Member-only story

My First Day of Grade One

Homeschool freak turned primary school teacher, and how it changed my life

Ryley Graham
Human Parts
10 min readFeb 10, 2025

Me and “quiet coyote” on the first day of school. This classroom management tactic was an absolute failure as kids do NOT get quiet when they see a puppet.

Yesterday morning I was trying to choose the perfect outfit to wear from a morning bicycle ride to a fancy sushi lunch date. The modern woman really can spare no expense when it comes to flexible wardrobe pieces. To accommodate my needs of comfort and elegance, I reached for a pair of wide-legged trousers that have been banished to the back of my closet since last year.

Upon buttoning them up, I reached into my pockets and was confronted with two relics of a time that suddenly feels very distant: in one pocket, a Pokemon card, in the other, a stubby piece of chalk.

These had been among my “teacher pants,” living for three years in the monochromatic stack of professional clothes I would pull from every exhausted morning in lieu of using my brain. I suppose the last I’d worn them was in my final days of teaching last May. (Here is where I kindly ask you to overlook the implication that I don’t wash my clothes as regularly as I should.)

Over the last few months, I’ve thought quite a few times about writing on my teaching experience. I think the thing stopping me from speaking (or writing) about it formally is that I’m worried it’ll be a punch in the gut. That in letting myself think about teaching, I’ll…

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Human Parts
Human Parts
Ryley Graham
Ryley Graham

Written by Ryley Graham

Small potatoes writer, economics minor, on Substack https://ryleygraham.substack.com

Responses (20)

What are your thoughts?

This is amazing, Ryley.
I'm not sure I'll ever have what it takes to become a teacher, but kudos to you for look after the young ones so well and being able to learn from them as that's what makes it enjoyable.

13

The first day of Grade One is always special! Seeing those little faces filled with excitement - and maybe just a touch of nervousness - all reminds me of why I love teaching. We started with warm welcomes, fun icebreakers, and a classroom tour to really make everyone feel at home.

9

Such a poignant and sweet reflection on the little beautiful moments of teaching and what makes kids so special.

9