MY EXPERIENCE AS A FIRST YEAR ENGLISH TEACHER

Where do I begin ? I’ve been manifesting this career for a while, and the time is finally here. For months and months, I daydreamed about how it would feel to be an educator and how my students would react to me. I would imagine how my classroom may look and what kind of open discussions I would have with my students. I really want to be that impactful English teacher that students remember well in to their adulthood. Im not sure how long I will be a teacher, but this is something I’ve always envisioned myself doing even in my adolescence.

The school I teach at is predominately black and hispanic. This was important to me because I feel like people of color really need educators of color. Educators who believe in them and who will have patience and a genuine passion to change their lives. All of my life, I’ve often been the only black girl in my workspace, but that has all changed. My principal is black, our librarian is black, there’s black staff and I feel right at home. I feel safe to express myself and operate at my highest level of knowledge. My students are beautiful. They are bodacious, they are raw and honest. I chose to teach high school because that’s a time where I struggled the most in school. I think if I had a cool teacher to look up to who really cared about my future, it would’ve changed my experience ! Students in high school need to understand their worth. They need help beyond standardized test preparation. I do see challenges with them in the future but I am excited to create boundaries and build a strong relationship with them.

My classroom is everything. The school itself is a very old building, which means I get big tall windows and all the nostalgic feels. I started decorating my FIRST day, I was so happy. The classroom is a true sanctuary. I look forward to the rest of the year with my students. I look forward to learning the ropes and becoming a better teacher. This process has shown me that I am the teacher AND the student.