By Kristen Loschert

For many of you, graduation is less than five months away and you may be thinking, "What have I gotten myself into? Will I be an effective teacher? What will my classroom be like? Can I really manage 30 young people and actually teach them something?"

Relax. You're not the only ones feeling antsy. Tomorrow's Teachers asked five members of the Class of 2004 to share their thoughts as they prepared to graduate last year and begin teaching. The good news: each of them made it through the first semester on the job and lived to tell about it. Yes, some hit a few bumps along the way, but for others the transition from student to teacher couldn't have been easier. Here are their stories, in their own words, about the hopes and fears they experienced as they prepared to take the plunge. Anything sound familiar?

Ready, Set, Go!

By Rhonda Lewis

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but as I get closer to that light, I am tempted to take a few steps back, unsure that I am ready for what lies ahead. My teaching career is finally at my fingertips. I have passed all the tests and endured all the classes. Yet, in the pit of my stomach, I feel nervous about what being a teacher will require of me.

I think about the teachers who have helped shape my life. They all seemed so wise and always seemed to have the right answers. Now, I will have 30 pairs of eyes gazing into mine each day, looking for answers to all of their questions. What if I don't have all of the answers?

I have been reassured by many friends who already are teaching. "You'll be fine," they say. And I know I will be, but doubt lingers at the back of my mind.

This will not be my first job. After graduating from Pomona College in 1999, I returned to the Bay Area and became a "dot.comer" working for a couple of small Internet consulting companies. But I always wanted to teach. I have an aunt who lived close to us when I was growing up in Trinidad and she was a teacher. I loved when she would take me to her school when my school was on break. I was only 8 or 9, and although her students were much older, she would give me their old notebooks and I would pretend to grade them.

In 2002, I entered the teacher preparation program at the National Hispanic University. Two years later, I feel well trained and supported to become the best teacher I can be. Those two years had seemed like such a long time, but now when I look back, they just seemed to fly by.

Sometimes my theory classes were intimidating. I remember being confused by all the talk about teaching to standards and differentiating instruction. How would I be able to tell which students were ahead, which were behind, and which were right on target, and then support each one? It was hard to fathom.

But when I started my student teaching, I found it was so much easier to do in person—I didn't have to divide myself into 100 different pieces. Student teaching was the best part of the program for me. I had great mentor teachers, welcoming students, and a great school environment. I not only learned how to plan lessons, meet state standards, and manage my class, but student teaching also allowed me courageously to face a classroom full of students looking to me for answers.

I did not have all of the answers, but it didn't matter because part of teaching is learning and I continue to learn something new every day.

And now I am starting my teaching career. My pencils are sharpened, my bulletin boards are ready, and my classroom is organized. Even with the butterflies in my stomach, I am ready for those 30 smiling fourth-grade faces.

Rhonda Lewis teaches fourth grade at North Tamarind Elementary School in Fontana, California.

Moving On

By Ashley Barton

In August 2000, I walked onto the campus of Illinois State University (ISU) as a naïve, quiet girl from a small rural town. There were more freshmen on campus for orientation than the population of my entire hometown. Standing by myself, I was all of a sudden surrounded by strangers from diverse backgrounds. I was not familiar with this place that was supposed to be my new "home," and, for the first time in my life, I felt alone.

As the days went by, I realized that many of the people around me felt the same way. The strangers that surrounded me soon became my friends, and the unfamiliar place transformed into one where I found comfort. Before I knew it, ISU became my home away from home.

The predestined, bittersweet day came when I had to close the college chapter of my life. I thought I would cry, but I didn't. I knew I would have the most important part of my college years, my friends and memories, with me forever. I even had a sense of relief to know that my four years of difficult classes and student teaching finally had paid off.
But reality hit the day after graduation. I didn't have a job or any idea where I would be in three months, not to mention I had student loans to pay off and no source of income. I was unemployed! But, several job interviews and many phone calls later, I got a job offer at a school in Bensenville, Illinois, just outside Chicago—about three hours away from my home.

Although I am now 22 years old, I am pretty sure that I will move up to the Chicago area with the same feelings I had on that first day of college. I will be surrounded with diversity and strangers and begin a life in an unfamiliar place that I am supposed to call home. I am sure I will love it!

Ashley Barton is a special education teacher at Johnson Elementary School in Bensenville, Illinois.

Enjoying the Journey

By Mark Joseph

But, this was just the first step. I soon had the opportunity to work as a long-term substitute in a year-round elementary school. My first day of school, I confidently knew I belonged in the classroom. I showed the children that I genuinely cared for them, and they captured my heart instantly. I realized I had to take it to the next level and that meant becoming a certified elementary school teacher.

I knew it wouldn't be easy. Less than 1 percent of all elementary school teachers in South Carolina are Black men—so role models for an aspiring educator like me were few and far between. Fortunately, I connected with "Call Me Mister," a tuition-assistance program that recruits and grooms young Black men to become elementary teachers. As a result of the program, I attended and graduated from Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

By the time I began my student teaching, I was excited to become a teacher. But I didn't want to be just any teacher. I wanted to become an effective teacher. Initially, my experience did not reap positive results, which led to many frustrating days and nights. But thanks to the prayers of my parents, and the tough love of a professor named Mrs. York, I realized the experience was not about me—it was about the children. When I began to reflect on those words I regained my focus and my sense of purpose and was able to more effectively teach my students. Through my student teaching experience, I gained so much, and, most importantly, I matured as a young man.

My journey has taught me about preparation and it has allowed me to recognize that living is about making life greater for others. And that is what I intend to do—to make life greater for every child I encounter.

Mark Joseph teaches fourth grade at Westcliffe Elementary School in Greenville, South Carolina.

More Than Just a Job

By Karla Boyce

My professors at Christopher Newport University provided me with every educational theory to carry with me into my classroom. The Student Virginia Education Association took me one step further, arming me with even more tools through numerous professional development workshops. Student teaching provided me with real-life experience under the supervision of my cooperating teacher. But still, nothing has fully prepared me for what I will experience as a first-year teacher, when I am solely responsible for my classroom and my students.

Of course I am a little nervous. After all, I am straight out of college and only 22 years old. But I am also incredibly excited knowing my dream has come true. This first year of teaching will be a trial-and-error experience. I know that not everything I have learned will work for every child. I know I'll have days when I feel I am walking on air, but I'm also prepared for those days when I will just want to close my eyes and make it all go away. But when a student comes up to me and says, "I finally understand" or "I got an A, my first all year," then I will know those good moments outweigh any bad ones.

As I reflect on the years that prepared me for this first year of teaching, I find comfort in the advice I received from my professors and fellow Association members:

• Take part in all of the professional development workshops you can and become a leader in your Student education association. Holding a leadership position not only looks good on your résumé, but it enables you to network.
• Always bring extra supplies to class. Never let a child remain uninvolved if he or she does not have his or her belongings. Not only is the child not learning anything, but you are opening the door for misbehavior
• Come prepared for anything. Have alternate lesson plans ready and keep your portfolio handy for that
  unexpected interview.
• Complete the majority of your portfolio before you start student teaching. This will save you time since you will be swamped with lesson plans and grading once you step into the classroom.
• Remember, you will make mistakes. Never give up on yourself as a teacher. The students are counting on you!
• Enjoy yourself! Teaching is more than just a job.

So, if you are not having fun and do not like being in the classroom, then you probably shouldn't be there.

Karla Boyce teaches U.S. history at Reservoir Middle School in Newport News, Virginia.

Not Just Playtime Anymore

By Katie Venella

It always was my lifelong dream to be a teacher.

I pursued my goal by attending Millersville University of Pennsylvania where I excelled in my coursework and extended my talents to elementary classrooms and early childhood centers. My college years quickly passed me by, like everyone had said they would. During my student teaching, I began applying for jobs, sending out packets of necessary information to 53 different school districts, private schools, and early childhood centers. And then, I waited.

As a recent college graduate entering the real world, I never imagined the competition I would face. Thousands of educators were applying for the same positions that I was. Maybe I was a little naïve, but I didn't believe that it would be so competitive. Much of my future remains a mystery, but at least I know that I will be doing something that I have known and loved for years: teaching! Although the "basement schoolroom" no longer exists and the dolls have been put away for years, I am more than ready to get into my own classroom and have my own students—and of course my own pair of dressy high-heeled shoes.

Katie Venella works as a permanent substitute teacher at Quakertown Elementary School in Yardley, Pennsylvania.