My children

All art work is original by me ...

read a quote the other day about why teachers call their students "my kids" having to do with taking them into our hearts. The classroom becomes a family. You get to know your kids so well over the course of the year. And in my case longer, because my program is three years. 

I grow to love my students. It's a different kind of love than you have for your own family. But it is love just the same. 

Over the years, you learn the intimate details of the children's lives. They share their stories about their home life, their family, their dreams, their aspirations, their struggles. They come to you with their worries, their problems, and their success. Even the students who get under your skin become part of your classroom family - like your elderly aunt who complains about everything and farts at the dining room table. And you have love for them as well. 

Seeing them learn new things. Seeing them grow over the years. Seeing them mature from little grade 6 babies into grade 8 teenagers who often grow to tower over me. Seeing them master a skill that was so hard for them in the beginning. Hearing them ask intelligent questions. Hearing them make relevant connections. Hearing them relate their ideas to previous learning. Feeling their hugs. All of these things make my heart flutter and my pride burst out of me. 

My principal likes to say that "teaching is a calling". I disagree. Teaching is a job just like any other. It is a career that we choose for many reasons. At the same time, it takes a patient and dedicated person to do well in this job. To be successful means that your students are successful. That's what makes a good educator. 

I am lucky in my program because I have equally dedicated and passionate support staff, GT and LE. They are both educators who work tirelessly to ensure the success and wellbeing of our students. The program functions because of the teamwork and friendships that have developed between us. And the relationships between each of them and our students. 

Our children grow and thrive when they are respected and treated with love. Most of the time that means tough love. But love nonetheless. 

More important is the love that the children give back to us. We work in an area where poverty is the norm and financial comfort is unusual. The students don't shower us with lavish gifts that are tangible. And we love that. We don't need dollar store mugs to know that they appreciate us. We know we are loved when they play with our hair, give us a hug or a fist bump, come over to our desk to tell us a funny story, trust us with their struggles, come to us to ask for help with problems in their private lives, poke us in the belly, lean on our shoulders (literally and figuratively), ask to have their photos taken with us, entwine their arm with ours as we walk down the hall, work as hard as they can on their assignments to please us, bring us a loaf of banana bread baked by their grandmother or a cupcake from their cousin's baby shower, offer to sweep the floor, wave goodbye as they get on the school bus, or simply say "I love you."  

The best part about being a teacher is seeing your children grow, learn, and love. 

These children come into my heart and become a part of me. And although they move on, and 10 years later I can't remember all their names, I always remember how they made me feel. 

Be kind to yourself,

And to our children, 

xoxo

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