Dear Baby,

It’s kind of hard to explain what I do now, but basically I work with a lot of teachers. This means I am in a lot of classrooms, which causes me to reflect on the time I spent as a teacher. I will probably be a teacher again, too, because I really do enjoy it. Anyway, I wanted to share with you the life lessons I learned when I took my first teaching job. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I started midyear (which is a rough thing when you are a teacher) in 7th grade (which is a rough age to teach when you are a teacher) in a classroom where I was the minority. Your Grandma K. even came to stay with me for a little while, just to get me on my feet because I was having such a difficult time. That first year lasted 80 days (from February 1 to the end of the year). Around day 20 I started panicking, thinking I had spent the last 4 years in college getting a degree to do something I hated. Well, I don’t remember exactly what I taught that first 80 days, but I will never forget what I was taught that first 80 days. I learned that the moment when you think you can’t go on is usually the moment things turn around. I learned that respect is learned and then earned. I learned that our life circumstances influence and change us, but we cannot give them the power to define us. I learned that each of us has the power to influence others. I learned that perseverance is everything. And, just so you know, by the end of the year, I loved it. I signed my contract and taught at that very school, that very grade level for 2 more years. My hope is that you will find something you love. And I will come and stay with you if it is very hard at first, just to get you on your feet.

Love,
Mama