A bit of advice...

As I near the halfway mark of my third year of teaching, I feel (and rather hope) that I have come a million miles from where I began my journey. In retrospect, I can think of many things I wish that I had known in my those first tenacious weeks in the classroom.

Were I to try to deliver just a single, valuable bit of advice to a new teacher, it would be this: Accept this as a process of growth.

At the risk of sounding conceited, I will say that I have always considered myself an over-achiever. My goal, quietly, in my personal, academic, and professional life was perfection. Never mind that I understand that perfection is not attainable in reality. I had always hoped to be as close as possible. In every skill, and every task, I would set my sights on the highest possible level of proficiency and I would expect that of myself from day one.

In that way, teaching has been profoundly grounding and humbling. It has taken me time to realize that no amount of effort, preparation, or raw talent can produce perfection in the classroom. Even with ample effort, preparation and talent, it is experience that will truly refine and prefect the methods of the teacher.

Growth is uncomfortable. It will require that you fail. It will require that you reflect, and that you change. So, accept teaching and becoming a teacher as a process of growth. Forgive yourself failures and shortcomings ahead of time, and dedicate yourself to learn and grow in those failures. Accept that time and experience alone will give the tools necessary to reach those highest levels of performance in this profession that blurs the lines of art and science. Commit yourself to work collaboratively with peers and students to refine your own skills and to share your strengths with others. And finally, allow that love of the process to continue to grow in your heart.

Just embrace the process.

Happy growing!
Jessica