30 Days of Thankful - Day 4 and 5

Today, and most every day, I am most thankful for the job that I have chosen to do - to teach and inspire a future generation. It is not just a job to me, but something I pour my heart and soul into every single day - even my weekends. It is not a glamorous career by any means and in the recent past, teachers haven't been respected or thought well of because of the actions of a select few. It's not an easy job, but one of the most challenging things I've ever done. But at the end of the day or when the light bulb goes off for one of my students, the negatives float away.

Teachers can be the single most influential powers in a student's life. Have I always done the right thing? No! I've made huge mistakes over the past 12 years. I've not been able to reach some students or parents and it's broken my heart. I've said goodbye to students who I worried about years after they left my classroom.

Ive had people question me because I don't have children of my own and they wonder if teachers who have children are better qualified. But at this point in my career I've had 332,640 hours of experience with children. There have been difficult days when I feel likenim teaching the walls. There have been fantastic days where every child got it.

Yesterday I had three students write me a letter that told me that I was their favorite teacher. That was sweet, but their next sentence was, "you are kind to us every day and we know that you love us." that was the most important sentence to me.

Would I choose to follow the path of education again? Probably so.

Comments

Shonda said…
Teaching is my passion too! I have felt like I was teaching walls too! It is so wonderful to get those letters. I remember my first year a little girl and I were at odds all day and at the end of the day she gave me a big hug and told me she had the best day ever! Go figure!