Story 7. My First Day as a Teacher
Ms. Wood, our grade 3 teacher, is a really good teacher.
She cares about her students.
That's why she was named Teacher of the Year for our school district.
Today, Ms. Wood told us a funny story about her first day as a teacher.
She said, On my first day as a teacher, I was nervous.
I was scared.
I told myself, I will never be able to do this.
The morning I was to begin teaching, I arrived really early.
My hands were shaking.
My throat was dry.
My stomach was filled with butterflies.
I looked at the clock.
The students would arrive in five minutes.
I felt a wave of panic inside.
I was so frightened, I hid myself behind the desk.
The students came in and looked for their teacher.
I heard them whispering, Where is she?
Where is our new teacher, Ms. Wood?
Finally, I stood up from behind the desk.
Everyone was surprised.
I decided to be honest with my students.
I took a deep breath and told the kids how frightened I was.
But I told them that I wanted to be their best friend and best teacher, too.
They did not laugh at me.
They understood my fear.
One boy said, That's okay, Ms. Wood.
I get frightened, too.
The students were all standing there, smiling at me.
They made me feel so comfortable.
My fear slowly disappeared.
I can make a joke about it now.
But on my first day as a teacher, I was ready to run away.
I am very glad that I stayed and overcame my fear.
I am Teacher of the Year now.
But on my first day as a teacher, my fear almost got the best of me.
