This post is for newbies and aspiring teachers, especially those who identify with this picture.(Click on pic for better view.)

Is it in your nature to question what you see? It’s not in mine. I once walked a full block past a rocket on a street corner in Seattle before it occurred to me, “Wait, that’s a rocket!” In no alternate universe am I making my living as a law enforcement officer. When in the middle of a task, I often have tunnel vision. It’s called hyperfocus, I believe, a trait in some people with ADHD.

I nonetheless figured out how to be a teacher. After my first year trying to manage 35 students in my Spanish 1 classes — a probable gang member set off two firecrackers in bottles — I moved to smaller classes, first in an alternative high school and then in middle school, where I entered bilingual education. Here’s my advice for future colleagues and struggling first- and second-year teachers: If the above picture resonates with you, then keep your class sizes down. You will be better off driving 50 minutes to a classroom with 21 kids than you will be trying to manage 32 kids 10 minutes from home. Work with your strengths. My strengths included creativity, flexibility, and a natural rapport with young adolescents. I write quickly. I can adapt materials and even whole chapters without losing my entire evening. But I do best with small classes where I can connect with kids, and see into all the crevices and corners.

Eduhonesty: Less observant educators will find teaching vastly easier and more fun if they can get their class sizes down.

P.S. After the first firecracker goes off, that guy needs to be in the front row for the rest of the year.