Words of Advice

First off, I know I may be in the minority, but I think I would keep my job teaching. I love that I get to pour into young people's lives everyday. Ok, with that being said, I have more than one thing. First would be, don't let the first year kill you. I had a friend that was working at the high school and had been teaching about ten years. He pulled me aside my second day there and gave me the best advice for a brand new teacher. He told me, "Some days you will go home and feel like the smartest teacher ever. Other days you will go home and feel like you have failed miserably." He went on to explain that it takes anywhere from 3 - 5 years to get into the groove of teaching. I look back now and thank him so much for this advice. The second thing I would pass on would be to build relationships with as many students as you possibly can. Not just the ones in your classroom, but the student population in general. Kids can tell if you truly care or not. My heart broke on Friday when one of my students that has had a rough life all the way around, was escorted out of the school in handcuffs. I know that there is no possible way that I could have taken his place, but truly in my heart, I wanted to.