5 Things I Learned as a First Year Teacher

Th following list is a few of my thoughts and insights I had over this past school year. In no particular order:

1. High School girls are stuck in a perpetual state of Disney Princess Fantasy (DPF). I’m not talking about the good theme of “kill the dragon, save the princess.” That’s the Christian theme; it’s what Jesus does for His church. I’m talking about the love for everything Disney. If you suffer from Disney Princess Fantasy your symptoms may include singing Disney songs, creating lists of which Disney princesses would fare better in a given situation, singing Disney songs, drawing your favorite princess, singing more Disney songs, and dressing up like your favorite Disney princess. This is a phenomena I have noticed in the majority of the female population. I’m not saying that DPF is a bad thing, it’s just strange.

2. When Second grade girls put on a ring pop, they begin fantasizing about marriage. When Second grade boys put on a ring pop, it just becomes a weapon to punch the other boys. Are you seeing a theme about girls developing? From a young age they want to be that princess I mentioned above. Boys don’t care much for royalty though, they just want to wrestle. Which leads me to my next point.

3. Playing catch with a group of first graders is a great study in original sin. Girls fall into this category too, but mostly boys. Everything is a competition to a boy. Throw sin into the mix and you can end up with some bloody noses and hurt feelings in no time.

4. I’m selfish. Moving on...

5. Children have a way of capturing your heart. My favorite grades to teach are first and second grades. I realized this past week that with the school year coming to a close I may never see some of those children ever again. I'm really going to miss those kids.

Well there it is - five things I learned while teaching my first year. They paid me to teach. I received so much more.