Author: Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

You don’t know this about me, but I am just a tad bit obsessed with clouds. Seriously. Clouds are so amazing.

I know we have all had experience when we get lost in the moment looking up at them in wonder…but I have those moments all of the time. All. Of. The. Time.

People that know me often get a chuckle out of finding me standing still, staring up, lost in the clouds (and usually taking pictures of them…thus the background to the blog).

There is just something about them. Something peaceful. Something majestic. Something beautiful.

Little momentary masterpieces laid out in the sky just for me to see.

So…I love looking at clouds. I do it a lot. The struggle is real.

What is my point?

As much as I love looking at clouds, I miss them more than I see them.

That hit me today as I was driving. There was a perfectly blue sky with perfect little puffs all over the place…and I felt nothing.

No sense of wonder. No amazement. No awe.

Nothing.

I had so much on my mind. So much to do. So much work. So much life. So much everything.

No room for clouds.

I was surrounded by sights that I normally find fascinating…but I could not see them. The much of life crowded out the beauty of living.

And isn’t that our life as teachers.

We love teaching. We love the time we get to spend with students. Seeing them learn. Seeing them grow. Seeing them becoming who they are going to be.

And we love the moments. Those AHA moments. Those teachable moments. Those becoming better people moments.

We live for those moments. We can get lost in thinking about those moments.

And yet we miss them all of the time.

We have so much to think about. So much to do. So much work. So much life. So much extra. So much everything.

No room for those momentary masterpieces that happen every day in our classroom.

I am not sure how we get time or mental space for moment-gazing, but I know that I want to prioritize trying to see the moments.

We teach in an endless sky of momentary masterpieces…we just have to remind ourselves to see them!

I don’t have a lot of suggestions on the how, but I think I want to get in the habit of taking mental pictures, much like I do with actual pictures of clouds, and start writing down the moments so I can remember them later.

What do you think? Do you agree that we miss out on moment-watching? Do you have any suggestions on how to watch for them more all the while doing all of the much we have to do?

I know you make those awesome moments everyday because you are an awesome teacher! I know you try to see them, and I hope that you will be able to find the time to see more of them. They are there, I promise! You rock! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

We all have those moments…those moments where we feel lost in the ever shifting tides of education, our school, and our classes.  These are the moments when we lose our footing and feel threatened of being washed away to sea.

These moments, for lack of a better word, suck.  There is the tendency to feel hopeless.  Feel useless.  Feel bad.

And this is normal.  We all go through it.  We are not alone in this.  We don’t have to be afraid…

But knowing all of the does not make it any less frightening…terrifying…and horrible.

I have been there.  Might be there soon.  And will definitely be there again.

I have been teaching long enough to have learned something, though.

There is something you can do in these moments.

Take a deep breath, and jump into the depths.

Hold your head up, face what is coming, and take the beating from the waves.

You may get washed away, but you will wash back up somewhere.  Who knows where, but you will survive.  You will learn from it.  And you will move on.

If it something that you can’t avoid or that you are responsible for (or a mistake made), face it and ride it out.  It will hurt.  It will sting.  It will stink.  But you will get through it and you will be stronger for it.

So…DON’T GIVE IN!

Don’t give into the fear.

Don’t give in to the stress.

Don’t give into the anxiety.

You WILL survive.

You WILL learn.

You WILL grow.

You WILL live and be stronger in the end.

I know this does not give much hope, but you know you have the guts and the strength to get through it.  You ARE a great teacher, no matter what circumstances might make you feel.  You ARE making a difference.  And you MOST DEFINITELY ROCK!

Keep on surviving and keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

So I hate to break the bad news to you, but it is only Tuesday.

I know that the day was long and rough, and it definitely felt like four days and it should be Friday now…but it is not.  And you will be okay.

Yes, things did not work out the way you thought they would.  Yes, student behavior was reminiscent of the time that the day before winter break was also a full moon.  Yes, that one administrator did that one thing that made you feel like the only one that can’t do anything right.  Yes, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day…and probably would have been even if you were in Australia.

BUT…

You survived.

You made it through.

You made it awesome.

Somehow, you never let on how bad a day you were having.  Your students did not know that you were on the verge of tears.  They felt special.  They felt cared for.  They felt like they finally are starting to understand concepts that they’ve been struggling with.

You allowed your students to have a good day…even though yours was the opposite.

Teacher, I need you to look yourself in the mirror and know that YOU ARE A GREAT TEACHER!

I know that you don’t feel like it on days like today, however it is nonetheless true.  YOU ARE AMAZING!

Ignore the voices in your head right now (or wherever the voices might be), and know that you are making great choices and doing the right things for your students.  You are making a difference.  You are getting through.  You are making things better for them in the long run.

You are important.  You matter.  You rock!  Even on not-so-terrific-days!

Don’t doubt yourself, Teacher.  I believe in you!  Keep going and keep on teaching!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

You clever teacher, you…you thought of some new ideas for this week over the weekend, didn’t you.  You saw something that set your creativity buzzing.  That is what makes you awesome!  You are such a great teacher.

You know your students.  You know what they need.  You have what it takes to figure out how to get them what they need.  Run with that side of you!  It is why your students need you as their teacher.

Do what you know is right and best for your class(es) this week.  Follow your skills and abilities.  Use your “teacher force.”  Use that intuition that leads you where your students need to go.

You know what you are doing.  You ARE a great teacher!

Keep that focus that you know is the correct one…your students…and make awesome happen for them.  Know that that if you have their needs as your goal, you are making the correct decision.

Trust yourself.

You’re good at this.

You’re awesome!

You’ve got this today and this week!

You rock…don’t forget that!

Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I want to sincerely thank you for all that you do.  Really, seriously, and with deep gratitude, I thank you!

You work so hard…and I am not talking about the paperwork and data collection side of things…I mean the real work of teaching.  You work your heart out to reach your students and take them one step closer to the people that they can be one day.

You think.  You plan.  You care.

You spend your own money.

You search for the right ideas to reach each student.

You make phone calls home.

You help students work through behaviors.

You set up scenarios for students to be self-motivated and learn from mistakes.

You look for teachable moments in the day and jump on them to make sure lessons are learned.

You go long periods of time without a chance to use the bathroom.

You collaborate with other teachers.

You plan field trips.

You do whatever it takes to reach each and every student.

You care.

You ROCK!

For all of these things I thank you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

You are so amazing.  And you ARE making a difference.  Keep on teaching and doing the awesome you do every day!

Thanks!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Can I just say, you totally rocked today! Sure, there were some hiccups…but you soldiered on! You connected with your students and helped them learn through all that happened today. This is what makes you amazing! This is what makes you awesome! Yeah, you totally rocked today!

Keep on rocking and keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

You were amazing this week!  Seriously.  AHH-MAY-ZING!

You survived and still have some hair left!

You persevered through the tough spots and came away stronger.

You kicked butt and remembered names.

You made class fun, interesting, and engaging.

Students learned, and they learned to learn on their own.

You got through to that “one student” at least one time.

You made teaching look easy and made it look good.

Again, Teacher, as always, you are awesome!

Thanks for all you did this week and will do in the next.

Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Dear Teacher,

You are a teacher.  Your good days are great days. Your bad days can be awful days. But you do what you do for more than how a day makes you feel. You are working for something bigger. You’re working for the betterment of others. You’re fighting for the future. You are changing the world. You rock!

You are so awesome.  Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher