My niece, a first year, first grade teacher (and a loyal Lead Your School reader), is getting ready for her end of year summative assessments. As part of this process, she has had to do some reflection on what she has learned this year. Here is my niece’s, “Five Simple Truth’s I’ve Learned in My First Year Teaching.”

Number 5: “Planning is the key to survival in my classroom.”

Number 4: “I have to allow my students to explore the world, even if it means bringing it to them one piece at a time.”

Number 3: “The greatest gift I can give my students is to teach them to become independent thinkers.”

Number 2: “I am laying the groundwork for how my students will view education for the rest of their lives.”

Number 1: “Teaching is a privilege, not a right.”

Obviously, my niece is a genius and is a better teacher than all of your first year teachers.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn…