Dear Teacher,
Today I enter our classroom with a smile on my face. Behind my smile, I hide many fears for this year. I wish I knew you well enough to tell you all my fears. But I don’t know you yet so I will keep all my fears to myself. If I could tell you, this is what I would say:
“I am afraid of not being good enough.”
What if I can’t do the things asked of me this year? Will teachers and students think I am “dumb” if I make mistakes? I make mistakes all of the time. I learn from my mistakes, so please give me time to learn. I am not perfect, and will make mistakes, but I will keep getting better.
“I am afraid of not being liked.”
I may not always show it, but I want to be liked. I want you and other teachers, students, and administration to like me. I don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but I don’t want to feel left out. I want to find my group of peers who accept me for who I am. I crave a working environment where everyone feels safe to be themselves. I want to be appreciated, not shunned, for my uniqueness.
“I am afraid of giving in to my peers.”
I have my own thoughts and ideas but sometimes go against my better judgment because it is easier to give in to my peers than disagree. I know what feels “right in my gut” but sometimes need reminders to follow my own heart and mind when my peers have other strong opinions. Please be my inspiration to always do what is right.
These are my fears. You probably wouldn’t be able to understand because you are not a kid so I will keep them to myself.
Your Student
Dear Student,
Today I enter our classroom with a smile on my face. Behind my smile, I hide many fears for this year. I wish I knew you well enough to tell you all my fears. But I don’t know you yet so I will keep all my fears to myself. If I could tell you, this is what I would say:
“I am afraid of not being good enough.”
What if I can’t do the things asked of me this year? Will teachers and students think I am “dumb” if I make mistakes? I make mistakes all of the time. I learn from my mistakes, so please give me time to learn. I am not perfect, and will make mistakes, but I will keep getting better.
“I am afraid of not being liked.”
I may not always show it, but I want to be liked. I want you and other teachers, students, and administration to like me. I don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but I don’t want to feel left out. I want to find my group of peers who accept me for who I am. I crave a working environment where everyone feels safe to be themselves. I want to be appreciated, not shunned, for my uniqueness.
“I am afraid of giving in to my peers.”
I have my own thoughts and ideas but sometimes go against my better judgment because it is easier to give in to my peers than disagree. I know what feels “right in my gut” but sometimes need reminders to follow my own heart and mind when my peers have other strong opinions. Please be my inspiration to always do what is right.
My fears are exactly the same as yours, word for word. Now that I know of our shared fears, I promise to help us both to face our fears and overcome them. I will be your guide, and you can be my inspiration.
Your Teacher
What are your fears as this new school year begins? Please share below. We’ll share too!
This is an interesting perspective! I am so worried about the start of a new school year for my son that I never thought his teachers might have their own worries. So far so good, though.
Leslie, we hope your son has a good school year!
That’s interesting. I don’t think we notice how the teachers feel at the start of the new school year! Great perspective.
Thanks. We have a lot of years of experience as teachers!
I think we are all so worried about our child’s fears that we forget about the teachers! I pray that everyday is a good day for my little guys, and will include the teachers now too!
Thanks Allison! That is thoughtful of you.