Photo by my lovely and talented classmate, Grace Magill. Check out her photography website!
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Graduation is right around the corner. Start the countdown, folks! Only two days to go!
In the pivotal moment of moving the tassel across my cap and walking across the grand stage, I will conclude a four-year-long chapter. Soon, I will no longer be a “future teacher” but a fully licensed teacher! So with that, farewell everyone. It’s been a good run. No way! You didn’t really believe that this would be the end, did you? No, no, no, this is just the beginning. For the past (almost) three years, Journal of a Future Teacher was my outlet for reflection, innovation, and self-discovery; it also served as a resource for other teacher candidates. I shared the ups and downs – the good, bad, and the ugly of navigating a teacher education program (I even wrote a post under that title! Click here to read more). I even found a community on social media with other educators, travelers, and scholars. (Honestly, I still can’t believe I gave in to downloading Instagram.)
I observed my writing style grow and evolve with captivation. My first posts reliably integrated goofy GIFs and organized subsections. Over the years, my writing loosened; I realized that the blog was my space to release and freely express myself. My feed has featured content of various styles over the three-year run, but it stayed consistent in its authenticity. My original goal with the blog was to share an authentic glimpse into my chaotic life as a future teacher. I felt inspired to share my developing knowledge and advocate for the field of early childhood education. (If you still don’t know what early childhood education is, first of all, you must be new here. Second, look it up! I am not going to explain myself again in this post.) Overall, this page was a documentation of my teaching experience in college. But that era has ended. So, now what? I rely on writing as an avenue for reflection. I have talked about this in previous posts, but I will say it again: many of my most monumental revelations occur in the midst of writing. If I need to process thoughts or feelings around a given topic –for example, “Is teaching all that I am?”– I will write about it. No filter, no concern for grammar perfection – just free thought flowing to the keyboard. So, as you may understand, writing has become a cozy hobby. Although my style is absolutely not perfect (there is no such thing as perfect writing, in my opinion), it evolves with me through change, milestones, and setbacks. In my most recent post, I discussed my desire for the blog to reflect my complexity. I no longer want to be confined to a niche, category, or profession in life and in writing. Instead, in “the era of evolution,” as I am calling it, the blog will act as a personal journal. (But, of course, my real private journal is as it sounds – private. I have built strict boundaries on the internet with my personal life.) There is so much more that I want to discuss on this tiny corner of the internet. And I want to take you all on this chaotic journey, wherever it takes me. Despite all the inevitable changes to come, the blog will remain a consistent presence. I will always return to record my honest thoughts and experiences. But this time, that honesty and authenticity will extend from stories beyond the classroom. I want to live as the complex and curious human that I am. In a society and online network that locks creators in niche cages, I see the blog as a platform of liberation. I do not care about the number of likes or followers I receive. These arbitrary numbers entrap me in a culture dependent on trends and validation. The value of my existence and creativity is not equivalent to any quantity or blue check. Instead, I aspire to build a community of education enthusiasts and curious folks with similar interests. Despite this “rebranding,” several elements of the blog will not change. The Additional Resources page will still be a hub for any curious researcher who wishes to answer an egging question related to education or activist work. The Future Teacher Store will remain a source of free and paid templates, guides, and other resources for teacher candidates! My teaching journey will be featured in regular blog posts, resources, and social media commentary (I can't forget my roots!). Do you want a little sneak peek into future content? Look forward to another international tour as I prepare to embark to Uruguay next March! I will continue to use Instagram as the primary social media platform for sharing regular life updates; random photos of plants, pretty buildings, and other things that make me smile; and call-to-action-slash-social-justice-posts calling out all of “THE SYSTEM(s)!” that perpetually fails us. (“Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe!” Sorry I just had to put that YouTuber sign-off in there.) And finally, I will continue to strive for authenticity. Because in a world obscured by filters and highlight reels, you deserve better. Just brace yourselves for future posts unraveling my intrusive thoughts and existential crises. It’s not gonna be all sunshine and rainbows here! But expect a forecast of mostly sunny. Now that you know what’s ahead, fasten your seat belts because, plot spoiler, I don’t know what’s ahead. However, here’s a bit of what you can expect in this next chapter. . .Chaos! Travel! Lots of questions! Paragraphs filled with twists and turns! Who knows? Maybe there will be an occasional jump scare. I guess we will find out together! So to conclude, thank you all for joining me on this journey. I appreciate every single one of the dedicated readers who excitedly open every new post over breakfast like it’s their daily newspaper. I adore and applaud any fellow aspiring educators for finding this page in the tangled spider web of the internet. And finally, I celebrate any person who made it to the end of yet another two pages (on Google Docs) of jumbled word vomit. To kick off this new era, I will conclude with a new sign-off that perfectly summarizes the upcoming uncertainty and evolution: thanks for joining in the chaos! Did you enjoy this post?Consider sending a Venmo payment to the Journal of a Future Teacher business page!
I spend at least 3 hours on every blog post, from writing the first draft to creating accompanying graphics for social media. Your small contribution will serve as compensation for all the work that makes this blog possible. Thank you! Previous post:
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AuthorMeghan Hesterman (she/her) is an aspiring educator, storyteller, and traveler. Through regular posts and commentary, she candidly reflects on her evolution as an educator and young adult. Categories
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February 2025
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