I started the day like any other. I walked to my desk and plopped my bag on my chair. The class was empty but soon enough I knew that would change. Before class started I prepared the desks with today's assignment. Not that It would matter much in the end. The bell sounded throughout the halls, and I started feeling my daily dread. I still didn't understand why it was that I chose to become a teacher, a Highschool teacher at that. I was always the timid type, the one to shy away from awkward social interaction.

As the last ring of the bell silenced, a sea of teenagers pooled out into the small classroom, each taking a seat where they liked, not bothering to glance at their teacher standing in the front to greet them. I began my attempts to speak, " I-If everyone could s-settle down now..." I stopped and looked around. No one had heard me, they were all occupied doing what they pleased. Some were digging in their bags while others had mindless conversations with their neighbors. The majority pulled their phones out to listen to music or to watch their favorite show that just released the latest episode.

This sparked my daily dilemma, I thought to myself again as I have many times before. "How am I ever going to get their attention?" I've always just tried to teach over their chatter, in hopes that some may pick up on my words but I was growing weary. Standardized testing was drawing nearer and I was afraid my class would have the lowest scores. So I sook out for an alternate solution. I pulled out my phone and searched, " How to get noisy students to pay attention?" Scrolling through the results were things I hadn't even thought of yet.

1. Turn lights on and off.

2. Make a loud noise and/or assert dominance.

3. Create a fun lesson plan.

After making up my mind by getting inspiration from these results. I walked over to the wall and flipped the switch. At that moment the classroom sounded all at once with sharp inhales of shock but then finished with silence. It was the quietest I've ever heard of them. I flipped the lights back on and walked back over to my post that stood in front of the monitor at the front center of the class. Suddenly I felt great confidence within me, and I spoke out loud and clear, "Today class, we will be writing short stories!" The silence still lingered all eyes fixed on me.

"On your desk, you will find a paper and a prompt. You'll find that each of your prompts will be different. However, I will put a list of keywords on the board that all of you must have included in this assignment." As I finished my instructions I watched as faces lit up and pens ran across their papers. It seemed as if everyone was brimming with ideas and ready to spill them out upon the page.

Never before now have I felt like a worthy teacher. A teacher who deserved respect or authority, but today I proved to myself that I can start taking the steps to become a teacher who is worthy of all of that.

At the end of the school day, I left for the first time driving home with a wide smile on my face and my heart full of excitement for the next day.