The first year of teaching is....

Since joining the wonderful world of Twitter some time in November, I have come across many blogs that have inspired, encouraged and refreshed my outlook on teaching. More than once have I thought to myself, “Wow, this person has so many great things to say,” and left it at that, not thinking that I have anything to offer in return – hiding behind the mask of a silent tweep. I spent quite a large portion of this winter break reading blogs, and came across one that mentioned the difficulties in the first year or two of teaching. Then the thought came to me.. “Maybe I have something to offer too...”

The challenges that one encounters in the first year of teaching may seem distant to those who have dedicated many years to this wonderful profession. Therefore, what I may have to offer is a reminder of the memories of asking the secretary about every little thing, jamming the photocopier when there is a line-up of teachers waiting to use it after you, locking yourself out of the classroom and having to crawl through the fumehood (that wasn’t me), and the awkwardness of running into the custodian at the school during winter break and having him think you are a student (oh, wait, was that just me?).

Another perspective I’d like to offer is that we all face challenges and often new teachers feel that they are the only one. Why new teachers often face the hardest assignments without the luxury of their own classroom is beyond me. With my “rookie” status, I’ve learned so much in the past three months of being at Delta Secondary and I hope that this blog will serve as a reminder to some and a way for me to keep track of my journey as the new kid on the block.