Those who teach, do

Most teachers learned this stat when they were studying to be a teacher: nearly 50% of teachers quit within the first 5 years. 

I’m about to finish my 5th year. I’ve been working with kids since my first ever job as a swim instructor. I’ve always felt I’ve had teaching in my blood. I have a vivid memory of my third grade class getting a new student who didn’t speak much English. I desperately wanted to teach him. Ever since I’ve been teaching. Teaching swim lessons, teaching clarinet, teaching my little sister about the world even when she didn’t want to hear it, teaching boys they can’t speak to me that way, teaching summer campers how to log roll, teaching my parents that I will be okay. 

I’d done so much teaching, going into my first job, I thought I was prepared. But I quickly realized I had a lot to learn. 

Year One: I learned that it’s more than just teaching. 

• Navigating the politics of schools is crucial to your job safety. 
• Getting to know the ins and outs of which coworkers you are allowed to vent to and which you are not is just as crucial as getting to know the kids. 
• When an administrator asks how can I support you? Being honest puts a target on your back. 
• Don’t be too loud. Don’t ask too many questions.
• Overhead lighting is the worst. 
• The students are the best part of this whole thing. 

Year Two: I learned that trauma bonds. 

• You can’t solve every student’s problems (and many have big, adult sized problems), but you can make sure students feel safe in your classroom. 
• Team building activities don’t make the school community feel like a family. Going through hell together does.
• Your principal probably hasn’t been in the classroom in years and has forgotten what it feels like to teach. 
• No one understands teaching until they do it. 
• You’re going to mess up, but it shows the students that you are human. 
• Some students will cuss you out every day. You will  think they hate you, but on your last day they will cry and they will say you were their favorite teacher. Some students learn that love is based on anger. 
• At the end of the day, it’s just you and the students against the world.

Year Three: I learned that sometimes the grass is greener. But no school is perfect. 

• Being in a school with resources and a budget makes teaching easier.
• Figuring out how to live a fulfilling life outside of school makes this whole teaching thing somewhat sustainable. 
• Relationships are the number one, most important part of teaching.
• Math isn’t as hard as you remember it being. Oh wait. Some of it is still really hard.
• No amount of money erases problems. 
• Turns out crying at work is, in fact, part of it. 
• It’s important to remember that these students are kids, no matter how tall they are (and many of them will be WAY taller than you).

Year Four: I learned everyone has a bit of imposter syndrome. 

• Teaching is one of those unique jobs where everyday is different. Even the most seasoned teachers are presented with new challenges. You’re new, but you’re smart, so present confidence. 
• Your voice and educational knowledge is powerful. Speak up and share what you know.
• Teaching is exhausting and some day you will fall asleep at 6pm. 
• You can do everything in your power to help and some students will still fail and that is okay. 
• You can do everything in your power to help and some students still won’t notice and that is okay. 

Year Five: I learned that maybe I can’t do this forever, but I made it this far. 

• Being in a school is a terrarium of life. Every wonderful and terrible thing will happen because we are all just living our fragile little lives together in the same space.
• Mindset is everything. Things will work out okay and school can be fun. And also teaching is so hard. 
• You’re students from your first and second year will graduate and you can’t be there. You read their notes and look at their senior photos and cry because you left. You decided to be selfish and leave and that’s okay, but it is also okay to wish you could have stayed for them. 
• Teaching hurts because those kids deserve everything, but you can’t give them everything and still have a life for yourself. 

As the classic saying goes “those who can’t do, teach.” But the thing about teaching is that a lot of people are really bad at it. Teaching is a skill in itself and it has nothing to do with if you can be a professional in your field or not. To be a teacher is to be a bit of everything. 

I’m sure as I continue teaching I will continue learning and maybe I won’t teach forever, but I’m just proud of myself for making it this far in a field that feels built to break people down daily. 

In honor of finishing my fifth year as a teacher I would like to propose a change to the classic phrase. From now on I will say “those who teach, do” because when you’re teaching you’re really doing it all.