A new middle school teacher in the Bronx learns that her fellow teachers are willing to guide and support her when she broke down in tears in the staff lounge after an overwhelming day.


A new high school teacher shares her inner thoughts about the day teaching Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" sparked fear in her heart -- until she switched things up and helped her ELA students make modern connections to the old text.

I felt guilty that I was not able to understand or communicate with my pre-verbal students in District 75. I was pouring my heart and soul into lessons, only to be met with silence. The weight of these challenges pressed down on me, and depression crept in. I was lucky to have a support network to help me through.

That success depends on your community is something I only truly understood after my first year of teaching. When I was a para, I was committed to supporting my students and my teachers. When I first became a teacher, I forgot that I needed to ask for support as well as offer it.

When we as teachers take the time to get to know our students' needs, interests and values, we create a learning environment that is more meaningful and relevant to their lives.

After a rough start to a teaching career during the pandemic, a thrid-year educator is happy to have stuck it out and stayed in the profession.