Through the years I held various office jobs throughout summers and while I was a student in grad school. Those short-lived experiences showed me one thing: I couldn't stand the thought of sitting at a desk, isolated and trapped behind a computer screen all day. I wanted a job that was fast-paced, surrounded by people, and where I could be physically active while I worked. I decided to go out on a limb and put my English degree to good use...I decided to become a teacher. I had a background in working as a nanny, largely due to my passion for children and desire to make the world a better place. From the first time I sat foot in a classroom as a teacher, I realized that I had finally found my "dream" work environment!

When I started teaching after a year of being a substitute teacher, I felt like I settled into my role easily. The easy parts quickly gave way to one of the biggest challenges I have faced: navigating the dynamics and expectations of my students' parents. I had heard stories from veteran teachers about this, but I naively thought I would be spared. I had to spend a large portion of my time responding to parent phone calls and emails regarding questions about their student's grades, project expectations, or deadlines I have given. I wish that my students and their families understood the complexities of my role as an English teacher. Grading writing assignments can appear to be a subjective process. Writing is an art form, and it can seem like any feedback given is an affront to a student's abilities, even if I do my best to remain objective and provide constructive feedback. I truly want my students to be successful, but sometimes that looks like me having to push them more than they expected. I have learned that teaching English to freshmen is every bit as much about training them in the expectations of the high school as it is about teaching the curriculum. I want my students to grow and learn how to bridge the gap from their middle school years to the demands of high school so that their subsequent years are less of a shock for them. I do my best to provide clear expectations by including resources for each major assignment, but I end up spend a good deal of time re-directing students to reference those materials. 

Another challenge for me was realizing how English classes silently lose more instructional time than any other content area. Since all students in a grade are enrolled in the same English course, school-wide events often take place during our classes. Picture day and a battery of standardized testing eliminated several instructional days. Adding in school or religious holidays on top of that, I ended up losing 10 instructional days in one quarter alone. That's two whole weeks that I would have loved to get back with my students. As though it could get more frustrating, we received maybe a few days' notice for the testing and picture days. If I'm going to lose instructional time, I would have appreciated having a more time to prepare. My lack of preparation led to me ending a grading period without meeting the school's minimum number of assignments for one of my grading categories. When I tried asking for help to resolve the situation, I didn't receive the support I was hoping to get. 

In general, I would have loved to receive more constructive feedback from my superiors so I could know tangible ways to improve my performance. I try to do right by my students and create learning scenarios that are useful, but I lack the perspective to know if my methods are on point since I am so new to this role. Another downside of being new is that I have struggled to approach my administrators with my concerns for fear of being seen as an incompetent teacher. Even if that wouldn't be the case, that is a perception I'm working to correct within myself. 

One other thing people don't realize about new teachers is that we have a valuable perspective since we are new to the school community. We have the ability to look at issues from the outside and offer insight about what is and isn't working for the school. People aren't as likely to seek our opinions, but I wish we could have a little more input on a larger scale. Since we are new to the system, I feel that we are more likely to come up with creative solutions to problems we're noticing than teachers who have been a part of the school for 10+ years . Phrases like "it's always been done this way" or "that's just the way it is" have less meaning to us when everything is new. 

One thing I've learned in the last year is that there was nothing that could have adequately prepared me for being a teacher. So much of it had to be learned in the moment. I've found that being a young female teacher is even more challenging. I can't tell you how many times I've been told to "be mean" or "don't smile until Christmas." I hate that advice so much. I'm a cheerful person by nature and constantly being told that wasn't a good thing was disheartening. I felt like I couldn't be myself. Worse yet, I felt like my male counterparts weren't receiving that message, though they were just as young and cheerful as me. It seemed counterintuitive to be cold and uncaring towards my students when that was opposite of my expectations for my students. Now that I've been in this role for over a year, I'm finding a happy balance in my professional demeanor. As I'm establishing who I am as a teacher, I'm also finding it possible to be more confident in my teaching and classroom management skills. I'm proud of how far I've come!

All things considered, I really enjoy my job. In fact, one of my favorite things I do with my students is find ways to channel their energy for the greater good. When we can, I love utilizing review games or incorporating physical movement. Better yet, the students do, too! One of my favorite activities has been the "review olympics" that I set up each semester leading up to exams. I pit each of my classes against each other to see which class will emerge successful! Another activity was having my students create Instagram"profiles" for characters from our novels. They create hashtags and creative captions that incorporate elements of what we've learned. My students had so much fun getting to be creative, and I loved seeing the way they pulled everything together! All in all, I truly have amazing students who keep me excited about coming to work each day. 

For anyone considering a career as a teacher, I encourage you to evaluate your expectations of what you want out of your work environment before starting a job to make sure you are compatible with the school's vision and philosophy. You want to land in a place that aligns with your core values. I also feel it's worth re-stating that despite the myriad of challenges facing teachers, it is truly a fun and rewarding career. As I've worked through the challenges I've faced, my confidence has steadily risen. I am quickly realizing that I am more capable of being a great teacher than I ever could have dreamed I would be. Even if I'm unsure of what the future may hold for me, I still love what I do and find myself feeling grateful that I landed in the teaching career path. I want to encourage you to push forward and know that there is a stronger future on the other side of your first year of teaching!