To my future students,

I'm not a teacher yet, but I'm working really hard in order to become one so that I can spend every day teaching you, growing you, and loving you. I think about each one of you each day, and I can't wait to meet you.

I want you to know that I will always do my best to make sure you feel comfortable and make sure that you are challenged academically, while still being able to succeed.

I promise that I will love you as my own, and I'll take the time to learn your favorite color, what you want to be when you grow up, and the little things that make you upset when you're tired.

I'm going to make mistakes. I may let my emotions get the best of me one day, or I might mess up when I'm grading one of your papers, but I promise I'll work to be the best version of myself in order to teach you the way each of you deserves.

I'll always have band-aids in my desk drawer, and I'll always search for the right words when bandaids won't do the trick.

You'll have teachers who will stare at the clock and "shoo" you away from their desks, but I promise I won't be one of those. You can always come up to my desk, and you can always say hello to me when you see me in the grocery store.

If there's one thing I always want you to remember, it's that I chose this occupation for you. I didn't choose this field of work for the vacation days, the retirement, or the salary. Definitely not the salary. When I'm exhausted and completely sick of school, you're my motivation to keep going. The long hours, countless cups of coffee, and endless frustrations I experience daily is all for you.

So, to my future classroom of students, I love you, and I can't wait to learn your favorite colors.