My First Year in the Classroom

"When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."--Lao Tzu But is the teacher ready? That's the question that haunts every teacher that fateful first day in the classroom. Making it through that day and the 179 school days that follow is how every career in education--and lifelong learning--truly begins. In this collection, fifty teachers share the trials, tribulations, and triumphs they've experienced during their first year on the job. Organized along the lines of the school calendar, these touching tales illustrate the learning curve experienced by new teachers: Facing Day OneMeeting the StudentsSurprising the StudentsBonding with Faculty and StaffBeing Surprised by the StudentsWatching the Students BloomSaying FarewellFrom the hilariously obsessive-compulsive preparation of a rookie English professor to the poignant lesson a bold third grader imparts upon his novice teacher about love and acceptance, this moving collection is sure to motivate new and veteran teachers alike.

Stephen D. Rogers (Buzzards Bay, MA) has taught at the middle school, high school, and college levels. He has also taught continuing education and online courses to adults, as well as the workshops offered by the nonprofit organization Literature Is for Everybody, Inc. His stories have appeared in the anthologies Chicken Soup for a Grandma's Soul, A Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Songs, and My Teacher Is My Hero.