Reflections on One Big Year (Part 1: Teaching)

So I made it. First year of teaching down and I'm coming back for more next year. It was fun, exciting, tiring, boring, challenging, frustrating, and so much more. What did I learn?

• Most students do want to learn (or at least do well) but you have to make it worth their time
• Not doing homework is a virus that can quickly spread through a class if one isn't careful
• I can only control what happens in my classroom so I better make good use of those 50 minutes
• ALWAYS take your lunch
• Bring as little work home as possible, your wife (and you) need non school time
• Only teachers really enjoy teacher stories
• You have to teach them not only the material but how to learn the material
• Get to know the other teachers as people outside the classroom
• A little food or candy can do wonders for the attitude of the class.
• Apparently I can actually get students to learn something
• I really am going to miss my students, I really enjoyed having them and I hope they believe me when I told them that.

I very much enjoyed my first year and am willing to go back but I am certainly glad to have this summer to relax first.