TED Talks Speaker, Sarah Kay. Just a little something to help you make it through your day.

The Difference a Year Makes . . .

I still find it hard to believe that almost an entire year has passed since I graduated from UNO.  The funny thing is, I am not the same teacher I was as I was completing my student teaching assignment.  Over the past year, I have gained more confidence in my abilities as a teacher simply because I am becoming more familiar with the wide array of literature that students are exposed to, and in my ability to effectively reach and engage even the most challenging of students.

It astounds me to think that if a person can learn, grow, and change this much in just a year's time, imagine the changes and growth that takes place over a lifetime!  As a high school teacher, when we are first introduced to our students as Freshmen, these students are excited and eager to please, while at the same time, scared of the unknown (being in a new school, having to make new friends, learning new rules, and discovering the expectations of all those new teachers).  By the time these same Freshmen become Seniors, they are not the same people they were when they first walked through the doors of the high school.  For the most part, they are more confident in their abilities and are beginning to form an idea of the type of person they want to be as adults.

The changes are astounding, and it all begins with the first year.