It might be that you’ve struggled to find work, or that you’ve been dumped in the deep end with a class that frightens you. Maybe you’ve had a superstar mentor who has inspired and helped you, or perhaps you took to social media to find a professional network of colleagues.
My first day of teaching was a mess. I wore black because I’d been told by a uni lecturer that would make me instantly the most fearsome thing on campus. During recess that day I was told off by another teacher in front of my students – told to report to the principal for being out of uniform and wearing makeup and asked: ‘And why isn’t your hair tied up, young lady?’.
In the fourth period, a student stapled a piece of paper to her thumb. As the blood spread across the white page I said numbly (and incorrectly), ‘I became a teacher because I hate blood’. The student burst into tears and I found the strength from within myself to pull the staple out and apply a tissue. The student lived.
With the end of the day in sight, I thought the last period would be fine. That is, until I turned on the ceiling fan, causing a cascade of chalk dust to fly in every direction across the room. As the class erupted into laughter at the sight of my new black clothes covered in a coating of white, the only solution was to laugh as well.
The step from being a supervised uni student into fully fledged responsibility for students was large and scary. I started as a casual, and although I was fortunate to find a mentor at one of my schools, that was due to his generosity of spirit. Eventually the whole faculty took me under their collective wing, and I reached out to my professional subject association as a volunteer and found even more cheerful willingness there. I got involved with my Union. The wider I set my gaze, the more possibilities arose, and the more mentors I found.
So now that I’ve shared with you my rocky start as a teacher (and believe me, there are many more stories to be told), send me some of yours. We might use your story to help us shape new PD courses we write, for publication or for the Securing our Future Conference (21-22 May 2015). If you’re interested in volunteering, fill in an expression of interest form on www.ieu.asn.au to become a member of the new Early Career Teachers Committee for 2015. Just send me your details and stories: amy@ieu.asn.au