Letter Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
A Letter to My Future Self
Dear Me,
I hope you have found joy and passion behind what you do. How is everything? Is it like you expected? Do your students make you laugh everyday? I’m sure it has been a rollercoaster of emotions.
I have so many questions, but I want you to remember where it all started…
Hopefully by the time you are visiting this letter you are Ms. Kaelyn or Ms. Kato (whatever you have decided). I have A LOT of advice to give you and I’m sure you are reading this questioning how good this advice may be, but trust me I’ve learned quite a lot from these past couple of CRAZY years. First let’s talk about why you wanted to become a teacher in the first place…
You have always loved kids… even when you were one. Even though times in the classroom may be tough, stick to it! Become the positive influence that you have always wanted your students to have in their life.
When looking back at your own personal experience with teachers, there was always that one teacher that had the most impact on you. Remember her name? You knew, from the moment you stepped foot into her classroom, that she would change your outlook on life. You wanted to be a great teacher just like her. Don’t forget how much of an impact she had on your education experience.
You’ve always had a passion to be creative from the moment you could hold a colored pencil! The first piece of advice I give you is to… let that creativity flow into your students! If you ever forget the importance of creativity, watch this video.
Of course teaching is gonna have its ups and downs, but remember how silly and fun your students can be!
The second piece of advice I give to you is that it’s okay to not be everyones favorite teacher! You are so excited to become a teacher, but just know that you cannot please every one of your students. I’m sure you will try and try to be the best teacher ever, but believe in yourself and the students will have trust in you.
Lastly, remember how much of an impact classroom community has on the students! You have always wanted your students to feel safe in the classroom, so do as much as you can to build a great foundation for trust and positive relationships.
Remember, stay true to yourself and the rest will fall in place… eventually. YOU GOT THIS!
Yours Truly,
Future Ms. Kaelyn… or Ms. Kato (still haven’t decided).
Hi Kaelyn! This is such a cute and personal letter to your future teacher self. I completely agree with your advice–especially when you discuss the importance of making the students feel safe and seen through a sense of community. Keeping those ideals of what you want in your classroom will help in the long run and make for the most beneficial classroom environment.
Kaelyn! I love this letter and I completely resonate with so much of what you mentioned. One of pieces I need to learn for myself as well is that we will not always be the favorite teacher. It is natural to want to be rewarded and recognized for the hard work you put into something and I know that that will be a huge thing to cope with. I really appreciate you sharing this vulnerable truth with us. (Also love your gif choices!)
Hi Kaelyn! I loved reading this letter you wrote to yourself – you left me with multiple things to remember for myself! I especially loved the tik tok with the quotes, it was so adorable! This is such a rewarding job and I can tell how excited you are for it. I am so excited to see the teacher you become! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Kaelyn,
I really enjoyed your reflection via a letter to your future self. You include lots of valuable insights as noted by some of your classmates who already commented.
I’d like to respond to your advice: “it’s okay to not be everyones favorite teacher!”
That is a lesson I learned early as a teacher. It’s very easy to lapse into the “popular” teacher model. Especially as I was starting as a high school teacher and not all that older than my students.
What’s popular with students isn’t what’s necessarily best for them or the classroom culture. It took me a few years to realize that what I needed to be was
– well prepared, well-organized, creative, supportive, fair, etc.
With time I learned my students didn’t need a “buddy.” They needed a hard-working profession that was dedicated to their success.
When my seniors began to “check out” in the spring, I held our standards high. Reminding them that the rest of their lives they’d have to find a balance between fun and work.
Kaelyn, I really enjoyed the variety of tips that you provided for your future self. I think that all of these tips you listed for yourself, are tips that are just as important to be reminding yourself of now. I think that a lot of times, we let our nerves get the best of us. Especially with field experience coming up right around the corner, I think reminding yourself that although it can be tired and draining, there are a million reasons why you love it and chose to pursue this career.