I have less than two weeks left of my student teaching experience, and the feeling is bitter sweet. On one hand, my first semester of nonstop teaching, lesson planning, and peppy mornings before the sun rises have left me more pumped for summer break than ever before. On the other hand, I have no idea how I'm going to be able to say goodbye to 5 amazing classes of teens that allowed me to be a part of their world for this short period of time. At the end of the day, I'll forever be grateful for this experience that functioned as a much needed transition between college life and the real world. Here are 15 wake up calls I received over the past few months:

1. Looking more like a student than a teacher

Considering that I've always looked young for my age, I learned to flash my administration pass to every unfamiliar security guard and administrator on Week 1.

2. The struggle of waking up early and getting dressed up Every. Single. Weekday.

After years of stumbling out of the house in a messy bun, sneakers, leggings, and an oversized t-shirt, dressing presentable has honestly become the toughest part of the transition to the real world.

3. Figuring out what to wear

I've spend the entire semester trying to figure out how to actually look the part of a teacher while still feeling like myself. In a job that requires an excess amount of ingenuity, care, time, and flexibility, I should be able to dress in something that makes me comfortable. Then you also have to get used to abiding by school dress code rules again. Checking hem lengths and ensuring that my outfit isn't too tight before I leave the house has become irritating to say the least.

4. Short Lunch Breaks

Up until this point, I was accustomed to having an hour to sit on a campus patio and feed my Netflix obsession with an episode of Breaking Bad over a fresh lunch. Now, I'm chugging down a meal prep from my lunchbox in 20 minutes and rushing to the bathroom before the bell rings because...

5. Bathroom Breaks Are Hard to Come By

Never have I had to so meticulously plan out when I will have a few spare minutes to go to the restroom in my head while surrounded by 30 screaming adolescents. All of that coffee and water will catch up to you eventually.

6. No more college schedule

Looking back, I should never ever have complained about any of the 8 am classes I had to take. Back then, I could stumble to the back of the auditorium in pjs while the professor lectured and I gently awoke from my zombie-like state. Now, I must have my lesson up and ready to go, coffee chugged down, a perky attitude, and prim and proper attire, all before 8 am.

7. Hearing your friends complain about that one paper they have to do for finals

After months of grading papers rather than writing them, I start to feel like I'm in an alternate universe, looking back on the good old days. Also, if you have no other classes, you have zero finals to worry about for once (yay).

8. "You guys, it's a school night" is a thing again

Going out at 11 on a Wednesday? Are you kidding me? I have to be in the workroom making copies by 7:30 tomorrow morning, what is wrong with you?

9. The consequences of an absence are far more severe

This is not playtime boys and girls: it's game time. Unlike a flexible college schedule, the world no longer revolves around me, it revolves around 150 other young beings and their futures.

10. Saying goodbye to social media for long stretches of time

It was pretty odd getting used to checking my district email every half hour, but only looking at my phone during the lunch break and end of the school day.

11. Feeling old when you realize that none of your students were born during 9/11

For some reason, this one always hits me pretty hard. It says so much about the world they were born into.

12. Feeling too young when you can relate to your students' interests more than those of your coworkers.

This obviously doesn't apply to every situation. However, if the topic turns to music, TV shows, or basically anything that has to do with social media, my students always know what's up.

13. But then you quickly start to realize you're not as in touch with everything that's "cool" as you thought

"Wait, what does that word mean? What do you mean no one uses Twitter?"

14. All your students want to hear are stories about your college drinking days

Is that all they think I've been doing for 3 years?

15. Then getting to teach them from your mistakes

After getting past their initial curiosity about parties and greek life, my high school students, many who plan to be the first in their families to go to college, had genuine questions about financial aid, coursework load, and picking the right major. It feels good to pass on what you've learned beyond the classroom to the next in line.

Overall, this semester has taught me that my future will consist of so much more than just correcting teenage grammar. I have a chance to provide students with the chances and opportunities I lacked at their age. I have the opportunity to bring amazing things out of emerging minds and learn from them along the way. Over the course of a semester, the student has become the teacher, only to realize she will always hold both titles.