First Day Letter

As reported earlier, I have taken a teaching job in Savage, MT. It is a small school, with a total student population of about 116 K-12. I teach English, grades 6-12. I probably have about fifty students or so. My largest class has eleven students. Lucky me, it's my eighth graders during the last period of the day. This first week, I think they've been itching to get out the door. Hopefully, in time, they'll learn to like what we're doing in English. Or at least tolerate it.

I'd love to tell you that the first week went smoothly; that there were no bumps in the road. Though, anyone that has taught likely knows this isn't the case. Trying to get students on Google Drive proved to be a bigger headache than I had thought it might be. There were tired eyes as we went through some literature today. Questions meant to generate discussion were met with long periods of awkward silence.

I've told myself that it's the first week. The students are adjusting to a lot of change (there are several new teachers this year, a rarity at Savage). It might take them a little while to warm up to me and learn to take part in discussions, to think outside the box, and really apply what they've learned.

I was inspired by a post that I saw in which the author wrote a letter to her first-day-of-teaching self.  I decided to do a bit of a twist on it. I wrote a letter on my first day of school. I hope it serves as a reminder of why I'm doing this and how to keep it all together. That's the plan anyways. The letter is as follows:

Dear Mr. Hoffmann,

Today is your first day of teaching. Not just of this year. Not just in Savage. But ever. It is kind of awesome. It is kind of terrifying. It is all sorts of emotions bundled into one.

You have no idea what to expect this year. How will the kids be? How will parents be? It is all new. But, you’ll get there. You’ll make it happen. You’ll get these students to a great place with their reading and writing.

Don’t forget to take time to grow yourself. Keep reading up on the profession. Never be afraid to use new ideas. Ask the students what’s working and what isn’t. Listen to them. Listen to other teachers. Listen to administrators. Listen to parents.

And don’t forget to take some time for yourself. Read books. Write a little. The more sane you are, the better the classroom will be.

You will make mistakes. You will forget things. You have syllabi printed off for the first day. This is a most excellent start. Try to work ahead and stay organized. The more on top of things you are, the better things will be. But still, best laid plans of mice and men and all that. Don’t let ruin your day. Stay even keeled, take it one day at a time, and do your best. That’s all you can ask for.

This promises to be one the most challenging, most rewarding years of your life. Make sure it lives up to that promise.

From Day One,

Alan Hoffmann