I didn't plan to be a teacher. Isn't that how many teachers start this conversation? It always surprises me how many teachers take an untraditional path to the classroom. I wasn't sure what my future held as I neared the end of my degree, but my favorite professor, Dr. Stuart, sparked something inside me that led me to where I am now. She was the first person who believed I could be a teacher. Growing up, learning wasn't always easy for me. I was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Becoming a teacher seemed like an unlikely career choice, especially since I received no formal education in pedagogy, yet here I am!

I teach at a high school that specializes in students with learning differences much like my own. I've always found that sharing my diagnosis helps me to gain my students' trust in the early days. You may have heard other teachers say this, but the thing that helped me survive my first year in the classroom was building a relationship with my students. Having a good relationship with my students was a redeeming factor for the variety of classroom management issues I had during my first year. Many veteran teachers seem to discount the importance of relationships, but I will say that having a solid rapport with my students helped to minimize the number of bigger management issues I faced. Even students who were labeled by other teachers as "troublemakers" or "challenging" seemed to give me few issues once they realized that I was willing to give them a fair chance. High schoolers like to test the boundaries to see what you'll allow. I learned the hard way that the patterns you set in the early days of the school year dictate how the rest of the year will go. 

Another unexpected challenge was feeling the weight of being a teacher. I was surprised how being responsible for the academic progress of the students entrusted to me caused me anxiety. Without knowing much else about me, my students assumed that since I was hired to teach them, that I was the expert in my field. I wanted to be at my absolute best for them, so I spend a lot of time outside of school reading the novels I teach and generally trying to perfect my craft. What was possibly more daunting was the pressure to adequately prepare my students for their post-secondary education. I knew that I had to hold them accountable and give them the grades they truly earned, even if those grades were lower than they had hoped. On the flip side, I also got to field emails from parents questioning their child's grades. Those emails always had a way of popping up in my inbox when I was at home trying to enjoy my evening. Reading about their concerns made it tough for me to ever feel like I could disengage from "teacher mode." And if I ever received an email from an administrator? Even if it was about a simple matter, it still sent me into a tailspin, wondering if I somehow was in trouble myself! 

After some time of feeling the weight of these worries, I realized that it wasn't sustainable to keep feeling this way. None of my roommates or friends are teachers, so it was challenging for me to know how to set personal boundaries, let alone what those boundaries might look like. One of my first realizations was that I was finding myself surrounded by people all day. From 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, I always had people around me, so it was hard to recenter my thoughts. Coming home to an apartment full of roommates compounded this. The first step I took was to be intentional about leaving the first hour after coming home to decompress alone. Whether it was aimlessly scrolling TikTok, going for a walk, or listening to a podcast, having some time to myself helped me recenter. I found it was easier to tell my roommates about my day and remember the joyful moments. Another boundary I made for myself was making the conscious effort to not allow my mood to be dictated by the behavior of a teenager. My job brings me such joy that allowing a teenager to ruin my day took away from it.

The last big thing for me was developing a sense of community in my school building. My department head, Jamie, was a great support to me. She was always checking in on me to make sure I had everything I needed to be successful. I also loved the group of new hires I was a part of. We all went through the extra week of new teacher inservice together, and that bonded us instantly. We supported each other through the various challenges and demands we faced. We found solidarity in knowing that we were not alone in our struggles or tough days. 

To anyone who is considering a career in teaching, I encourage you to look beyond the downfalls of the profession that critics are so quick to point out. Even if teachers aren't paid as well as other degreed professions, you have the ability to be surrounded by a creative group of individuals, whether it be your students or your colleagues. There is a lot of fun to be had with your students, and being able to facilitate learning while doing so is great. I find myself feeling grateful to get to come to work each day, giving my students the confidence they need to strengthen their reading skills. More so, I feel like I'm a more patient and gentle person overall. In social settings or just as I interact with others on a daily basis, I have developed an ability to read people and their overall mood better than before I taught. Overall, I feel like people don't look at the positive aspects of teaching enough. There are lots of joys to be found within teaching if you consciously seek them!