Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Have you hugged a teacher today?

Somedays teaching is very hard, to put it lightly. There are days when I drive home crying, exhausted, sad, angry, confused, weary, lonely. Students' moods are up and down, and I know I shouldn't take it personal, but it's hard to become that detached. There are days when I feel like I don't deserve to teach; I wonder how I was awarded a teaching certificate. These days are hard.

Then there are the days when you get the silly nicknames, like "Mrs. Most Awesomest Teacher in the World" (true story) and your heart melts. There are days when a student tells you he/she appreciates you, and you thank God you are allowed to be in this profession. There are days when a simple smile is all it takes to make your day. There are days when they just get it...you teach it to them and they get it! There are days when enthusiasm truly is infectious. There are days when a student tells you she voted for you as the best teacher on a MySpace survey. I love these days.

Today I had a hard day, and I left school feeling defeated, but I know tomorrow is a chance to start fresh...to have a good day. This is why I love teaching. I love that every day I go to a job I love and can learn something new and interact with amazing people. I get to watch as these young adults discover themselves and have epiphanies and laugh at themselves and cry together and make amazing discoveries about who they are capable of being. Somedays I want to press the easy button. But I don't think I could love another job as much as I do teaching...except singing on Broadway and voicing a Disney character.

2 comments:

Kyle Luke said...

I love it that you're doing what you're called to do. Love. It.

Also, I'm pretty sure if you were the voice of a Disney character you might leave crying one or two days a week.

JeNnIfEr said...

I love that you know that you're meant to teach! I'm jealous! Daily I think I wasted a bunch of money and a number of years to do what I'm doing.