I have been a teacher for all of 8 months and there are things I have learned as a teacher that school never could have taught me. I find my job to be entertaining, joyful, frustrating, and most of all tiring. I am here to tell you just a few things I have learned as a teacher.
1. You may never want kids but you will have about 140 a year. Yep that is correct. Just last week I went to the store to buy cookies. As the cashier rang up my cookies she asked about me having kids. I told her I already have 65 of them but could not imagine having more. She looked at me like I had three heads. I did not clarify. One because it was fun to leave her with a confused look on her face wondering what in the world I was talking about and how one person can have so many kids. But mainly because I feel like they are. Even the most annoying of my students I care about. I want them to succeed. I want them to leave me and be a better person.
2. That there is such thing as a stupid question. You cannot say this but there is. Such stupid questions include " So wait I know you spent 10 minutes explaining it but how do I do it?" or "Do we have to write in complete sentences?" or "Do we have to do all of it or can we just do the evens?". I hear these questions everyday and everyday I think "yep that was dumb"
3. Kids can understand your emotions better than you think. My students know when I am happy and having a good day. They also know when I am having a bad day.
4. Everyone will criticize you. You are young. You are new. You are taking lives into your hands and chances are everyone has a suggestion. Everyone, and I mean everyone can be a teacher. It is fact. I have heard it every day. Even my own Fiance told me he could come in and do my job for a day and be fine. It is easy. It is not hard. You come in everyday. Students come directly to their seats and sit down. They listen to every thing you say. And they do all their work. There is never issues. Kids never talk back, they never have a bad day and need to vent or cause a problem. Doesn't happen. You will not feel like you are ever doing much right. I leave school more days then not feeling that I have royally screwed some kids up and taught them nothing.
5. You will never be more tired in your life. PERIOD
6. You will never feel more joy. I love my job. I am always laughing and the moment you see a kid finally understand what you are saying it makes everything worth it.
