Genre Reflection #2 "How to Not Quit Within Your First Five Years of Teaching"

You’ve heard the horror stories.  Half of all teachers quit within their first five years.  You’ve heard this dreaded statistic from everyone:  your family, your friends, your professors.  You think to yourself – oh god!  What if I become one of these teachers? You think to yourself, how will I survive?  You think about all of the lessons you will have to plan, all of the students you will encounter, and all of the papers you will have to grade, and your head starts spinning. 

You think about failure constantly.  You think to yourself; How will I plan units and asses my students effectively?  What if I don’t teach them well enough?  Classroom management?  What is that?  How am I going to manage a room full of teenagers? You think about the relationships you will have with your students.  Their parents.  Other teachers.  Will they all hate you?  Will they like you too much?  How will you ever live up to the expectations that you have for yourself?

You think about the students you will have in your classrooms.  The students who come to school hungry, tired, abused, unloved.  You think about how you will reach these students.  How will you make them care about learning?  How will you convince them that school is important when they have bigger things going on at home? 

Yes, being a teacher is scary.  Yes, it is an awesome responsibility.  And yes, we are all scared of failure.  But don’t quit! Stick with it and it will be the best decision you will ever make.

First thing you need to do:  Stay positive.  This means staying out of the teacher’s lounge.  Stay away from all of the bitter, cynical, jaded veteran teachers who will bring you down.  Always remember that you didn’t become a teacher for the money. (Because let’s face it, the money stinks) You did it for the students. 

Second thing:  Remember that you are not only a teacher.  You have a life outside of school.  Don’t let teaching consume you.  Remember your family and friends.  Reach out to other teachers.  Don’t isolate yourself.  You are not in this alone.  Surround yourself with others who are positive and care about the students. 

Finally:  Always remember why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place.  You want to make a difference.  You want a life that has purpose because so often you will be the only caring adult in a student’s life. You want to teach, inspire, and change the lives of your students.  You know that you will fail but you will be prepared for failure.  You know that you won’t be able to reach every student, but that’s okay, because you will reach at least one, and that’s enough.