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Surviving and Thriving Beyond Your First Day of Teaching

Nerve-wracking. Stomach-churning. Life-changing. Corps members and alumni describe how they felt during their first days and weeks of teaching.

By The TFA Editorial Team

February 12, 2019

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Ask any corps member, and they’ll tell you—your first days and weeks in the classroom can feel overwhelming and hectic. Hear how these corps members and alumni survived their first day of teaching, and how the experience transformed their lives from that day forward.

Your first days in the classroom will likely be some of the hardest. Here's what current corps members and alumni remember feeling as they were starting out as new teachers.

“My stomach was churning. I was so nervous and sure enough, it was tough.”

Bianca Rosales
San Antonio Corps Member 2017

“At the end of the day in that classroom, it's not about you at all. It's about the lives and students that you have affected.”

Taylor Toynes
Dallas-Fort Worth Corps Member 2014

“This was basically going to be the first day of the rest of my life.”

Sandra Godina
Dallas-Forth Worth Corps Member 2012