As I spend more and more time out in the field and in the classroom setting, I am realizing just how much a teacher impacts the lives of the children in their class. While this is overwhelming, exciting, and nerve-wracking to think about, in a year and a half I will have my own class and will be impacting the lives of my own students. With that in mind, here is what I would tell my students on the first day of class.

Standing in the front of the room, trying not to show a room of 8 year olds how nervous I am, with my knees shaking, and my voice most likely shaking as well, I would begin and say....

"Good Morning Class! My name is Miss Trimble and I cannot wait to see what this school year will bring us!"

I will then probably ramble on, even though I would have most likely practiced in my mirror the night before for hours about what to say, about how excited I am to have them as my first class and explain to them that it is going to be a year of learning for all of us.

The truth is that I do not know how the school year will go, or if they or I will be the one to learn the most. One thing that I will be able to tell them with complete certainty though, are my promises to them about how I will strive to be the best teacher that I can be for them. After smiling and now having calmed down a little more, I would say...

I promise to be selfless...

I will keep you at the forefront of my thoughts. I will work endlessly to make sure that all of your needs are being met. I will be creative in the way that I teach you. I will continuously work to find ways for each you to learn. I will not mold you to my lessons but instead will work to find the best way to teach you the material.

I promise to be understanding...

I will empathize with the students who struggle with learning or learn differently than others because I have sat at the desk that you are sitting in and know how frustrating the school day can be when things are so difficult. I will offer you the strategies that worked for me. I will never equate your difficulty in school with you being lazy or unmotivated and will always provide you with the help I can offer.

I promise to build you up...

You are incredibly intelligent and very creative, but if you do not have a person in your life, either at home or at school, who believes in you, you may never find the confidence to demonstrate your abilities. I will always be that person. I will tell you how unique, creative, and amazing you truly are, and that you have the potential to be whatever you set your mind to.

I promise to highlight and recognize your differences...

Every child comes to school each morning from a different environment. You each bring so many unique qualities to a classroom and have the ability to teach the other students and me so much. I will love you each the same and teach you to love each other based on the character of your classmates and not on where they come from or what they look like.