Summer vs. Fall

I am almost finished with my first semester of teaching, and I am now able to look back on my thoughts from the summer with a more realistic attitude. I think that during the summer, I pictured the situation a bit differently. While I still have some of the same basic beliefs, I have been struck by reality in many areas.
This summer, I knew that developing the teacher face would be important. It is an art that I have not yet mastered, and it consequently leads to problems. I tend to smile a little too much, and sometimes the students don't take me as seriously as they should. However, smiling does have its positive effects. For example, students know that I enjoy what I am doing and that I am a person with which they can talk about issues that are important to them.
Probably the biggest change has been my attitude toward my role in the classroom. I was spoiled this summer by teaching summer classes at Lafayette High. There were no major discipline problems, and outside life didn't seem to affect the students' work much. However, students at Simmons High are clearly confronted by issues that I, as a teacher, cannot avoid. Issues in real life affect the way students act at school, so I can't simply come in and teach everyday. For example, I have at least 4 female students who are currently pregnant, and some days they simply feel too sick to focus. For instance, I cannot teach Tanesha for 50 minutes everyday, because she is often vomiting in the bathroom next door.
As a teacher, I have to understand that students are not always in a position to learn what I want to teach. It is a matter of teaching what I can effectively teach, not simply sticking to a lesson plan.
I believe that I still have the goal of reaching every student in some way, even if I don't teach every student everything. I am more realistic now than I was this summer, simply because I am experiencing more.