Forever in the Middle: Staying Positive When Teaching is Tough

My seventh grade school picture

As a student, I loved to learn. I loved going to school every day and I loved my teachers. One year in early elementary school, one of my teachers must have been cleaning out her classroom and offered old workbooks and worksheets to students to take home at the end of the year. I was thrilled to take with me a backpack full of work to complete over the summer. I remember walking home from the bus stop eager to start working on these assignments that weren't even required of me. I remember reading The Secret Garden on long summer days under the fan to stay cool and looking forward to daily writing in my eighth grade ELA/Social Studies class. I have so many wonderful memories of being a student.

However, this personal experience of my own childhood did not prepare me to be a teacher. I was a good student. I did my homework and always worked to keep my grades high and it was very evident that I had a thirst for learning. As a new teacher, I had failed to realize that not all students showed their desire to learn in the same way.  I have always believed that students naturally want to learn, but not until I started teaching did I realize that they show this desire in many different ways.  This was my first lesson as a teacher.

Now as a teacher, I have learned a lot each year about what I can present and expect of my students. Every year is different. Every group is different. Every day is different. That's one of the reasons I love teaching: there is an art to it and with every new challenge comes a new opportunity to refine techniques.

Compared to today, my lessons in my first years of teaching really weren't drastically different in terms of what I taught. We still learn how to comprehend and analyze texts. We still practice and learn grammar and writing. The difference is in the way that I teach it because of new technologies and the lessons I've learned from mistakes along the way.  I would not be the teacher I am today if I had not continually learned from mistakes and worked to become better because of them.

In the first years of teaching it is normal to feel like you are working to just survive. Teaching is hard. It requires a lot from the teacher and there is a huge learning curve those first few years. I remember those years and thoughts of, "What do I do now??"

Don't give up. Here are five ways to persevere through difficult times.

Five Ways to Stay Positive When Teaching Seems Tough

1. Keep reflecting and keep learning from mistakes. It's the best way to be the amazing teacher you are destined to become.

2. Find humor in the things that may happen. Let's face it: in most professions, the things that happen in the classroom would not be a regular part of the work day.
3. Treat every day as a new opportunity. Everyone has bad days but every new day has the opportunity to be the best one.
4. Find a colleague or friend who understands that you can lean on. Teaching is a hard profession to understand and having someone who "gets it" to talk to makes all the difference in the world.
5. Make time for you. It's easy to get lost in all the planning and grading. Remember to make time for things that keep you balanced. For me, I try to play the piano or craft something when I need a break. Do what makes you happy and make it a priority to keep doing it.

Don't give up. You can do this.

Keep the magic alive,

Kandyce Valverde (and Coco)