Personal Parody Poem

Reflections (and reluctant admissions) from a teacher’s first day on the job: the seatbelt unbuckled, taking the blindfold off.

My name is Brent, and I thought I knew everything.

I had a new shirt, new shoes, and a new job – and I spent the previous three days at the cottage. I wasn’t worried.

But every day I look back and wonder –

Why did I park in the wrong parking lot?

Why did I commit to coaching two teams in the first 15 minutes of the day?

Why did I write September 4, 2008 in red chalk...RED CHALK!?!

Why didn’t I have those three kids on my attendance list?

Why didn’t I think that awesome “get-to-know-you” activity would work? It has been a riot ever since.

Why did I sleep through name pronunciation 101???

Why did I need to photocopy 10 extra course outlines?

Why did my neck turn so blotchy, my face so red, and my leg so shaky?

Why did it have to be so hot?

Why did I choose THAT short story for my diagnostic assessment?

Why was my 75 minute lesson plan finished in under an hour?

Why did I eat lunch at my desk instead of the staffroom?

Why did they let a single 23 year old Phys-Ed major teach HHS 4M – “Individuals and Families in a Diverse Society” (Actually this one is a bit of a stretch we had a lot of fun!)?

Why didn’t I take that kid’s cell phone away?

Why didn’t I get a map, a bus schedule, or ANYTHING, for my new city that would have allowed me to give advice to students trying to get around Ottawa?

And after receiving thousands of resources from the most understanding and passionate colleagues imaginable, why didn’t I ask Mr. Risk for one more...that one opinion article he said was so good but wouldn’t open on my computer?

Why didn’t I know then what I know now?

Why don’t I know now what I will know in 10 years?

I was a young teacher then, and I am a young teacher now, diving into a brand new world of education at the elementary level. I am confident that I will find success because of who I am, what I stand for, and how important this profession is to me. Never again will I pretend to know everything. I will continue to grow and learn. And I will never spend three days at the cottage over Labour Day weekend again (but maybe two)!