Dear You,
You have
done this before. You have questioned your abilities, you have lacked self-confidence,
and you have refused to acknowledge your accomplishments.
Guess what? You were wrong then, and you are wrong now.
YOU CAN. And, YOU WILL.
At times, you will feel this profession is not for you. At
times, you will feel so stressed out that you cannot concentrate. At times, you
will feel completely defeated.
It’s okay. You will learn.
You will learn how to time manage, you will learn how to
take a deep breath, you will learn how to teach others to love learning.
Here are some tips to help:
·
Do a little over a long period of time—I know
syllabus day is the worst day of every semester, and that will not change.
Sorry to disappoint. You will continue to have tons of projects and assignments
that will seem impossible to complete, but do not procrastinate. Choose to do a
little, even when you do not want to, and it will make a big difference.
·
Ask questions—As an education major you know
teachers love when students ask questions. Well, be that student! Especially
when you work with seasoned teachers because they are the best people to use as
a resource. Create a list of questions that you can ask every teacher you work
with. I did not do this, but I wish I would have. They have so much information.
Soak it up!
·
Compile supplies—Not necessarily school
supplies. Collect lesson plans, strategies to correct behavior, really anything
that you observe as a successful approach in the classroom environment. I did
not start doing this until my student teaching, and I would have way more to
work with if I would have started earlier.
·
Be self sufficient—You will have awesome
classmates, incredibly supportive University Supervisors, and many phenomenal
Mentor Teachers. Be sure to show gratitude to those people and always
communicate your appreciation for them, but rely on yourself. In the end, it is
up to you to graduate, find a job, and love the work you will do for a
lifetime. With that being said, stop doubting yourself. As important as it is
to appreciate others, it is important to appreciate yourself too. Celebrate
your successes and accept your failures as an opportunity to grow. Because,
spoiler alert, you are a good
teacher, but you have the abilities and opportunities to be a great teacher.
There might be things you want to change (i.e.—almost all university
English classes with uncompassionate professors). But, the College of Education
will be your haven. Use it! Your program is your home. Live there and live
well.
In a year or so, you will start hearing buzzwords like “KPTP”
and “Licensure. “
DO NOT PANIC. From my experience, I found that the College
of Education communicates expectations well, and all faculty and staff will be
willing to help you. I mean, they are all teachers; they will not let you fail.
And you will not fail.
You will not fail because you are more capable than you
know. Many are rooting for you. It’s time for you to become your own biggest
fan!
Best,
Future You
Ms. Loyd,
ReplyDeleteYour confessions at the beginning of this letter is so incredibly true and relatable. We love to teach so much but it’s also so easy for us to doubt ourselves, making things difficult at times. I think being able to admit this though, is a good first step to getting better at what we do. (:
I love your advice to “compile supplies.” It is a reminder that I will keep close by at all times. It’s so awesome to gather supplies for your classroom, but it’s even better to equip yourself with classroom management strategies and strategies of all sorts! I think this is the only time where it is okay to hoard.
“It’s time for you to become your own biggest fan” is such a great way to end this letter. Through all the doubt and self consciousness about our teaching career, it’s about time for us to change our outlook. We should be confident in what we do for our students to feel confidence and trust in us!
Thank you so much for sharing this letter, Erin.
Ms. Loyd,
ReplyDeleteBecoming a teacher is no small choice and I think all of us have felt some measure of self-doubt in taking one such a powerful profession and claiming it as our own.
For what it is worth, you have never seemed anything but confident and extremely well suited to this work - you were born to teach!
" Ask questions—As an education major you know teachers love when students ask questions. Well, be that student! Especially when you work with seasoned teachers because they are the best people to use as a resource. Create a list of questions that you can ask every teacher you work with. I did not do this, but I wish I would have. They have so much information. Soak it up!"
I wish wish wish I had thought of this too! What a great idea and a powerful tool for future consideration. Definitely something I will do next year and add to my journal of teaching for future reference.
It has truly been a pleasure being in this program with you Erin. You have a fantastic future as a teacher ahead of you and I wish you all the very best.
~ Mrs. Tolbert
Yay!!! This is so inspiring, Ms. Loyd. It’s a note of encouragement and a call to action. Yes!!! I plan to share your post with future students. Thank you for your words of wisdom, your honesty, and your ability to shake us out of our complacency. Boom shakalaka!
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