It is absolutely insane to me that there’s only about a week left of my first year of teaching. It doesn’t seem possible and yet here it is.

I’ve learned and grown a lot this year. I’m developing my teaching abilities and I’m always looking to improve. I’ve built relationships with my students and I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished this year.

That being said, I recognize that I can’t take all the credit. My teaching does not exist in a vacuum. Like many other things in life, teaching is a combination. My teaching style is a mixture of my own personality, what I’ve learned in my studies, how my cooperating teacher did things when I was student teaching, how my high school practicum teacher ran his classroom when I was there, and the students in my classroom. My first year of teaching would not be the same without any one of those factors.

I hope my students have learned from me as much as I have learned from them. These 12 year olds have pushed me, challenged me, stretched me, and made me grow. They make me better. I hope I do the same for them.

I know that with the school I teach at, some of these kids won’t be here next year. But I hope they take the things they learned in my classroom with them. I know I wont change every single one of their lives, but I hope I at least made some kind of impact on them all.

I love where I’ve gotten to this year. I love that I’m going to be teaching in the same school and classroom for next year. I am working, learning, and growing. I’ll share more of some antics and some other things I’ve learned later on.

I know this is a shorter post. And that’s okay. But like me with teaching, you are the combination of all your experiences. How they shape you and what you use is up to you. But in the meantime, keep working, growing, and learning!