Comparison is the thief of joy. If you’re a new teacher, read that first sentence again. A friend said that over the summer while attending a professional development conference, and those words hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve only ever heard since stepping into the classroom that it takes three years for a teacher to “get comfortable” and if they can hang in there for that long, they’ll stay and thrive. But it’s taken me five to start to feel comfortable and I’m beginning to learn a valuable lesson. Let me explain.