An Open Letter to First-Year Teachers (or student teachers,
or would-be teachers, or all teachers, or those concerned with the care and
maintenance of teachers):
Dear First-Year Teachers,
It’s February, and you may be starting to feel existentially
overwhelmed. I know I did, when I was in
your shoes. You did your student
teaching, you spent what seemed to be an interminable amount of time in courses
on theories of education, and now you’ve had your very own classes for about
five months. You may – and I might just
be projecting on this one – be feeling the weight of the system, in a way that
manifests as a combination of anxiety and a sinking, dread-filled pit in your
stomach.
