Dear Sarah,
So you’re about to start PYP today. Congratulations! You’re about to begin one of the most exhilarating and formative years of your time. Buckle in, sister. You’re in for a wild ride.
But before you step into the year before you, I hope you look back on your Undergraduate journey with a sense of accomplishment. I hope you remember each step of immense courage over the past years you took to get where you are today:
- That email to Elaine Johnston saying, “Yes, I’ll move to Canada for University”
- That first orientation day at TWU
- Every awkward moment in the cafeteria
- Investing in friendships that taught you your value, in both good ways and hard
- Reading a novel a week for Dunning’s English class
- The decision to take a Biology teachable
- Each gruelling and fascinating lab course
- Writing your PYP application with Sammie
- Deciding to work on yourself and ask the big questions
- Choosing to say “yes” to PYP, despite the unexpected global pandemic.
Even more decisions of courage than those have brought you here, Sarah. Yet I hope you look back and say, “Wow. Past Sarah honoured me. She was brave and she was kind.”
But now, we look forward. You are about to embark on the year that will finally turn you into a full teacher. Since I’m on the other side of it now, I’d like to give you some friendly advice.
On your first day of school at Yale, you’re going to meet your mentor teachers. You might feel a little overwhelmed about needing to juggle two subject disciplines at once with two very different personalities, but I want you to know that the confusion sorts itself out very quickly. You don’t need to decide between English and Biology. You love them both equally, and that decision will get made for you. Just ride the wave.
Karen and Nathan are the best mentors a future teacher could ask for. So go to them for advice. Ask them for help when you need it. Cry with them when you need to. They love you and want to support you. And this year is hard for them, too.
When full immersion comes around, you’re going to be excited — and slightly terrified — about meeting your students for the first time. Remember that they are just as new to this class as you are, and you are capable. Show up as Ms. Sommer, be brave, be still, and know that whatever challenge comes at your class, your students are truly lucky to have you holding their hand (you know, figuratively) along the way. Show up one day at a time. Before you know it, you will know your students by name and tone of voice and you’ll have questions to ask them about their weekend. You’ll know who your fellow Taylor Swift fans are, who loves Star Wars, and how they drink their coffee. Before you know it, they’ll be telling you about the drama at home, the boys they have a crush on, and their parents’ divorce. They’ll be popping by your classroom to say hi. They’ll be sending you emails about how much they appreciate having you in their lives. And even those who keep it quiet feel very lucky to have you.
Sarah, don’t underestimate the impact you can have this year. I know you feel unsettled right now, with the uncertainties of school during a pandemic, complete with teaching online and running through a quarter system. Yet even in this time, you can have an impact. And your students will impact you. These kids need someone to show up in their lives that believes in them, loves them, welcomes them, and creates a space in the world for them to just be.
There will be a lot of logistical things that seem to eat up your time and energy this year: unit and lesson planning, creating assignments, marking, writing emails to students and parents, writing PYP reflections… but I hope you see the value in the behind-the-scenes work too. You’re planning for each student because they are worth it. They are worth the feedback because they are all learning. They are worth the reflective practice, because it means you can learn to better support them. They are worth the emails to parents, because then they have adults in all areas of their lives who are invested in their progress and champion them forward.
There is a finish line — I’m already there. And I promise you that it is a bittersweet one. You’ll have a sense of accomplishment here, but it’ll be faded a little bit by the feeling of “if only” — if only this year had been easier for your kids. If only you’d gotten the closure you desperately wanted. If only your grade 12 students got a graduation that made them feel as celebrated as they deserve to be. If only.
And yet, I hope along the way you’ve stopped to realize just how much you are excelling at this teaching thing. It really is the best job in the world, and you’re going to be learning how to do it well forever. With all the learning, no matter the time or place, I hope you know that you are already a wonderful teacher, just because of who you are. So show up. Do your best. Have grace and patience with yourself. Be honest. Be silly. And have fun! There is so much joy to be found in this year. Keep looking for the gold, and it will show up.
I love you, and I’m cheering you on.
Ms. Sommer