Dear Beginning of the Year Teacher,

Tomorrow is the first day of the 2017-2018 school year.  This will be your third year teaching and your first year as a fifth grade writing teacher.  Although it was a short summer, I hope that you are feeling refreshed and are ready to start the school year.  I am writing to remind you of a few things that are easy to forget during the course of the school year.

Some days you will doubt your ability to be an effective educator, but never be afraid to make mistakes.  If you are making mistakes, you are learning new things, creating new things, and pushing and changing yourself to become even better.  You are also a role model to your students.  If they see that you are not afraid to make a mistake and try again (and again), then they will also be more flexible when it comes to their own learning.

Remember to teach with kindness and make every student feel like they are important everyday.  The classroom culture that you build will impact how students think about themselves and how they choose to treat others today and everyday.

Don't forget to do something positive and healthy for yourself everyday.  Read a non-school related book, go to yoga, meditate, take a walk, etc.  It's the simple things that allow us teachers to replenish ourselves.  You cannot be an effective educator if you allow yourself to become depleted and run on empty.  You have to learn to be your own bucket filler, even on the longest of days.

More than anything, I wish you lots of luck and lots of love on the upcoming school year.  It's going to be amazing!