I Wish I Knew Then...

As a new teacher you're excited and ready to get in to the classroom and get teaching. However you're also getting some butterflies in your stomach and your nerves are acting up. Here are 5 things veteran teachers wish they had known when they started.

• You can't make everyone love you – Like in life, there will always be people out there who just don't mesh with your personality. Don't let it phase you! You will see hundreds and hundreds of students and parents and other teachers over the years, if even half of those people like you you are doing just fine.

• Not everyone is going to listen all the time – We're talking about kids and kids have short attention spans. You could be singing and dancing and throwing glitter in the air, there will still be one kid who doesn't like your song, one kid who loses interest in your dance and one kid who is more interested in the shininess of your glitter then what you're trying to say.

• You don't have to do it all – Drama club, debate club, bake sales, volleyball coach, school dances, track and field the list of after school and extracurricular activities goes on and on. You don't have to do everything you're asked to do. Pick a few activities and practice saying “Thank you, but I have enough on my plate right now.”

• Mistakes happen – Kids make them, adults make them, you WILL make them. Don't let them get you down and don't dwell on them. Fix them, apologize for them, move on. No one is keeping track 

It. Will. Get. Easier. - Day by day. Week by week. Month by month it will get easier. Like anything you do, you're not a pro right out of the gate. Practice, time and knowledge will all help and by this time next year you will be double the teacher you are now, and will find being a teacher half as difficult.

Enjoy these early days in your career, they only happen once and you want to look back at them with fond memories.

By Jodi Sonoda

Jodi has been blogging for over 3 years, and is excited to currently be blogging with Nexxt for collegejobbank.com, realestatejobsite.com and educationjobsite.com. She is attached to the internet at the hip and enjoys the constant connection. She spends most of her offline time playing dolls and reading picture books with her two year old. You can also occasionally find her rocking the mic at karaoke night.