Letter to a New Teacher

Dear New Teacher,

Welcome to a wonderful and challenging profession,  What can I say as you begin your career? I am halfway through mine, and I still find myself thanking my grandmother who "quilted" my way through college.  She must have sewn and sold dozens of patchwork designs so that I could become a teacher. The warmth of her efforts has rewarded me time and time again, but what words of wisdom can I give at a time when 1/3 of teachers leave the profession by the end of their third year? What is the secret that enables me to love what I do?

Education is one of the most physically exhausting, emotionally draining, and intrinsically rewarding professions.  The paperwork is horrendous, and continues to grow even more demanding.  The salary wilts in comparison to others with the same amount of education.  If, however, you love people and you enjoy seeing them grow, if you are the kind of person who thrives on being able to give more than you take, if the voice of a child makes you turn your head in wonder, then there is not a more rewarding profession on earth.

This career is ever changing.  Stay active in professional organizations and opportunities.  ASCD and NCTE are more than just memberships to list on a resume.  They are the lifelines to current practice. They are the voices of educators across the state and the nation who strive for what is best for all students.  There is immense pleasure in the gathering and sharing ideas with colleagues.  Develop your own voice in education; you owe that to yourself and your students.  Teacher voices have been silent for far too long.  Build strong relationships with colleagues who are enthusiastic and positive. They will support you through tough times and celebrate your successes.

In Teammates:A Portrait of Friendship, David Halberstam recounts the lives of Ted Williams, Dominic DiMaggio, Bobby Doer, and Johnny Pesky as they reveal the important role that baseball has played in their lives. For me, it also describes a quality teaching life:
     "But baseball (or education) has provided a wonderful, rich life. The pleasure had always been in the doing, the sheer delight in going out there every day and playing, being paid to do the thing you loved to do.  And the richness had come from the friendships, he said.  How many people in other professions have friendships that last so long--unusual friendships because when you see each other, you were instantly taken back to a time when some big game was on the line.  When Bobby Doer and Dominic DiMaggio talked about their own lives, it was with the same tone as John, with an appreciation--indeed a gratitude--for their good fortune, and a sense that although they prospered, the best part, the richest part of their lives had little to do with material things, and that they had lived their lives with very few regrets."

It is through such relationships with colleagues that you will find innovative strategies and ideas to help you do what is best for students.  Every child wants affirmation that he is special, that his ideas are good, true, and wise.  They are willing to work and able to learn if they can see the benefits of their efforts. This is your job. Encourage a positive vision for every child you meet.  Find their interests and help them set goals for success.  Challenge them with all that you have; nurture them with all that you believe.  Remember, they will spend more time with you than they will spend with spend with their own family.  They need more than any state standard could ever encompass.

Most importantly, learn from the children..  I used to believe that my priority was to prepare kids for the future--but then came Jessica, a beautiful seventh grader who missed my class every Tuesday for chemotherapy.  Jessica sat beside me as she struggled to put her thoughts onto paper.  "Jessica, your writing is very general here.  You write, I am strong even when things are crummy. Give me an example.  What is Crummy?" I ask.  "Chemo is pretty crummy, Mrs. Wagner, " Jessica replied.

And on that September day, as I sat side by side with her, I realized that my task is to help them learn and grow and share for today.  That the important thing is that you an make a difference here and now, which means there is no time for busywork, no time for circling nouns on a worksheet.  There's barely enough time to immerse them in the power and wonder of reading and writing.  Introduce them to Draper and Crutcher and Spinelli.  Introduce them to their own voices as their lives fall gently on the paper.  Introduce them to the future as they grow into the adults of tomorrow.  Make your classroom a place of joy, a place of laughter and tears and growth.  Make it a place where you emphasize and model the importance of working together.  Make it a place where they will want to be, and it will become a place where you will want to stay.

May you find comfort in the relationships that build your teaching life, with the students who struggle and those who triumph, with parents who look to you for knowledge and assistance in preparing their child for the world, and with colleagues who will encourage you to grow and learn and give to yourself as well as others.

Best wishes on your journey,

Darla