This morning, as I was getting ready for church, I had a thought occur to me out of nowhere. Since I have started teaching, I have had the chance to make an impact on around 320 young lives!! When this thought occurred to me, it literally brought tears to my eyes.
I decided in the 3rd grade (thanks to my awesome teacher, Mrs. Hearne) that I wanted to be a teacher. Most days, I can say that I made the right decision, but if I am completely honest, there are also days when I question if I made the right choice. I have days when I know my patience ran thin with my students. Anytime we have another test or standard pushed on us, and I know it isn't necessarily what is best for my students, I question whether I can stick it out and continue. When I am at school AGAIN late in the evening or on the weekend instead of spending time with my family, I sometimes wonder if it is all worth it. With all of the emphasis on testing and the bad things in the news about education, I was definitely starting to lose my passion for teaching!
Recently, however, I feel like my love for teaching is back!! For the most part, I enjoy going to school and seeing my students every day!! I look forward to hearing their stories and watching them grow and learn throughout the year. I can't really say what the difference is, but I think my mindset has been a huge part of it. I am focusing on building strong relationships with my students and have focused much more on the positive things happening in my classroom and school whether than dwelling on the negatives. I still have to teach the standards, give the mandated tests, and follow certain guidelines, but I have decided to just do it and not dwell on and complain about the things I can't change.
In a perfect world, we would be able to teach at each student's level and not have to force rigorous standards on them that we know they are not developmentally ready for. Teachers would be respected again and trusted to know what is best for our students since we are the ones in the trenches with them every day. Instead of worrying about making sure they can pass a test, we would be able to focus on helping them become respectful, responsible, and kind human beings!
I will teach the standards and give the test because that is what I know I have to do to be able to keep my job. However, I am also going to strive to build relationships and make sure that all of my students know that they are capable of anything that they set their minds to! We are going to learn, but we are also going to have fun while doing so! At the end of our school year together, I not only want them to have grown academically but more importantly, I want them to become kind, respectful, and confident individuals.
To my fellow teachers, the best advice I can give you is to keep doing what is best for your students! Remember what helped fuel your passion for teaching in the beginning, and find that fire again! Our kiddos need us, and they deserve nothing but our best!
