Congratulations, teachers. You’ve made it. The first day of teaching.
Even on a normal year, this would be a huge deal. Whether you’ve been teaching for thirty years or this is your first, the first day brings up all sorts of feelings. Excitement. Anxiety. Joy. Terror.
But this is not a normal year.
Many of us are starting off the year teaching remotely, either from your home or your classroom. There’s the concern over technology: whether students have access to it, whether you really know how to access and use things, and whether things will even work when you need it to. Some of us might be more experienced and feel like we’ve got it all. Others may be so terrified of the technology and stress about having to ask questions.
Some of us are starting the school year teaching in-person, which comes with its own host of concerns. We’ve read the reports. We’ve heard of schools shutting down after just a day of classes, with students or teachers or parents contracting the virus. We’ve heard of teachers writing their wills. Of students refusing to wear masks. Of admin unable to give answers.
This year will challenge us all. We will be tested, again and again and again. We will be told we aren’t good enough. We will be told we aren’t doing enough for our students. And a part of us will start to believe it.
But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
You are good enough.
You chose this. You might be nervous, you might be afraid, but you can do this. You’ve put in the time. You’ve spent hours outside of scheduled time to create lesson plans. You’ve pored over the details in setting up your classroom, virtual or in-person. You’ve lost sleep, wondering what your students will be like, how will you keep them sane, how will you keep yourself sane. You’re drained, and you are already wondering whether you should have found a different job before the school year has even started.
Never doubt yourself this school year. Even if it were a normal year, you would be amazing. But this year, full of new challenges, new issues, new fears, you are going to be something else.
You are going to be legendary.
Good luck on your first day. Breathe, eat some chocolate, and take care of yourself. You’ve got this.
Jacob Ryckman 