It is officially the month I am graduating from college, and it is safe to say that I am very conflicted about how I feel. Sixty-five percent of me is jumping for joy that I am so close to finishing this journey in my life. Thirty percent of me is anxious about what my future is going to hold. The remaining five percent of myself wants to throw up from nerves. However, the amount of excitement I have outweighs any uncertainty that I have about what will happen after I walk across the stage.

I found myself wanting to right this article, because my Timehop has been hoppin' with stress-filled tweets, prayer requests on Facebook, pictures with friends that became sisters, and many other memorable times (good and bad) in the Teacher Education Program. Over the past two years I have no idea how many times I said "I am not going to make it through this", and I strongly feel that I am not the only one.

So, whether you are a Block student approaching your last semester of Clinical Teaching, or a student entering your first full semester of education courses: this article is for YOU. I am sharing this because I love all of you future teachers, and I want to attempt to make your life a bit easier on your journey from your first semester in the TEP to the day you walk across the stage.

1. Everything you do in every single class has a purpose. The professors that teach your courses in the program are very intentional about what is being taught, and why they are choosing to teach it that way. It is their job to prepare you for real-world teaching, and give you all of the background knowledge that you need to do so. Each skill you learn is spiraled back in one course or another, so it is in your very best interest to absorb as much as possible. (Tip: The more you learn in your classes, the more enjoyable Clinical Teaching will be.)

2. Your professors care, but you also need to meet them halfway. The TEP is filled with the most wonderful professors who became spectacular mentors for my obstacles in and out of the classroom. The very best thing I did for myself was have open communication with them about struggles in class, confusion about projects and assignments, and even some situations outside of the classroom. (By the end of the Block semester, I am pretty sure I had some pretty solid crying sessions in a few of their offices.) The professors you have are loving educators who care about you in and out of the classroom. However, you need to make an effort to build relationships, show them you are working hard, and be honest in a respectful way. I promise you this will be a huge advantage to you, and they will be there for you after graduation!

3. Community will get you to graduation. If you think you can handle this by yourself, you are in for a rude awakening. The profession of teaching truly revolves around collaboration with other teachers. I am so blessed for the friendships I had with my classmates and professors, and the positive community we built together. The amazing people in my classes are the reason I am walking across the stage, and I am in total gratitude to them. They are my family, and the relationships I made will always be the most memorable part of my college career. Use each other, help each other, and love each other. Teaching is hard. Let's help make it a little bit easier.

4. You need to find ways to handle being overwhelmed. One of our professors always told us that in order to pour into another person's cup, your cup needs to be full. If I could describe the TEP in one word it would be "overwhelming". There are calendars, deadlines, ridiculously large projects, observation hours, more projects, and everything else under the sun. I'm going to give you a spoiler alert: it gets harder each semester. But, as stated in number one, there is always a reason to the madness. They do this because they love you, and they want you to be prepared for the overwhelming world that is teaching. Teaching is like this almost all of the time, but the Teacher Education Program works hard to prepare you. This program forced me to deal with my mental health, and I wish I started dealing with it earlier. Do not procrastinate, eat healthy food, do things that make you happy, ask for help, and always smile. Help yourself so you can help your kiddos!

5. Be fearless. Be you. I spent a majority of my time in the program absolutely scared of making any mistakes, and it really hurt me when I would present projects or teach. It wasn't until my semester of Clinical Teaching that I decided to take chances and be more like myself. I am an absolute goofball who loves hands-on activities, visuals, dramatic read-alouds, singing songs, dressing up, and having an absolute blast. Teaching became SO much easier when I was true to myself, and stopped being so scared to make mistakes. These teaches, lessons, and activities you do in class are an opportunity find what kind of teacher YOU are. Be dramatic, have fun, laugh and smile at the disastrous lessons that will happen, and be flexible. Finding who I was as a teacher in my classes helped me so much during clinical teaching when I was in front of students, my mentor teacher, other teachers, or even administrators every day. Take some chances! Failure can often be your very best teacher.

6. Never forget why you want to teach. I start off my morning drive to the school I am Clinical Teaching at by telling myself why I want to teach. I am going to be real with you: teaching may not always feel enjoyable. There is so much paperwork, deadlines, lesson plans, meetings, district requirements, curriculum requirements, and difficult days with students. However, I always remember to bring it back to the kids. They are why we willingly pursue this crazy profession, and I really encourage you to remember that on a daily basis.

7. Lastly, my friends, I want you to know that you should enjoy it. Enjoy every single moment of this crazy, wonderful, scary, stressful, joyous, and life-changing journey. Because, eventually, you are going to be in my position. You will be approaching your graduation, moving away from your friends, leaving students you spent two months building relationships with, and not sure how to feel about it all. I am sure there are many days you wish you were in my spot, but I can assure you there are many days I wish I was in yours.

Wherever you are at in your journey, I want you to know that I am cheering for you. Also, I hope you can use this advice to pull you through those semesters. Thank you for pursuing such a noble and rewarding profession. I hope you have the absolute time of your life!

With Love,

Taylor Henson