Reminders for teachers.

Reminders to self these first few weeks of teaching (and good learnings I have picked up over the years)-

• The basics- Drink water. Take your lunch. Finish your lunch. Go to the bathroom.
• Don’t kill yourself working at night. You still have students to teach tomorrow.
• Caffeine is good. Sleep is better.
• Things happen.
• Everything you want to get done won’t get done. Everything you need to get done will get done.
• You don’t know the kids yet. It takes time to build relationships.
• It’s the nature of teaching that everything can get upended at any moment. You know this. Prepare for everything else that could possibly happen, and, for the rest, you must go with the flow.
• Use the people around you. They’re awesome. You also have great friends, former coworkers, and supports around you. Use them.
• The kids are pretty darn smart. They are always good. Do no harm, and do great good if you can.
• Tomorrow is another day. And, next year is a new year. That’s pretty amazing, actually.
• As Colleen Wilcox puts, “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” Ain’t that the truth.