Being a recent college graduate and getting into your career is an odd feeling but an overwhelmingly good one. You have officially entered the real world. I very recently became a teacher and it is crazy how things have almost completely changed for me. I have a lot of other new teacher friends as well and I am sure these things ring true for them too...
1. You start to look at children differently.
Teachers are the very last people to "hate kids." We might just push back when we want to have our own because we see how they really are when they aren't being all cute and cuddly.
2. You see possible classroom activities everywhere you go.
Anything to spice up your classroom learning and keep children engaged. Anybody or anything can offer inspiration if you have developed a teacher brain.
3. You have to create an entirely new Pinterest account.
4. You begin to talk in teacher lingo in everyday conversation.
No one knows what an IEP is. So stop talking about how you feel bad for the kid who has one while you're drunk on the weekends. It's okay, you'll be back surrounded by fellow teachers on Monday.
5. Your "strong teacher voice" is being used more times than necessary.
I'm literally not mad at you. I just can't turn off my strong teacher voice!
6. You start to lose your non-teacher friends.
Everyone is sick and tired of you talking about your kids. So they stop coming around... And inviting you out... And answering your phone calls...
7. You become a lot more emotional.
Every little thing makes you cry, good or bad. My kids wrote a perfect paragraph about the purpose of the Civil Rights Movement and I was moved to tears.
8. Coffee becomes your new best friend.
I mean, how else are you expected to get through the day?
9. Your wardrobe gets a slight makeover...
You begin to wear teacher clothes even when school is not in session. It's not like you mean to, it's just all you have.
10. You start to refer to the students in your class as "my kids."
Not really a cool mom. Just a mom who gives you homework and sends you home with a note to deal with your real mom if you misbehave...
11. Alcohol becomes your second new best friend.
Grading papers is no fun without a glass of wine to keep you company.
12. TGIF has an entirely new meaning.
Friday seems like Neverland during the week, so when you finally arrive it's a freaking party. I never understood why teachers loved Fridays so much until I became one.
13. You have the funniest stories everyday when you leave your classroom.
Whether it's a kid spelling "shit" on the board instead of "shirt" or your kids teaching you how to "hit the folks" at recess, children are a constant source of entertainment.
14. But probably only your teacher friends think that they're funny...
It's okay. I'm still laughing with or without you.
15. Your life gets a purpose.
Teaching is a profession that is constantly looked down upon. But what people don't realize is that without teachers there would be no reputable doctors, lawyers, or any of the other "big time" professions out there. When we walk into our classrooms at the beginning of the school year, we know that we have a hard year ahead of us but that does not stop us. It is what propels us forward so that our kids can go on to become change agents in the community and in the world. There is nothing that I would rather do than continue on my journey as a teacher.
