The Things They Never Told Us in Teacher Prep

No one told us that we'd learn more in our first year of teaching than in four years of college. That classroom management isn’t about control, but about connection. That knowing the standards is one thing—but knowing your students is everything.

They didn’t prepare us for students crying because of a broken home, or thriving because of a word of encouragement. For the meetings, the mandates, the mental load.

But what they couldn’t teach us, we’ve learned—through experience, through failure, through grace.

The things they never told us made us teachers. And the things we’ve learned can change schools—if someone is willing to listen.