The Symptoms of a First-Year Teacher

The symptoms of a first-year teacher include (but are not limited to):

• Increased consumption of comfort food.
• Weight gain and/or loss
• Mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion
• Dangerously high stress levels
• Headaches and/or migraines
• Weakened immune system/catching everything that is "going around"
• An inability to practice critical thinking skills outside of the classroom
• Severely decreased mental capacity outside of school hours (this may include: an inability to speak in coherent sentences; losing basic vocabulary skills, etc.)
• Loss of patience
• An irrational fear of seeing students outside of school
• Increased vulnerability
• Crying (at any time and for any reason)
• Upset stomach
• Loss of sleep
• Nightmares
• An abnormal fear of Mondays
• Anxiety
• Depression
• General hopelessness
• Increased need for adult conversation
• Decreased ability to be creative
• Loss of decision-making skills
• An increase in time spent watching mind-numbing television
• Irritability
• Anger

Two known cures: quit; become a second-year teacher

...

So I don't want to make it sound like being a first-year teacher is ONLY the pits. But I would be lying if I said it wasn't nearly only the pits. Never in my life have I been more exhausted, more down-hearted for long periods of time, more vulnerable, more irritable, more sensitive than I have been in the last nine months since beginning my first year of teaching. And I went into my first year of teaching with student teaching and long-term sub experience. Let me just say, it doesn't matter how much experience you have, nothing prepares you for the mental, physical, and emotional roller coaster that is your first year of teaching. 

But there are days and small pieces that make it worth it. The group of students that wants to hang out in your classroom during lunch and thinks you're cool. That one student who never fails to make you laugh no matter how bad of a mood you are in. When students surprise you with how hard they are willing to work. Those students that show actual interest in your subject. Unexpected compliments from students. Students who trust you enough to talk to you about their lives and troubles. Sometimes things like this happen daily. Sometimes they'll only happen once a week. You've got to stock up on them when you can. 

Here's to looking forward to the second year. :)