Is the label 'New Teacher' a mindset or a time limit?

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Do you still feel like a new teacher even though you have been teaching for years? This past year was the first time that I didn't feel like a new teacher, but it took until January to feel that way. I just finished my fifth year teaching. Does that mean that I was technically a new teacher for a year and I just felt like it was my first year each year after? Is the label 'New Teacher' a mindset or a time limit?

When each year feels like the first year, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. I hope to never lose the nervous feeling before the first day of school, keep getting excited every time a student understands something new, and sustain the energy to keep up with my middle school students. Do new teachers have more energy? More enthusiasm? I think they seem like they have more, but it may be because somewhere along the way teachers lose some of these qualities. Maybe they are overworked, underpaid, or stressed out. Educators need to realize the qualities that new teachers bring to the table and fight to foster those qualities within themselves. I will teach until I lose my passion for it. I love my profession so much that I will probably be that 90 year old woman who still wants to be an educator.

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