During that first year, I was blown away by the elementary mind. Students would come up to me and tell me things like my nostril hairs were too long and ask why my beard came up so high on my face. My homeroom class would come back after a period with another teacher and divulge that Ms. So-and-So said that I was just a “new teacher” and I didn’t know what I was doing. Brutal honesty from the young generation. However, for a first year teacher, these were comments that I marinated on during my drives home after school. Sometimes a student wouldn’t do their homework. I would take this personally, wondering what I was doing wrong and how I could reach him or her. If I asked a student to line up and they ignored me, I would take it personal, holding a grudge for a day or two, unbeknownst to that young child. I don’t know if these feelings are unique to me, but in my first year, every little thing was a big thing. Every day was truly a new day filled with brand new highs and lows, novel experiences, and learning opportunities. I am speaking on my growth primarily and not the growth of my students.

But after a few months, my students and I developed a relationship and classroom dynamic that has been unmatched since. Sincere care and extra attention to every moment inside and outside of the classroom was real. Because of that, we became more than just a class of students and a teacher leading the way. As corny as it sounds, that first year was as close to a family experience that I have felt inside a school.

Early on in that year, I would confidently remind my students that, “this is both our first years; this is my first year as a teacher, but this is also your first year experiencing this grade level.” I was honest with my past and told them that I was used to high school-aged students and expected them to carry themselves with a maturity that I was more comfortable with so that we could have a smoother year. They loved my honesty as I did theirs and accepted the challenge. That year, school was more than handing out assignments and forming relationships based off of student produced work. That year was about forming relationships with young students who I saw as people primarily and students last.

Halfway through the year, I dubbed them as the “214 Originals”. My classroom being room 214 and those being my first ever class of students I could call my own. They took pride in welcoming a new teacher to their school, a teacher who would regularly sit after school and try to sort out drama without the realization that all of these girls are going to be friends tomorrow anyways. A teacher who would participate in gym during gym class because I would rather play a game of soccer than sit on the sidelines counting down the minutes until the period was over. We espoused passion from each other. And honestly speaking, that is something that I regretfully have lost over the last several years.

I have quick answers for every time a student makes a glib remark towards me. I rarely go home now thinking about a comment that a student made in the class about me. Over the last few years, students have told me that they wish they were in another class one day and told me that I’m their favorite teacher ever the very next day. Neither one makes an impact on my energy as their classroom teacher. When a group of students have drama, I try to avoid it at all costs. If it makes its way to my desk (I actually don’t have one, but you get the metaphor), instead of sitting with the group and facilitating a resolution, I accost the student(s) who I judge as being in the wrong or I tell the student(s) who feel hurt to “ignore them then, you will get over it.” And then I wonder why my class at the end of the year is not as tight as it was in my very first year of teaching. I think I get it now.

Maybe I need a change. A different grade to teach, a different school, a new challenge. Or maybe that first year is simply unique to its own and life as a teacher is a constant fight against gravity that is only stalled with careful and honest self-reflection. For the sake of my students, and the sake of my passion, I am hoping it is the latter.

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As for these boys, whether in 6^th, 7^th, or 8^th grade, many are already on the fringe of giving up on school as a whole. These are the boys who never sit through a whole math or science lesson. These are the boys who get in trouble for being loud, or not walking in line, or protesting the implicit rules about school. These are the boys who know the Principal’s office inside and out and no longer fear that as a consequence. And these children are not even in high school yet.

Yet, they devote their lunch time, once a week (and plead for the club to convene on an everyday basis), to sitting and listening to a parade of speakers who come in to talk to them about life, expectations, and goals. As a teacher who sees these students every day and the so-called “havoc” they cause, it is ironic to observe them sitting attentively for a whole hour on end, listening. During our sessions, these so-called “bad apples” sit, engage and participate in discussion. My friend, who is the Ph.D student, finally brought this clarity to my understanding.

He talked about his life, the importance of school, and more importantly, the importance on knowing why the “game” of succeeding in school is so important. See, these students might be disruptions in a regular class, but they are bright, opinionated and insightful young students. Having an adult who can actually connect can change the whole context of a classroom.

My Young Men’s Club works not because we are talking about things that are important to these students. Yes, we are talking about sports and goals and life paths – all things (unfortunately) that are not curriculum objectives. But these speakers are taking time to actually talk to kids. My friend talked about how “understanding your why is the most important thing you will ever discover in your life.” Through that, he unpacked family situations, motivation, and self-discovery. But beyond his lesson, he had the patience and took the time to listen to these boys. As an observer, the results were astronomical.

After the meeting was over, I had a conversation with my friend. He told me that the one hour he spent with the kids gave him a unique energy. I relayed to him that, after his “talk”, a few of the students immediately started making better use of their class time, completing their math work in class (something they had hardly ever done before), and they continue to make a conscientious effort to try.

The sad part is, despite his intent on doing so, this impressionable educator would never be able to teach unless he got a Bachelor of Education. He has his Masters in Education and is working on a Ph.D in education but he still wouldn’t be able to teach elementary school. Despite his credentials and ability to connect with youth, he is not “certified” to teach 5th graders how to long divide or teach 8^th graders about Confederation. Something is wrong with this picture, something is dearly wrong with this establishment we currently call “education”.

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Aspiring teachers need to work in cahoots with veteran teachers. Both veteran teachers and student-teachers need to be co-teaching at the same time. I know, it is hard to find time to plan a lesson together but without critical dialogue there is hardly any learning taking place. Teacher certification should work to validate both the student-teacher and the veteran teacher equally. Our programs are not doing this by shoving pedagogical course work down apprentices’ throats and then telling them to go and “observe” a teacher do her thing.

Teacher certification needs to provide an opportunity for teachers and apprentices to cogenerate learning for students. That means that the student-teacher and the teacher both need to be involved in the classroom experience. Eye gestures, hand movements and body language need to happen simultaneously with a new teacher teaching a class. If we want our new teachers to step into their own classrooms without a worry, then we need to facilitate a space for them to become a veteran way before they are even a rookie. We need to allow them to teach with the veterans, at the same time, in the same space.

This type of teaching apprenticeship can be reached easily. Apprentice teachers come into a classroom, and instead of taking notes and observing, or teaching up there all on their own, they should teach with the “main” teacher. Two minds are always better than one. And despite any potential divergence in teaching philosophy, teaching new teachers to become real teachers by way of teaching with them goes a lot further than sitting there, watching them teach, and taking notes.

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So with these two men, and my first year teaching partner, I surmised an idea of what teaching is all about. And that is compassion, authenticity and a truthful acknowledgement of why you are there.

In my first few years, I witnessed many capable teachers. I saw many adults showing students how to write paragraphs properly, how to conduct scientific experiments in an engaging and academic fashion, and many adults who did a fanstastic job of teaching kids how to solve complex math problems. But I rarely saw teachers that students gravitated towards. These few teachers, that I previously shouted out, are the rare exception and they had a gift precisely because they went against the grain. In my opinion, it takes unbridled recognition “to know yourself” and to be able to exude this onto a set of children. I wish to emulate these people. Actually, if it were not for these people, I would have no passion for teaching.

I am confident that there are many teachers out there who possess this gift. The trouble seems that many teachers are afraid to unbottle this. My call is for teachers to unbottle their true selves while in the classroom. The teachers that step through their classroom doors with this will and determination are the ones that students remember forever. They are the teachers that students learn from the most.

How to do this.

It is so simple. Be you, you have your credentials. In this society, credentials get you to where you need to be. You also have passion. And passion takes you to the next echelon of “master teaching”. These teachers, probably not advised, have decided to take it upon themselves to engage in this practice. It is a dangerous practice because, as adults, we all have our experiences, our faults, and our discretions. But we also have the uncanny ability to talk to our students in a way that we would talk to our sons and daughters. And I think that is it. These teachers are so gravitating and so mesmerizing because they took their job as a true “calling” in the unadulterated sense of the word. They spoke, taught, and listened to students as if they were their own children. They taught and “advised” students the same way they would their daughters, sons, nieces, or nephews. These are the teachers we should use to teach apprentices how to teach. If we find these teachers, we unlock the magic of unbridled passion and confidence and we guide the light to our future. Our test scores will rise, but most importantly, our confidence in a generation will grow.

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I know this to be true because four years ago, I was in your exact same position. I had jumped through all the necessary loops and after receiving that phone call from my future principal saying that I was hired, I had never been more excited. That excitement carried me to my school that summer. I met my principal and he gave me the lay of the land with the final destination being my classroom. When we finally reached there he said, “Here are your classroom keys, set it up how you want and I will see you on the first day of school.” With that statement, I entered the deep waters of teaching on my own and without a safety jacket. Honestly speaking, that excitement of realizing that I had finally earned myself a career vanquished and was replaced with a humbling fear.

This was no longer a test. When you get your first job as a teacher, it is the real thing. When September rolls around, you are for all purposes, own your own, responsible for the nurturing and educational guidance of young minds. The mark you leave seems indelible. It is a scary experience. But there is one thing that you will never have to worry about as a new teacher. And that is establishing yourself to your students as a “teacher”.

Our traditional educational system, despite its many shortcomings, has safeguarded many elements essential to teaching. The most important is that “a teacher is a teacher”. The nights leading up to my first day of school, I had “teacher dreams” of walking into my classroom and my students calling me “Matthew”. I thought I would have to scratch and claw my road to authority over them. But unbeknownst to me, was the systemic value that all students intrinsically hold for teachers.

Your identity will be formed as you grow into the profession. But lose no sleep over wondering if students will consider you a “real” teacher or not, because once you are in front of your own class, you are their real teacher. Negotiating over students about your authority as a teacher is the one thing you can thank the system for. Schooling has programmed students to respect (and unfortunately depend on) the adults in front of them to guide them. So for those brand new teachers who are worried about how they will be taken up in the classroom by their students, my advice: don’t worry, it will be automatic.

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