School starts next Tuesday.
Summer is gone.
That long, long, LONG to-do list of summer projects? Ha. Right. Didn't touch it.
And now it's over.
Back to the stress, the worry, the long hours, the sore back and feet. Back to the requirements, the non-negotiables, the mandates. Back to the unexpected, the unbelievable, the nerve-wracking.
Back to school.
Back to where I belong.
Long hours, unexpected changes, behavior challenges. New responsibilities, new disasters, crazy initiatives.
Why do we do it? Why do we spend the last few weeks of summer spending every available bit of extra cash for school supplies for students who show up with nothing, (whether or not they can afford it)? Why do we give up our evenings and our weekends with little to no thanks? Why do we show up every day with the mantra of "if I can just get ONE kid to understand, it will be worth it?" Or sometimes, "if I can get through today without crying, it will be worth it?"
Because that's what we do.
We're teachers. Most of us were designed to be teachers. We work long hours, we make less money than most other professionals, we provide our own office supplies, we give our own time during our "summer vacation." But we do it because We Are Teachers.
The day that "one kid" understands something for the first time. The day that "one kid" finally stops calling you the "b-word" and listens to what you're saying. The day that "one kid" runs up and hugs you. The day that "one kid" finds you and friends you on Facebook...just to tell you that he loved your class and you were the only one who ever believed in him.
That's why we're in this. Those kids need us.
Those kids with parents who are working multiple jobs to keep the family together under a roof, and don't have time to help with homework. Those kids with parents who are selling drugs. Those kids whose only relatives are in prison. Those kids waiting to find out if their parents are going to be deported. Those kids with loving parents who feel like they just need someone to talk to who won't judge them.
Those kids.
Those kids don't care if we have deadlines, mandates, district initiatives. Those kids don't care if we're tired or stressed. Those kids don't care if we haven't had a bathroom break in six hours.
Those kids only care that we care.
I've heard it said that "Teachers aren't in it for the income. They're in it for the outcome." Truth.
You'll hear us complaining about our workloads, our class sizes, our lack of benefits, and our lack of income.
But you'll also hear us talking about that awesome lesson we're going to try, the kid who finally understood, and the kid who came back from college and stopped in to say, "hi." And we know that's all that really matters.
Because we're teachers. And that's what we do.
Summer is gone.
That long, long, LONG to-do list of summer projects? Ha. Right. Didn't touch it.
And now it's over.
Back to the stress, the worry, the long hours, the sore back and feet. Back to the requirements, the non-negotiables, the mandates. Back to the unexpected, the unbelievable, the nerve-wracking.
Back to school.
Back to where I belong.
Long hours, unexpected changes, behavior challenges. New responsibilities, new disasters, crazy initiatives.
Why do we do it? Why do we spend the last few weeks of summer spending every available bit of extra cash for school supplies for students who show up with nothing, (whether or not they can afford it)? Why do we give up our evenings and our weekends with little to no thanks? Why do we show up every day with the mantra of "if I can just get ONE kid to understand, it will be worth it?" Or sometimes, "if I can get through today without crying, it will be worth it?"
Because that's what we do.
We're teachers. Most of us were designed to be teachers. We work long hours, we make less money than most other professionals, we provide our own office supplies, we give our own time during our "summer vacation." But we do it because We Are Teachers.
The day that "one kid" understands something for the first time. The day that "one kid" finally stops calling you the "b-word" and listens to what you're saying. The day that "one kid" runs up and hugs you. The day that "one kid" finds you and friends you on Facebook...just to tell you that he loved your class and you were the only one who ever believed in him.
That's why we're in this. Those kids need us.
Those kids with parents who are working multiple jobs to keep the family together under a roof, and don't have time to help with homework. Those kids with parents who are selling drugs. Those kids whose only relatives are in prison. Those kids waiting to find out if their parents are going to be deported. Those kids with loving parents who feel like they just need someone to talk to who won't judge them.
Those kids.
Those kids don't care if we have deadlines, mandates, district initiatives. Those kids don't care if we're tired or stressed. Those kids don't care if we haven't had a bathroom break in six hours.
Those kids only care that we care.
I've heard it said that "Teachers aren't in it for the income. They're in it for the outcome." Truth.
You'll hear us complaining about our workloads, our class sizes, our lack of benefits, and our lack of income.
But you'll also hear us talking about that awesome lesson we're going to try, the kid who finally understood, and the kid who came back from college and stopped in to say, "hi." And we know that's all that really matters.
Because we're teachers. And that's what we do.
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