Because there are so many articles and blogs and conversations that are so filled with how awful it is to be a teacher today and because there is so much that can make me get so frustrated that I want to scream, I am writing this post as a reminder mostly to myself and anyone else who is willing to choose to see the other side of the coin– at least for a day.
7 Reasons I am Still a Teacher:
1. I am never bored at my job. Not even once!
2. My students miss me when I am sick or take off for any other reason. The first words out of their mouth is usually: “Ms. C! Don’t ever take off again! We missed you!”
3. I get to pretend that any success that comes to my students are obviously due to my influence in their lives.
4. 7th graders make me laugh–out loud, a deep, from the belly type of laugh, one that is rambunctious, and brilliant.
5. At every school that I’ve ever worked (it’s been 4, so far), I am surrounded by adults who support me and have become friends whom I can call to share, vent, workshop a lesson that I can’t seem to wrap my brain around, or just chat about nothing.
6. With each challenge–whether it be parents, students, administration, or other teachers, comes growth. It is the one profession that in order to move forward to the next year, I have to look inward and grow into a better person.
7. Just when all the holidays are over and you are sitting with a few extra pounds and the temperatures drop, it snows. Then, I get a sequence of text messages from my colleagues and friends congratulating me on achieving a snow day.
So, yes the work I do, we do, is a lot which is an understatement really. Some days I am so exhausted that I envy the workers at Target and Whole Foods. Some days I rush home to share the funniest thing that a student did or said with N. Some days I rush home to cry about feeling demoralized. All days I hope to remember that I am in classroom because it allows me the freedom to grow, persevere, and most importantly laugh out loud.
