Green Day songs and Sunscreen

So my first year of teaching is almost officially over. Its crazy how fast its gone by. I am one fingerprint away from being officially certified to teach in the state of Texas (woohoo!!). So I had told my friend Joel that I would blog the whole year about my experiences... well I didn't. You have no idea what its like being a first year teacher. So in exchange for a whole year's worth of post here are the top 10 things I've learned this year.



1. I have way more patience than I thought I had.



2. All kids are great but I really like teenagers a lot more than little kids. Or maybe I can handle larger quantities of teenagers than I can little kids.



3. God is awesome. When He leads you some where He will also provide for you. I have never been so scared in my life as when I took this job but God has been with me through all of it and I've had more strength, more energy and more resources than I ever thought possible.



4. Never ask kids why they didn't do something. They didn't do it, they should apologize, end of story. Asking why just opens the door for lying and excuses.



5. Adults are just as bad as kids. We don't get our stuff in on time, we talk during meetings, and we love to be in the know about all the gossip. Apparantly you never grow out of stuff.



6. Being a coach is hard work, especially for cheerleading. I have loved being a cheerleading coach but its definitely not easy. Getting 10 girls to do the same thing at the same time is not an easy task, plus throw in some emotions, boy drama, and mood swings and it makes it that much more fun.



7. You can always do what you're doing better. I feel like I screwed up my first round of students (apparantly this is a common feeling). I do feel like I should apologize though. I know my math really well, but I didn't always convey my concepts that well... amazingly your good ideas come after you've already taught that section.



8. I work longer and harder now than I did at my last job. This can be proven by the 10 lbs I lost in my first semester of teaching as well as the fact that I can't sit down in the evenings without falling asleep (this used to not be the case). Consequently I have tried to watch Harry Potter 3 times and have never made it past the first 15 minutes (Sorry Sean)



9. I have an incredibly supportive friends. My friends came to so many scoreless football games and overhyped basketball games just to support me.

10. Its great to love what you do. I really liked being an actuary. It was ok most of the time. But I know LOVE what I do. I get up and go to work earlier than I ever did before. I feel like I get to play all day long. And now when I sit in an office for even 10 minutes, I am BORED to tears. I encourage everyone to find what they love and do it!!