Another school year has begun, and this
year, I'm teaching undergrad and graduate courses. But, it is still
a new school year, and whether I'm teaching at a new school or just
being introduced to a new group of students, I still have the first
day jitters. And, I believe, if I ever lose this trait, it is time
to hang up my teaching hat. I think the jitters are important to
remind myself to constantly be learning about myself, my students,
and my content and pedagogy.
Like the actor's nightmare (showing up
on stage and not knowing what play is being performed) I think there are teachers' nightmares. On my first day with my new practicum
students, I shared my first day jitters and my yearly nightmare of
not knowing what classes I'm teaching or having students standing on
desks and throwing paper airplanes at me. I hear some teachers have
the nightmare of showing up naked to class, though I've never had
that one. As my practicum students move into their first classroom
experiences, I wanted them to know that anxiety of new experiences is
okay, but it shouldn't be paralyzing. I found a great illustrated
children's book that really exemplifies this point.
Mr. Ouchy's First Day by Barbara
G. Hennessy is about a new fourth-grade teacher on his first day.
Like many children, he prepares for the first day by buying new
shoes, getting a haircut, has trouble sleeping thinking about the
first day, and gets up early to make sure he is on time. At first,
the children tease him about his unusual name, but as he begins to
engage them in figuring out time, the children begin to discuss how a
minute can be interpreted differently under various circumstances.
And suddenly, it is recess time! The book then jumps to the end of
the day and Mr. Ouchy and the children set goals for learning for the
year. The children want to learn how to whistle, swing on a trapeze,
train a cat, or make doughnuts. When Mr. Ouchy returns home, he is
tired but anticipating the great learning for the year and begins to
read up on the children's interests and dreams of his students
accomplishing their goals.
After sharing the book, I asked my
practicum students to write down a fear, a hope, a question, and
something they hope to learn through the year on post it notes. On
the white board, I drew a chart with each sectioned labels. As the
students thought of something, they could post it, and other students
could read various responses. The ideas ranged from very practical
(What school will I be at?) to very broad (How do I engage children
of all abilities and ages?). Many were concerned about managing a
classroom and they wanted to be the best teacher possible. Others
wrote about their fear of failure and wanting to be an inspiring
teacher.
Although the hopes and fears don't
change much from year to year – whether you are a student or a
teacher, I think it is important to acknowledge that the first day of
school is a day of both excitement and anxiety. Really, this is true
for the first day of any new experience. During the roller-coaster
of emotions, it is good to know that you are not alone and that these
feelings are completely normal. I saw a poster once that said, “The
only difference between fear and excitement is your attitude about
it. - Unknown.” In the fear and excitement of the first day, I
hope to encourage my students to focus on the excitement and let the
engagement in lessons alleviate the fear.
