Several years ago, I asked a colleague if teaching ever got easier. Their reply was that the job didn’t necessarily get easier, but that every year was so different that it was impossible to compare. Five years into my teaching career, I think I am finally able to understand what they meant.
Even when I was first considering becoming a teacher, I was apprehensive about year 5. I knew that over the course of my first five years, I would encounter challenges that would make me question if I had followed the right path. Trying to organize materials and lessons for four preps at two different grade levels and two different subject areas. Spending hours planning a lesson, only to have some key content not connect with students and find myself searching for ways to reteach. Attempting to connect with students, but finding that my efforts didn’t quite work. But each of those moments are often counterbalanced by reminders of exactly why I chose this path.
My favorite are still the “lightbulb” moments. Watching a student’s face light up as the concept they’ve been working with finally makes sense. The intensity with which they will write something down so that they remember what just clicked. The excitement about sharing this new understanding that is so strong, they nearly fall out of their chair. The smile that shows the pride they have in their learning. That’s what makes it all worth it.
One of the things I have found I love about teaching is that you never step into the same classroom twice. Obviously, some elements might remain the same from day to day, but the human element of teacher and students causes slight changes and require an ongoing adaptability. As a middle school teacher, there is so much that goes on in my students lives beyond the four walls of my classroom. Creating an environment that will help each student learn is a challenge, but one that I am always willing to work towards.
The one thing I didn’t anticipate was how much my students would change me. They constantly teach me new things and give me the drive to keep learning. They challenge me to see the world from their perspective. They teach me how much there is still is to learn. Even in math, they will find approaches to solving problems that I didn’t even begin to consider. And every time something doesn’t quite go according to plan, I seek out another way to approach the problem.
Which brings me to my colleagues. My team, past and present, are part of what makes this work possible. Their willingness to let me bounce around ideas helps me uncover solutions I hadn’t considered before. Their kindness and caring inspires me to be a better teacher every day. Their hugs and help on rough days remind me that the brighter moments are coming. Their openness about who they are in the classroom and its importance in genuinely connecting with our learners allows me to be a confident nerdlet (as one coworker would say). Along with my students, my fellow educators inspire me to keep reading, writing, and exploring.
Even five years in because of all of them, still I am learning…
Love, Write, Learn 