When I was pursuing my graduate studies in preparation for teaching English/language arts, my instructors emphasized the significance of allowing students to make choices and the transformative influence of placing a valuable text in the hands of an eager learner. They covered topics such as classroom arrangement, evaluations, and the compelling force of unwavering positivity. While these lessons were undoubtedly valuable, they paled in comparison to the actual trials faced in teaching.
Ten years down the line, here are the lessons I wish had been imparted to me:
Recognize the Essential Nature of Your Work—It Is Work.
Gratitude, whether in monetary form or otherwise, may not always come your way. You did not embark on this journey seeking acknowledgment, and acknowledgment may not be what you receive.
There will be moments when you forget you are toiling, especially when a lesson captivates and your students display genuine interest in learning. However, more often than not, you will find yourself cramming the arduous task of nurturing young minds into indigestible portions, persistently pushing forward and yearning for any semblance of progress.
Doubts about the importance of your work will inevitably creep in, particularly when nearly everyone believes they could perform your role better than you, with less compensation and more hours, as if love alone should suffice to sustain you.
While the work is undeniably crucial, it does not have to solely define you. Only you can determine when your role in the work has reached its conclusion. It is acceptable to let go.
Establish and Rely on Your Daily Routine.
Alarm. Snooze. Alarm. Snooze. Alarm. Rise. You will stake claim to the same parking spot and feel irrationally irked when a new vehicle encroaches over the line. You will cherish the breaks—they will be a necessity. You will master the art of timing your restroom visits by the bell and adapt to consuming breakfast and lunch at unconventional hours.
You will gauge the shifting moods of your students by the phases of the moon. Anticipation will loom over the day before Thanksgiving and the week leading up to Christmas, even though these breaks are essential for recuperation. You will navigate your way through spring until the arrival of summer break—which, you will vehemently clarify to the uninformed, is not merely a vacation but rather deferred-pay leave. This summer hiatus is vital for rejuvenation and replenishing your energy for the upcoming year.
Embrace Moments of Solitude and Insignificance.
The majority of your time will be spent within austere, prison-like structures of cinder blocks. While your colleagues in the same subject area and grade level may be dubbed your ‘team,’ ultimately, you stand as a team of one. You will witness your identity reduced to a set of statistics alongside the names of students you have barely begun to comprehend, and you will be held accountable for those figures. Self-doubt will linger, and you may question the path you have chosen.
Decisions will be made on your behalf, and you will realize that you primarily serve as a customer service representative. Books will be plucked from your hands, their spines untouched, their words unread. Everyone with only a superficial understanding of your educational institution will harbor opinions on what should occur within its walls.
You will be summoned to countless meetings, each urging you to recollect your purpose and to alleviate the pain associated with your chosen vocation through love. If frustration ever surfaces, you will be prompted to reassess your core values.
Seek Comfort and Companionship Among Your Peers.
Survival will be unattainable without them. You will find yourself reminiscing about the past with those on a similar journey, often chuckling at your own nostalgia. Not every colleague will resonate with you. Envy may arise towards those who give and receive love effortlessly, those who can compartmentalize work and detach until the next school day, and those who bask in the limelight. You will condemn yourself for this envy, recognizing it as a thief of joy.
Yet, you will owe your profession for introducing you to your closest confidants—individuals you would have never encountered otherwise. You will rely on them. You will seek out moments of joy, for time is finite, and reserving all your joy for after-hours and weekends will prove insufficient.
Within the company of your peers, you will discover solace. They will serve as your support system, alleviating the seemingly insurmountable challenges posed by your work.
Planting Seeds in Obscurity.
Each new student will consume approximately 108 hours of your time. Within these hours, your efforts will be divided among various tasks: attendance-taking, safety drills, assembly supervision, guiding students to different locations, mediating conflicts, managing outbursts, and occasionally, teaching. Amidst the instructional interludes, you will delve into the lives of your students, pondering the individuals they may evolve into post-interaction with you.
You will share laughter with them, or silently chuckle to yourself (if you possess a stoic demeanor), shed tears alongside them, and mourn with them.
Moments of profound joy and sporadic outbursts of anger will be experienced with them. You are human, and this profession will swiftly illuminate the essence of humanity.
Occasionally, you may receive updates from former students, but more often than not, you will remain unaware of the impact—positive or negative—that your actions have left.
Recognize Your Innate Power.
Despite detractors asserting otherwise, you wield considerable influence. Parents may dispute this fact. Legislators, politicians, superintendents, principals, and even fellow educators may undermine your worth. Learn to disregard their skepticism. Acknowledge your value, recognizing what they fail to grasp: When unforeseen circumstances, such as the COVID pandemic, force the closure of classrooms, they will be unable to proceed without your guidance. They will come to rely on you more than you could ever rely on them.
Amidst encouragements to prioritize “remembering your why,” opt to retain awareness of your power.
While witnessing the fruits of your labor may elude you, trust that your efforts will yield results. You did not invest your time and energy to witness the barrenness of the soil you tended. Cultivate an unwavering sense of hope. In moments of despair (which will undoubtedly arise time and again), let this hope be your guiding light.