Congrats, Rookie

"You give us cause to laugh and groan when we realize you are younger than the songs we listened to in high school."

This May the graduates of 2014 will rightfully be the center of a lot of attention; however, there's another group in the school community who deserve recognition as well: first year teachers.

When the final bell rings on the last day of school, and everyone exhales fully for the first time since August, take time to find the first year teachers in your building and give them a well deserved pat on the back as they reach the finish line for the first time.

Here are four bits of insight to share with those finishing the first year of this crazy, demanding, exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, rewarding, and important job.

1.) If you had moments in the classroom this year that were less than perfect, you're not alone. Within the first ten minutes of the first class I taught, I spilled coffee on a student in the first row. I'd like to be able to say that from that moment I had no where to go but up, but that just wouldn't be true. Most honest teachers have similar stories to tell.

2.) There have been folks rooting for you along the way. Your victories have been celebrated, and your frustrations have been shared, by mentors struggling to ration out the proper amounts of support and space. Mentoring first year teachers is akin to teaching someone how to ride a bike. When the training wheels come off, there will be bumps and bruises, and increasing protection limits skill acquisition.

3.) You have inspired the other teachers in your building. You remind us why we started in this profession. You expose us to new ideas and challenge us to examine our own through a new perspective. You give us cause to laugh and groan when we realize you are younger than the songs we listened to in high school. Your presence is appreciated.

4.) A promise. Next year will not be easy, but it won't be nearly as difficult. Going into next year you will have much clearer expectations. You've made your first office referral (and maybe a couple others), your first parent phone call, and your first sub plans. You've probably had one hundred experiences that threatened your calm beforehand, but turned out to be much less dramatic that expected. You will be going into next year in a much better position. Your second year will not be easy. In fact, it will be hard. Every year you teach will be hard. This job is great because it is hard.....and important.

The good news is, you can handle it.