovely Sunday night stress-lumps in your throat reminding you that work is around the corner. Take a deep breath and you will get through this! I remember making it to 2:30 PM feeling like Mr. Christmas himself as I survived another day. You will too! You will love the job, eventually. Everything above will dissolve and those clouds of despair will dissipate. Out of this experience will come the reasons you signed up for this job. This is one of the best careers in the world! It’s one of the most noble professions. Some days in the classroom never feel like work, and I’m riding the Cloud 9 wave getting paid to do something I absolutely love. How is this possible? You will feel this too! If you truly enjoy making a difference, seeing young people grow and mature, and knowing that you aided someone positively, you’ve chosen the best field. I’ve been there just like you and know the dreaded feelings of the bell ringing and all the students arriving in class. Take a deep breath. You are in a new learning experience for yourself, and you will grow and survive all of this while becoming the best teacher in you! It takes time, and this ride will end with you growing tremendously.
Read quotes, pray, steal ideas, and try to find humor in your day…every day. Let the small stuff go! These students might never forget you. They need you! You might be the only positive person in their life. Your words of wisdom may make the difference. You’re planting seeds into young minds that will someday blossom into something beautiful. And you call yourself a teacher? Welcome to the best job in the world! Get through that first year and you’ll love this job more and more. Even during the first year, you will grow more comfortable and experience these highs! Stay positive! You’ll get there!!