Inspiration And Encouragement For First Year Teachers

I had a professor in college who was the most inspiring teacher I have ever had. She talked about how the classroom was holy ground and that even the mundane tasks such as sharpening a pencil had eternal consequences in the overall picture of teaching. Listening to her you felt like you could teach any child in any grade in any school. She could tell a story that made you laugh one minute and cry the next.
She told us once that she hoped that when we were teaching we would picture her peeking through the window of the classroom watching. She wanted her inspiration to follow us into the classroom and touch the lives of our students. Here is some of her inspiration: may it provide encouragement and a breath of fresh air in your first year of teaching and beyond.
Be Passionate about Teaching
Remember why you got into teaching and do not let the politics get in the way of your passion for your students. In the words of my professor: “Teachers can’t burn out if they aren’t on fire.” While teacher burn-out is not a good thing, the point here is to be on fire. Rarely does burn-out happen simply out of too much passion. But without any passion, not only will burn-out not happen, neither will effective teaching.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “your work should be in praise of what you love,” so if you love children and have a passion for teaching, then your work will reflect that and the students will know it. Teaching is all about living a life of love and passion for your students. While it may seem simplistic, the phrase “love is a way of life – live it” that guided my professor’s teaching, sums up the importance of passionate teaching.
Life Lessons Come from Reading and Writing Instruction
During our classes, our professor often would relate lessons about life to reading and writing instruction. Here are a few of her favorite quotes that I jotted down in my notes:
“There are significant moments in everyone’s life that can make literature.” R. Carver
“Your writing voice is like a handshake, it makes connections with the reader.” Ralph Fletcher
“It’s never too late in fiction or in life to revise.” N. Thayer
“Reading without reflection is like eating without digesting.” Edmund Burke
“Life is non-fiction.” Anita Voelker
When teaching, whether reading, writing or another subject, remember to watch for those all important life lessons and impart them to your students as well. Leave yesterday behind and focus on tomorrow, for if everything was based on the past, nothing would get accomplished.
Provide Opportunities for Students
One of the big lessons my professor taught was the importance of understanding the point of school. School is simply a place for students to process mistakes. Make your classroom a safe place for students to make mistakes. Provide opportunities for students to be wrong and ponder the reasons why. Allow time for students to mess up and guide them as they process each mistake they make.
My professor liked to say that children are becoming. The point is they’re not complete yet. They are in the process of becoming who they will be and it is your job to guide gently. Shower attention on kids because attention really matters. Take the time to be strategic with your teaching so that no moment is wasted.
Remember why you became a teacher. You will have bad days and stressful days and some days you will wish you never stepped foot in the classroom. These days are part of the process. Remember why you became a teacher and find that passion, those life lessons and that opportunity for your students and know that it will make a difference.

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