Amy Feind BSEd ’16, MA ’17, Seven Hills Elementary, Northwest ISD
PACEE teacher (Providing Academics and Communication in Every Environment)
AKA Autism Teacher, grades K-5, all subjects
Leadership role: Lighthouse Team

Before I ever walked across the stage at the end of my master’s program, I had already begun my journey into teaching. I spent about a month of going back and forth between Ft. Worth and Waco, continuing my graduate assistantship while simultaneously conducting interviews to hire two paraprofessionals, attending new-hire orientation, and engaging in The Leader in Me trainings. The intensity of that month left me both eager to begin working and overwhelmed by how much preparation there was for my first year of teaching.

Now that I have finished my first year of teaching, I’m able to look back at all of the should-haves, the successes, the intensity, the fun, and the large number of naps that were required to push me through. I can say — without a doubt — that Baylor prepared me to be a successful teacher. From learning the ins and outs of writing IEP goals to creating engaging lessons that included both student interest and curriculum-based instruction, I felt confident in my ability to both meet students where they were and to teach them quality lessons. As end-of-the-year appraisals came about, there was no issue finding evidence of my good practices, because I was used to writing benchmarks for my professors at Baylor.

Yet, despite the incredible preparation Baylor gave me, I still ran into several barriers, as any first teacher will. The bulk of my issues arose because I was thrown into my position very quickly, and no one on my campus had the same job I did. I teach in a PACEE unit (Providing Academics and Communication in Every Environment), meaning I teach students on the autism spectrum from kindergarten to fifth grade. Somehow, I was supposed to figure out all of the resources I was provided, learn about our new Leader In Me curriculum, figure out the curriculum of all six grade levels, and be aware of the expectations of the special education department. Talk about a staggering amount of work. Thankfully, I had a perfect team of special education teachers and paraprofessionals that were willing to help me every step of the way.

I remember standing in front of my school at 7:15 a.m. on the first day, awaiting my students’ bus arrival. I had knots in my stomach because I didn’t quite know what to expect. Would my students be able to speak to me? Would they be toilet trained? And what about meltdowns? I had gone through every negative scenario possible. To my relief, none of those scenarios ever happened. Another special education teacher on my campus explained to me that it was best to take things one day at a time. It didn’t matter if my lessons were perfect, as long as I was taking care of my students’ needs and letting them know how much I loved and cared for them.

There are so many things that I could have done better during my first year of teaching. I could have created much better lesson plans and come better prepared on most days. But when I look back, I don’t typically think about the stress of figuring out the curriculum or how my school district worked. Instead, I think about the friendships created with my coworkers. I think about all of the goals that my students reached and the positive relationships built with parents. I recall what it felt like sitting behind 100 kindergartners, hiding on risers next to my students so they could participate in their choir performance. I remember my students going on field trips with their peers and helping out their classmates during tug-of-war. I think about my fifth grader, who is moving on to middle school, jumping off the bus after our last day of school to give me one last tear-filled hug goodbye. And that’s how I know I’m in the right profession.

I know that the first year of teaching is going to present all kinds of challenges you wouldn’t expect, no matter how prepared you are. You will have an endless amount of questions. You may not have a perfect team or administration to work with. You will spend more time preparing during after-school hours than you’ll anticipate. But remember to take it one day at a time. Nobody has it down their first year, and neither will you. So when it gets hard, find someone that you can confide in. Remember why you went into teaching and let that fuel you for the next day. Because if you push through the hard things, it will get easier, and the growth you see in your students and yourself will be worth it.