Sara Draper is a second grade teacher at Helmsburg Elementary School in Brown County. We are following her as part of The First Year series, which follows three Indiana teachers through their first year in the classroom. She wrote this blog as a contribution to this series.
When I thought about my first job in a classroom, I looked forward to working with students and seeing breakthroughs in their learning each and every day. I also looked forward to collaborating with other teachers and working on ways to become a better teacher.
One thing I have realized so far in the year is how most days, I don’t have the opportunity to talk with other teachers beyond a quick question or “hi” in the hallway. At the beginning of the year, I always worked through my half hour allotted for lunch. I quickly realized that would not be sustainable throughout the year. On days where my kids have no specials, that half-hour is the only time spent conversing with other adults. Once, I even took a restroom break on one of those days, just hoping I would run into another adult! I was surprised how much I just wanted to talk about how my day was going and see how everyone else’s day was going, too.
I often wish there was another adult in the room when a student says something hilarious (that I really should not laugh at) or is behaving in a way that is just unbelievable. Whenever I describe a situation, I never feel like I can do it justice! For example, when one of my students is upset and rolls under the carpet, or pretends to take a shower behind the shower curtain covering a cabinet I just can’t explain how ridiculous it actually looked!
I do not feel like other people can truly know what the day-to-day life of a teacher is until they experience it. Student teaching is a helpful way to be prepared, but it still cannot prepare you for all that teachers experience in the classroom, something that I didn’t believe until I actually started in my own classroom!
On the way to school one morning, I was listening to the radio and the DJ was talking. I was thinking it must be so nice to have a job where you just talk and don’t have to worry if everyone is paying attention or talking while you are talking.
As I reflect on the year so far, my perspective on what it means to be a teacher has changed so much. I now truly realize how many hats an elementary school teacher has to put on each day. I am not only a teacher but a comforter, referee, shoe-tier, hairdresser, counselor, friend, role model, and much more! I had always heard it, but it is absolutely true. I often find myself thinking “I don’t think this is in my job description…” But through each day I am learning more and more about what it means to be a teacher. I have definitely learned more about time management throughout the year. I have learned to let some things go when the timing isn’t going my way. For example, if we don’t finish an activity before it’s time to move on, it’s not the end of the world. I found myself stressing so much at the beginning of the year if we were not on time, but now I am much more relaxed and we finish things as we go!
Having 17 second graders as my coworkers has taught me so much about enjoying the little things. They appreciate so much! Their gratefulness has made me appreciate more things throughout my day. Sometimes I bring in snacks when they earn them (through a unit or for keeping our room clean for our custodian), and they are so appreciative. They find humor in so many things and that inspires me to do the same! I think their willingness to help each other also has been inspiring for me. Seeing kindness in our room makes me happy!
