This, my friends, is what you call a selfie.
Before I begin my "anti-top-5-advice," I would first like to say that I like selfies (every once in a while). When you're feeling cute and you're like Well, this probably won't happen again in ... a while, WHY NOT DOCUMENT IT?! I mean, come on. These opportunities only come once in a while, so seize the day! Take that chance! Risk the judgment! YOU GO AHEAD AND SELFIE, GIRL. (OR BOY)
But let's examine this picture: I'm clearly wearing an un-ironed button-up, with one eye shut and one eye open. This is a selfie is one I would label "unacceptable," as well as some other things that I won't mention.
This selfie caught me in a moment of weakness - a moment 3 weeks before my wedding in my first year of teaching, where I needed to be THREE WEEKS ahead on lesson plans, along with substitute plans for 4 different classes. I also had to do last-minute wedding details. THERE WAS NO END IN SIGHT. My life hinged on details and let's just say details are not my thing.
Exhibit A: I forgot to put the names of the Ring Bearer and Flower Girl on my programs.
Exhibit B: I forgot to physically bring the programs and personalized mad libs to the WEDDING. Like really?
When I look back on this photo, it kills me. I want to let out a big belly laugh about my unfortunate (okay, maybe an exaggeration) circumstances in October, 2014. But I would be lying if I said that I didn't have many, many more moments just like this. (Off the top of my head: um EVERY SINGLE DAY the last 2 weeks of school, particularly the last 2 hours of my teacher workday. If I didn't have some fellow teachers around, I may have ripped out every single strand of hair. It's not that the work was hard; it's just this feeling of desperation saying you just cannot put one more stupid paper clip in the paper cup holder. Honestly, paper clip, you can kiss my butt.)
So, I was thinking about what to write about for my end-of-the-year reflection, and I thought up these lovely blog post titles:
TOP 5 THINGS A FIRST YEAR TEACHER NEEDS TO KNOW
REFLECTIONS FROM A FIRST YEAR TEACHER
HOW TO BE A COOL TEACHER AND STILL GET DAT MAD RE$PECT YOU DESERVE
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE 22 AND START A NEW JOB AND HAVE A WEDDING IN OCTOBER AND OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN MY LIFE
All right, maybe not those last 2, but still.
I wanted to give tips because, well, I wanted you to read my blog. However, I know how absolutely overwhelmed I was at almost every point of this school year. And not once did I turn to that Top 5 list (as shown by my selfie). OF COURSE tips are helpful. YES, you should think about how to organize your classroom. It's SO important that you read up on new material, find freebies on TpT, be resourceful, etc.
BUT!!!!!! No matter what....
You will be a unique teacher. You will spend a lot of time looking for resources because all of your energy has been expended trying to teach your beloved students something new. You will think of some things on your own. You will try some things, and they will fail. You will try other things, and they will work magically. You will have fun. You will want to cry your little eyeballs out. Students will love you. Students will hate you. You will love your students. You will (sometimes) want to run around your school building yelling WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More than that, you will make it. Maybe at the end, you will look back at a selfie from October that leaves you in stitches. Maybe you will look back and think, Well I'm sure glad I have lots of years to make up for that year. Maybe you will fall down at the finish line, crying and feeling unable to move even one.more.step.
But you will (hopefully - if teaching is the right fit for you!) find that in the messiness of it all, in the ordinary, everyday activities, there is beauty.
In the making of plans from scratch and of plans adapted, in the grading of papers, in the spontaneous laughter with your students, in the tedious copying and pasting, you will find that teaching is worth it, that there is a big picture and that there is light at the end. In the end, you will know that your love for your profession is BIG and your love for your students is EVEN BIGGER.
P.S. You can do this without an embarrassing selfie, and you can DEFINITELY do it without the TOP 5. Don't get overwhelmed & BE THANKFUL!
Enjoy the rest of the SUMMER! I am currently witnessing fireflies lighting up and it is just beautiful.
But let's examine this picture: I'm clearly wearing an un-ironed button-up, with one eye shut and one eye open. This is a selfie is one I would label "unacceptable," as well as some other things that I won't mention.
This selfie caught me in a moment of weakness - a moment 3 weeks before my wedding in my first year of teaching, where I needed to be THREE WEEKS ahead on lesson plans, along with substitute plans for 4 different classes. I also had to do last-minute wedding details. THERE WAS NO END IN SIGHT. My life hinged on details and let's just say details are not my thing.
Exhibit A: I forgot to put the names of the Ring Bearer and Flower Girl on my programs.
Exhibit B: I forgot to physically bring the programs and personalized mad libs to the WEDDING. Like really?
When I look back on this photo, it kills me. I want to let out a big belly laugh about my unfortunate (okay, maybe an exaggeration) circumstances in October, 2014. But I would be lying if I said that I didn't have many, many more moments just like this. (Off the top of my head: um EVERY SINGLE DAY the last 2 weeks of school, particularly the last 2 hours of my teacher workday. If I didn't have some fellow teachers around, I may have ripped out every single strand of hair. It's not that the work was hard; it's just this feeling of desperation saying you just cannot put one more stupid paper clip in the paper cup holder. Honestly, paper clip, you can kiss my butt.)
So, I was thinking about what to write about for my end-of-the-year reflection, and I thought up these lovely blog post titles:
TOP 5 THINGS A FIRST YEAR TEACHER NEEDS TO KNOW
REFLECTIONS FROM A FIRST YEAR TEACHER
HOW TO BE A COOL TEACHER AND STILL GET DAT MAD RE$PECT YOU DESERVE
WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE 22 AND START A NEW JOB AND HAVE A WEDDING IN OCTOBER AND OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN MY LIFE
All right, maybe not those last 2, but still.
I wanted to give tips because, well, I wanted you to read my blog. However, I know how absolutely overwhelmed I was at almost every point of this school year. And not once did I turn to that Top 5 list (as shown by my selfie). OF COURSE tips are helpful. YES, you should think about how to organize your classroom. It's SO important that you read up on new material, find freebies on TpT, be resourceful, etc.
BUT!!!!!! No matter what....
You will be a unique teacher. You will spend a lot of time looking for resources because all of your energy has been expended trying to teach your beloved students something new. You will think of some things on your own. You will try some things, and they will fail. You will try other things, and they will work magically. You will have fun. You will want to cry your little eyeballs out. Students will love you. Students will hate you. You will love your students. You will (sometimes) want to run around your school building yelling WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More than that, you will make it. Maybe at the end, you will look back at a selfie from October that leaves you in stitches. Maybe you will look back and think, Well I'm sure glad I have lots of years to make up for that year. Maybe you will fall down at the finish line, crying and feeling unable to move even one.more.step.
But you will (hopefully - if teaching is the right fit for you!) find that in the messiness of it all, in the ordinary, everyday activities, there is beauty.
In the making of plans from scratch and of plans adapted, in the grading of papers, in the spontaneous laughter with your students, in the tedious copying and pasting, you will find that teaching is worth it, that there is a big picture and that there is light at the end. In the end, you will know that your love for your profession is BIG and your love for your students is EVEN BIGGER.
P.S. You can do this without an embarrassing selfie, and you can DEFINITELY do it without the TOP 5. Don't get overwhelmed & BE THANKFUL!
Enjoy the rest of the SUMMER! I am currently witnessing fireflies lighting up and it is just beautiful.