When I decided I wanted to become a teacher, I was set on teaching first grade. The kids were cute and practically babies, but they had a personality and a little more independence at that age, without the sass of the older kids. I spend a lot of time in classrooms these days, but I only spent one semester in first grade. Every other semester was spent in fifth grade. In February, things changed and I found myself in a fourth grade classroom twice a week. As my time with a class that I surprisingly fell in love with comes to an end in the next two weeks, I am finding that these 10-year-olds have taught me just as much, if not more, as I have taught them. While it is only 10 things, all 10 are very important:
1. Follow your passion, no matter what everyone else thinks.
My students are involved in numerous activities: book clubs, step, chess club, the basketball team, and more. None of the activities are considered "nerdy" or "uncool." In fact, the students are all supportive of each other and they're not afraid to go after what they love, even if it's not as popular as the other options.
2. Get mad, but never give up.
When my mentor teacher and I made the students go back and redo their homework because they could've given more effort or start their essay over because they forgot to indent and wrote too sloppy, I knew we were their least favorite people in the world. They would get mad and stomp back to their seat, but they would do it over and over again until it's right. I've learned that it's OK to get mad at how long it's taking to do something right, but to never give up on it.
3. Boys are overrated.
I can't tell you how many times the boys acted out to make the girls laugh or wrote the girls love notes, and the girls rolled their eyes. And when the boys didn't want anything to do with them, they didn't care, they just went on with their lives because anything else is more important than the boy who doesn't want you.
4. It's OK to show the way you feel.
Kids are so vulnerable, especially at 10 years old when everything is changing. I watched kids that come in telling jokes and smiling every day explode with anger and cry when bad things happened to them or their classmates. When we get older we tend to bottle everything up and call it "strong." In reality, it's just unhealthy.
5. You don't know all of the answers.
Some days, I wanted to change my name because it was constantly being called. Kids are constantly asking questions. Human beings are naturally curious, but as we age, we tend to act like we know it all. These guys weren't afraid to constantly ask me questions because they wanted to learn and understand.
6. Laugh at yourself.
Possibly the funniest moment of the first part of my internship was when we were asking a student for the umpteenth time to sit down and he just stopped what he was doing and started dancing. In order to avoid being embarrassed by getting in trouble, he made everyone laugh, including his teachers. It's more fun to laugh at yourself than it is to be embarrassed.
7. You don't need to hold a grudge.
One thing I experienced with fourth graders that I hadn't experienced anywhere else was girl drama. These girls would go at it one day and say they would never speak again, but then two days later they just had to walk to music next to each other in line. They may get mad at each other, but they never hold a grudge. It happens, they get over it, and they move on. Why is this so difficult once you get to college?
8. You're allowed to get excited (and show it!).
About halfway through the semester, the teacher announced to the class that I would be teaching them that day. To my surprise, the class cheered. They were so excited -- just because I was going to teach them instead of their normal teacher. Take advantage of the little things and don't be afraid to get excited about them. Life is more fun that way.
9. Speak your mind.
I've held back so much because I was afraid of saying something that other people would make fun of or get mad at, and it has contributed to my timidness. When I said something funny, these kids weren't afraid to call me out for it. When another student did something wrong, they weren't afraid to tell them how to act. Your voice will never be heard unless you say it.
10. Dream big.
When I ask the students what they want to be when they grow up, I get some crazy answers -- from waiters to fashion designers to pop stars -- but they know these goals are attainable and they believe in themselves. Too often we give up on our dreams because we think they're impossible. If a 10-year-old feels like they can change the world, why can't we? And why can't we just go out and do it?
To the 10-year-olds that changed my life -- thank you for all of the laughs and even the bad days. Thank you for showing me that life doesn't have to be that hard. And most of all, thank you for showing me that fourth graders aren't all that scary.
