Celebrate the Little Accomplishments

If I've learned anything from my student teaching experience, it's that teaching is not an easy job. Teachers wear zillions of "hats" at once. We're teachers, but we're also coaches, mentors, cheerleaders, planner, enforcers, leaders, therapists, counselors. For lack of a better phrase, teachers are ringleaders in a big circus of crazy kids.

Not every day is easy. In fact, there are many days when I go home frustrated. I'm frustrated because I know the students could do better. I'm frustrated because they continuously break the same rules...over and over and over again. (and over again). I'm frustrated. But, the days that I'm happy, excited, proud, and surprised are so much more rewarding and makes it all worth it.

Today, I stayed after school to work on my portfolio. (side note: I WILL get a job soon...very soon!) In the same classroom, students stayed after for tutoring and were working on a writing prompt. It went something like this:

Write about an occasion where your friends and family enjoyed a meal together.

One of my students is in this tutoring group. This student happens to be the boy I wrote about before, the one who I want to succeed despite his serious focusing issues. This boy stood and read his work. "One day, me, Nick, Joey, Arnold, and Ms. S went on a picnic...." He continued. Mr. S?!

It sunk in. The kid who I had to refocus about 50 times yesterday considers me a friend. The kid who I've worked with more than I could have ever imagined thought about me. Needless to say, it made me really happy and it made my day.

Teaching isn't necessarily a glamorous job. Please, one of my students constantly has boogers hanging out of her nose. And we don't really do it for the money, either. The way I see it, we do it for times like these. For the times when the students remember us, the times they are inspired by us.

So teachers, let's try to stop getting frustrated with the everyday issues. Instead, look for the silver lining in each day and celebrate those little accomplishments.