Letter to a new teacher

To: An incredible person who accepted a wonderful challenge

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Dear new teacher:

My name is Monica, and today is my last day as a teacher. While most days have been doubtlessly awesome, there's no denying the challenge that it implies being a teacher, so to give you a glimpse of what to expect, I have three tips for you: First, the most powerful weapon a teacher can have is planning. Always make sure you know what you are going to do. While it is not necessary to have a very detailed format of what you will do, you need to be clear about the purpose of your lesson and the objective you want your students to achieve. Second, be open to change. Everything changes, policies change, the tools we use change, and our students change! So do not get comfortable doing always the same because what may work now may not be useful in two or three years. By saying that, yes, you must accept the fact that as a teacher you should not stop learning. Finally, take care of yourself. Just like on an airplane, you have to put yourself the mask before you can help others, so have a strong support network of other teachers and close people you can resort to whenever you need it; be conscious that you need time for your realization, have a hobby, invest your time and money on other activities, so when you feel burned out, you just go to those other people of places then you come back to teaching ready to continue. Finally, remember that there will be challenging days, but the rewards are immeasurable. The impact you have on young minds is a true gift. Embrace the journey and best of luck!

We are what we believe we are. CS Lewis