To whom it may concern:

Congratulations on accepting and starting one of the most challenging jobs of your career.  These kiddos are going to test your patiences daily, make you want to scream out loud, and even consider leaving the profession, or at least why you became a teacher.  While they challenge your teaching, they are also going to challenge your heart.  You’re going to make connections with these kids, want to take them home to give them a better life, and at the end of the day, you’re going to be so proud of their accomplishments.  Both in school, and outside of school – big and small.

I stood where you’re standing two years ago terrified of what I just accepted.  I taught my first year at Jackson High School.  I went from one extreme to another.  My kiddos at Jackson wanted for nothing, even the less advantage kids still had a warm bed at night and dinner on the table.  Canton Harbor kids, 85% of them, don’t have this “luxury” in life.  I came into this job with pre-conceived notions  that i’m dealing with “bad” kids.  First – I wasn’t “dealing” and second, these aren’t “bad” kids.  At least not 95% of them.  They’re kids who make bad choices because they haven’t had someone in their life teach them right for wrong – they’ve been taught wrong for wrong.  They’re rights are going to be your wrongs.  This is the challenging part of your new job.  You’re going to change at least ONE student’s life for the better, and chances are, it won’t be academically.  

Here are some words of wisdom for you:

• Be hard.  Set HIGH expectations.The kids will struggle to achieve some of your expectations, but it’s rewarding for both of you when they do meet them.  Praise their accomplishments.  Shout their accomplishments from the rooftops.  Give high-fives and pats on the back.  You may be the only person who tells them how proud you are of them.  So say it loud and say it every chance you have.
• Students who didn’t finish Social Studies with me are going to resist you for the first month of school.  Let them.  You’re going to be told “Mrs. Jackson” didn’t do it that way.  Tell them tough.  It’s not my classroom anymore, it’s YOURS.  Do things your way.  They’ll get over it and move on.  
• These kids think they’re entitled to your respect first.  So cave, but only this once.  It’ll make your life this next school year easier.  BUT – don’t let me them walk all over you.  This is YOUR classroom.  Make sure they know that.  Make sure they know the rules in your classroom from day one.  I can promise you one rule they will not follow is cussing.  So I guess this is the second thing you’ll cave on.  If you’re anti-cursing, learn to ignore it while the students are having conversations.  If they respect you, they’ll never cuss at you.  If they do, put them in their place.  They’ll respect you more.  
• Don’t talk to these kiddos like they’re children.  They haven’t been treated like children since they were old enough to sell drugs to pay for dinner at five.  But be kind and sensitive on their bad days.  You truly have NO idea what they’re going through.  Even your imagination can’t create the situation they’re going through.  
• Don’t take the work day home with you. ANYTHING.  Emotions or actual work.  Leave the grading and lesson planning at school.  Do it during class, planning period, anytime from 7:30 to 3:30.  But not at home.  You need a mental break from this place.  If you have a bad day at work, leave it at those double doors when you walk out.  I promise you, you’ll have at least one horrific day a month.  It’s the nature of this school.  But when you have good days, you have great days, and those outweigh the bad days any day.   If you don’t already have a hobby, get one.
• Make friends with Shawn.  He’s your go to guy in this place, if you need help with a student, Shawn’s your man.  Treat Shawn well and he’ll go to bat for you every time.  He likes Doritos and Mt. Dew….
• Make friends with at least one other coworker that you can lean on and vent to.  I wouldn’t have made it two years in this place without the previous english and media coordinator if I didn’t have their friendship.  They were people that I could vent to when I was having one of those bad days and it saved my husband from hearing it at home.  Thanks to Sara and Annie, those bad days stayed at those double doors.
• Don’t get upset when the kids complain about lessons that you assigned.  They hate challenging work because it reminds them they don’t know something.  They love work where they can fill in blanks.  Resist giving them that easy work.  Challenge them.  This is my one regret – I got lazy with my teaching because it was easier to give them simple work then fight with them.  
• Semesters go by fast.  Don’t feel bad if you don’t have time to give an end of chapter/unit test.  Give small assessments along the way.  No one will think of you differently.   
• When it is your time to move on from Canton Harbor High School, you’re going to countdown the days until it’s over.  But when that final days arrives, you’re going to be sad.  You’ll look back on the relationships you’ve made with students and you’ll fully understand the impact these kiddos had on your life.  Enjoy those emotions.  But don’t let them see you cry.  They’ve known you as the hard ass for your time here, keep it that way.  

Congratulations on being Harbor’s newest Social Studies teacher.  It’ll be the hardest job you have ever accepted, but it’ll be the most rewarding.  Best of luck!