Once I was told that being a teacher requires plenty of positive characteristics, but now that I am about to let my children be free from high school after 5 long years, I do have to admit that you also need to have some negative things as well. You might be wondering why, and the truth is that no recipe is good enough to prepare you when facing your first group students as their headteacher. 

Many colleagues throughout the years have argued that they almost know everything and that they are almost perfect, but it is all the opposite. Even though you may have plenty of years in your pocket, you need to be fierce and fearless when dealing with challenges and continuing mistakes, and you also need to understand that committing them is part of your self professional-development and no-one could ever make you feel ashamed or deny it. (Now, if they turn into continuing errors, well... that is a whole new thing.)

Of course, when you begin your first year as a teacher, one thing is on your mind is "I don't wanna fuck this up!", but you fuck it anyway! Undoubtedly, You have lots of fun when surrounded by colleagues willing to teach you or train you in the field, so "that" fear suddenly fades away. As said in Ratatouille movie "the world is very mean with the new talent" but everything makes sense if you keep those good friends by your side and if you keep their good strategies alive and bury those that need to be erased from the earth's surface.

I was very worried the first time I came into a classroom, I actually didn't know what to expect... Many training sessions at the University and then Professional Practices, but when your work's jumping point is set, you need to be brave enough to get to the students, you need to set alignments and rules (soon after you are considered as the mean one) and try to face the first step of a new chapter ahead.

I recall that my first year was, not a mess, but kind of... Students used to be so closed-minded and childish (as we are all at that age) and so I was with them! I was punishing them out, I was calling their parents week after week, I was writing negative feedback on the teacher's book and I barely used those strategies that I heartily searched for on the web to make things better, because I was too busy telling them "Hey, you are wrong!." But it took me a while to realize that it was me the one who needed a change of perspective. I asked myself lying on my bed one night if the things I was doing were the ones I was expecting my former teachers at school to do with me and the answer was "No." so I turned my weakness into my strength and I understood that what I needed was right in front of me and I only needed to put the pieces together.

Soon after, all was senseful... I gave them the love they needed at school, I tried to be there even if they didn't notice it, I laughed at their jokes, I hugged them sincerely, I made an effort to understand their individual characteristics, I understood that there was no need to change them into what I wanted them to be, I taught them what they really needed, I understood their stories, I met their families closely, I commited mistakes and I accepted them, We both faced the challenges together, We cried, We made memories to last forever, We shared a bond that was undeniably unique and We turned into a family...

So yes... I was a bad teacher and I am proud of this! If it wasn't for those errors that I keep doing, I wouldn't have reached a point in my professional life in which I consider that my first group of students is leaving school with half of my heart and they taught me more than I could ever have imagined.