There was one day when I felt really bad after raising my voice when some of my students weren’t on their best behavior. I’m typically a calm person, so when I replayed what happened, I felt like I could have handled things better. During that same week, one of my administrators showed up to observe me. Concluding the observation, she shared that she could see that I was passionate, filled with great energy, have great relationships with my students, and that my students love me. She mentioned that she liked the curriculum too. However, she shared that my classroom management skills could use some work. She offered constructive feedback about how I could improve, and overall, things went well. I listened to what she said and started doing the work. When I talked things over with some seasoned educators and a few other first year teachers, I became encouraged when they all shared stories about their own challenging days in the classroom. Each person I talked to offered sound advice and support, cool classroom management tips, and let me know I wasn’t alone. It wasn’t easy for me to share that I felt defeated, but I’m glad that I did because I learned that other teachers have felt the same way.
Although this is my first year of teaching, I never want the fact that I'm a first year teacher to be a crutch or an excuse to be mediocre and not do my best. I want to continue learning, growing, and improving. It's a blessing having the opportunity to teach, to work with all kinds of different students, and to work alongside different colleagues who encourage, challenge, and motivate me as we all navigate learning together.