Tuesday Tell All: Top Ten List

I love Tuesdays! Why you ask?? Because of the amazing linky party hosted by My Day in K and Teach, Talk, Inspire!! What better way to start the day and to connect with other awesome teachers than to share random facts, hobbies, and advice???

This week we are talking about our top ten things we have learned from teaching! I love this idea! Sharing advice and lessons learned is one of the best parts of connecting with all you amazing teachers! 

Well folks, there is only one year under this teacher's belt, so this list will be ever changing, but for now, check out my top ten!!!

1. Stay positive. There are too many people out there who will try to ruin your spirit. Don't let them. Share your excitement with your students and shut the door if you have to to keep the negative from coming in!

2. FIND A MENTOR. I am SO thankful for having the best mentor who ALSO happens to be at my school. There was nothing more comforting then getting moved to a school and having someone who was 100% there for me from the get go. My mentor pushes me to be a better teacher, encourages me to try to things, and is my therapist when things go wrong. Not sure how I would have survived year one (and all the years to follow) without her :)

3. Don't forget to have fun! Whether it is dancing to GoNoodle with your kids, singing silly songs, or going out with your coworkers, let yourself have time to be silly or to have fun. It took me a little bit to realize that it is okay to be goofy with your kiddos. They are FIVE years old!! Socializing with your coworkers is more fun than it sounds. They offer advice and some are funnier outside of work than you think ;)

4. Teaching is a HOBBY. To me, teaching doesn't start at 8:30 and end at 3:30. I didn't choose teaching because I knew I would get a chunky paycheck (duuuh). I chose teaching because it is my passion. Working with students, being creative, and having the energy and enthusiasm each day to see my little rays of sun makes me happy. 

5. Print your copies on Friday. This was something I started to do in the beginning of the year and kind of slowly drifted away from. There is no better feeling then walking into school on Monday morning and having your week ready in a basket. The hour after school Friday is WELL worth it :) Plus no one else will be at the copy machine!

6. Something didn't go right? Guess what! It is OK!!! News flash: You aren't perfect. Your kids know that (and 95% of the time won't even know something didn't work) Tomorrow is a new day so take a breath and start over!

7. It doesn't matter if it is before Labor day or after: if you teach in a primary school do not wear white. Unless your goal is to go home with some crayon/marker/kid/juice stains, your better off in any other color. 

8. Shave those legs! Sounds crazy right? Well as a kindergarten teacher, I spend a lot of time on the ground or in a chair right in front of my little rays. Bet you didn't know kids LOVE to touch you. Wait, you're all teachers so you knew! There was one day where I didn't think about shaving and wore capris. My little buddy was the first to touch my leg and say "Dang Miss K, why are your legs prickly?!"

9. If it isn't you, DON'T DO IT!!! *DISCLAIMER: I love Pinterest* There are so many ideas out there, however, and sometimes you may feel like you need to do them to keep your students engaged. If it is something you like and enjoy, giiiiirl rock it! I have run into the problem where I am trying to do something that I am not really comfortable with myself (ie: something I found at midnight and tried to do the following day) so the execution is poor. I think it is SO important to stay true to who you are in your teaching. When you are being genuinely yourself, your students know and are excited to learn from you!! If you do find something you like, take your time prepping it so that it is well worth it!

10. Those kids make it all worth it. Seriously. I didn't think I would finish my year and miss them. Your students are more than your students. They are YOUR kids. You want them to succeed. Whenever I have a bad day, I look at my class picture. Each of my little rays brought something different to our class. I love them like they are my own!!

I could add about fifty more things to the list, but after reflecting, here is what I came up with!! Thanks for viewing and make sure to link up!!!!