I Got My First Classroom!
“The fact that you worry about being a good teacher, means that you already are one.”
It is more official now than ever before. I am a teacher. I am a bilingual second-grade teacher! (This is the moment where I do a silent cheer, ha, ha.) I am getting ready to start my career as a full-time teacher in the middle of a global pandemic and, no, I would have never guessed it would be like this.
Am I really happy? Yes!
Am I super excited? Yes!
Am I eager to keep learning and growing? Yes!
But, am I nervous? Also, yes!
It is an absolute blessing to have found a job in the midst of Covid-19, but it certainly makes the beginning of my career especially challenging. Instead of decorating an actual classroom and applying all the organizational skills I had learned and taken note of during my student teaching experience, I am creating a virtual classroom. Instead of designing centers, I am learning about different educational technologies. Instead of meeting with my students’ parents in person, I am filming a welcome video. But despite those differences, some things remain the same. I was planning on finding creative ways to make my students feel welcomed, and I still am. I was planning on doing meaningful read alouds for my students, and I still am. I was planning on supporting my students both academically and emotionally, and I still am.
My first year teaching looks different than I had imagined it, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If I learned one valuable lesson during my preparation to become a teacher it was to be flexible and to adapt to changing situations. Distance learning or not, teachers constantly prepare for the unpredictable. We make predictions, we plan, we make in-the-moment adjustments, we assess, we try, we create, we reflect, and we try again. There will be many trial-and-error moments throughout this year, and that is okay. I am grateful to be part of a very supportive team of teachers and I am really proud to see that we are all helping each other in every way we can.
To my future students: I truly do care so much about you and I promise you I’m trying to be the best teacher that I can be for you. I am reading a lot and attending lots of virtual conferences just to find the best ways in which I can support you. We will get through this together.
To my future students’ parents: I can assure you that I will show up everyday, do my best and go the extra mile to support your child in achieving their academic and personal goals. We are a team and I am counting on you to get through this school year!
¡Sí se puede! ¡Sí podemos!
