Dear Teacher,
You know, what we do is amazing. We are teachers! We get to help students become the people they will be in the future. We get to live in the teachable moments of every day. It is a pretty great line of work!
I have shared it before, but last year was a tough year for me. I won’t get into it now, however it was a difficult year with students and then to top of it test scores might have been the lowest for me. Even though I felt like it may my best year as a teacher after working through the challenges, I can’t help but wonder if it was a net loss of a year. I don’t know.
I share that because I stumbled on a great song accidentally because of Twitter (by the way, if you aren’t using Twitter, you should be…I am working on a post on the whys…if you are on it, you should be following Sean Gaillard, Remind, Dear Teacher (of course), among many others!). Through a random set of events, I was introduced to the music of Shayna Leigh and the song I am about to share. When I heard it, I knew that I found the perfect song for the first theme song post of the new year! That said, let’s get to the encouragement!
If you aren’t familiar with how theme song posts work, click play on the song (get through any ads if they play first), and then start reading. Get it? Got it? Good. Let’s go!
We are teachers.
We carry so much with us from day to day, quarter to quarter, and year to year.
All careers have baggage, but probably none more than being a teacher.
We invest so much of who we are into what we do.
Sometimes it can be hard to recover from the hurt of some of the hard times that come with what we do.
That hurt can weigh us down and cause fear from stepping out to far outside of the box or outside of our comfort zone.
We fight against that fear, but it always seems to be there. It is just on the periphery. It stalks us. It taunts us. Occasionally, it overwhelms us. Other times it drives us to push forward and do more.
The anxiety does not define us, but it does hang out around us.
Some days and years are worst than others.
But there is a way to drive it away.
And it is so simple that it is hard to do.
Remember.
Remember who you were when you started teaching.
You were nervous, but when it came to students you were fearless.
Remember that new teacher that was ready to set the world on fire and change the future single-handedly!
That person is still inside of you. That person is still you. You are still fearless. You still have the fire.
Rekindle that fire and remember.
- You believed every student mattered and you acted on that belief.
- You did not care what other people thought, you did what counted most for students.
- You did not worry about test scores because what really made the difference was your connection with students.
- You focused on the teaching and learning process individually, not what you were being told worked best for all.
- You let love and care for each of those people in your room drive your instruction and behavior.
- You believed that what you did with each child truly made a difference.
- You had confidence in yourself and your gifts/skills as a teacher.
All of those things are still true. That never stopped being true. The baggage of prior years and yesterdays mistakes do not define you. Your drive and love for students does…and that is still there. Remember it today!
Teacher, drive back to where you started. That is where you live as a teacher. And that is what will get you back on your feet to try again.
You are an amazing teacher! Never forget that! You are making a difference and what you do does matter! It matters more than you know! Keep on believing in yourself and keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher/Love Teacher 