I work in an awesome school. I would love to be a kid at this school but even better (I think) is being a teacher here because I get to do all the fun things my kids do, while getting paid! Bonus! In addition to my highly lucrative salary, I get the priceless moments that often leave me so thankful I am a teacher.
Do you know how it feels to watch a student get their first perfect score on a math test? Or write a haiku that makes people sponataineously applaud? Or solve a potential 'crisis' on their own? Or get excited by extra work because you have made it into a flip book instead of a worksheet? I do. Every day I get to do a million things and not one day is ever like the next.
Yes, some days are so tiring that my bones ache and my poor husband is told 'I need a moment where no one needs me for anything'. There are days when I literally have no more words. Then there are days when I am bursting with ideas for all the other stuff I want to create and make and share and do and explore with my kids.
I often think about leaving the teaching profession. Actually, I never thought I would stay in it as long as I have! I thought four, maybe five years. It has been 14 years, seven schools in six countries, across four continents = and I don't see the end in sight because no year ever looks the same - each one is my 'favorite' and there is so much more for me to learn.
Take the time this week to thank a teacher. We all have at least one who still rates highly in our bank of school memories. My thanks go to Mr. John Dalman - my standard three teacher (third grade) who made school such a magical place for me. I loved the way he decorated the blackboard, the stories he read us and the unit we did on the Middle Ages in which our big cupboards became a dungeon and our classroom was overhauled to look like a replica of a castle, complete with jousting, a roasted pigs head and eel at the banquet! I would love to be half the teacher he was and no doubt, still is.
Despite all the politics mixed in with education, it is still a profession I love. Please remember to make sure your child's teacher feels appreciated this week!
“The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.”
William A. Ward
How could I possibly not comment on this post? I agree with everything you say here, teaching is rough, but it's worth it when I realize that at the beginning of my year one of my kids couldn't pick up a pencil, and now he asks me how to spell his brother's name so he can write him a letter; or that a girl who walked through the door with no English whatsoever is now capable of bossing her friends around when they don't follow our rules!
Also, keep in mind that your kids aren't your only students. I learned a lot from observing in your class, and I think a lot of your coworkers looked up to you too. You gave us all a really good example to strive for :)
Posted by: Genevieve Sehr | 05/03/2011 at 06:42 PM
You are sweet. Thanks for your kind words. I am so happy that you are done with your studies! Yay you! Hope you continue to enjoy the ups and cope with the downs of teaching. Hold on to those great moments! x
Posted by: Sonya terBorg | 05/12/2011 at 08:57 PM
Sonya, it is so true. I too started teaching and thought I would do it for three years and then quit. Twenty three years later, I am still loving every day. We have the best jobs in the world because every day is so much fun and the kids are so inspiring. To get through my day I need about nine hours of sleep - I think that tells you how much energy I spend every day listening, laughing and working with my students. It wouldn't be fun if it weren't exhausting. What is?!
Posted by: Mgijzen | 05/12/2011 at 10:07 PM