What I Didn't Expect

When I signed up to become a teacher, there were a lot of things I expected. There were also some things I didn't expect. A lot of the things I didn't expect are quite negative, and I vent about these probably more frequently than necessary. So, even though a long string of those negatives is ever-present in my mind currently (I just finished a grueling 5 hours of parent-teacher conferences this week), today was a good teaching day, and thus I'm thinking about some of the positive things about my job that I didn't expect.

I didn't expect to laugh so much. My students are HYSTERICAL. SERIOUSLY. So. Incredibly. Funny. My seniors just finished writing satirical papers, and I have never laughed so hard. I'm just going to think of them all as little Jon Stewarts. Some of their writing was just that good. The things they say in class also frequently crack me up. They're just, fun! I like that we can laugh together and I can still feel like they are learning.

I didn't expect to work with so many cool people. Seriously, so many of my co-workers are amazing people. They are so talented, intelligent, and fun! It sometimes makes me feel incredibly intimidated, but I'm trying to work on my inferiority complex and just learn from them.

I didn't expect to really love my students as much as I do. I knew I would like them. But I didn't know I would love them. Seriously. I cry over these kids when I watch them going through unbelievably hard things. I get so excited when I watch them succeed.

So there you go, just a few of the positive things I didn't expect when I started walking the halls of the high school this year. Try to savor this post, and possibly remind me of it, the next time I am spouting off numerous complaints.