A Tale of Three Students
This morning, a teacher from our math team came into the staff room because one of our freshman was having a meltdown in her class. I have cultivated a strong relationship with this student this year. He is an emotional, passionate, and his peers know this and target him more than necessary. Being part of the leadership team I wear many hats and today was no exception. I went up to the math class and asked him to step into the hall way with me. His tears exploded into sobs but we quickly maneuvered through deep feeling and frustrations he was grappling with this morning and he was back in class a few minutes later.
Briana, one of my 11th graders, came in today and gave me a wonderful handmade card, thanking me for teaching her, for helping her develop as a writer, successfully preparing her to pass the Common Core English Regents Exam- which she did so with flying colors. I have watched her confidence in her ability to succeed academically soar this year in AP Language and Comp. I know she will be able to walk into her first college class in the fall of 2016 and continue to flourish.
Last night I got an email from another student asking about how I had made the decision to study theatre - and what might have been more stable or lucrative. I just finished a long email back to her, explaining that ultimately, you have to decide what is important to you. Being POOR sucks, but I was happy and I loved working processionally in the arts. My battle with cancer this year has just reinforced that life is precious and we should do what we love and that feeds our soul. The careers she is considering are both realistic and she would be financially stable- it more about figuring out what she loves. It's these moments that make me so thankful that I am a teacher. That I can participate in conversations like these with my students and have an impact on their journey.
Why Celebrate Teachers?
We need to celebrate teachers because teaching is so much more than standing in front of a room and talking to 30 kids every day. Teaching is about taking time to write those long emails, to do the extra tutoring, to stand in the hallway with the crying kid because they just need to tell someone what is going on. Teaching is about setting the example, being available, and having high standards. We need to celebrate teachers every day because teachers are HEROES. Schools are the trenches and we are fighting for every generation of kids to become everything they are meant to become. We need to celebrate teachers because they are essential to the human experience- public, private, charter, or homeschool.
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