February has always been my least favorite month of the school year as a teacher. The weather is cold and snowy, so we have too many days of indoor recess. The days of sunshine are few and far between. Winter break was a long way in the past and spring break is barely a dot on the horizon. This time of year, the kids are grouchy, the parents are grouchy, and the teachers...well, you get the picture. It is this time of year that I always need to remind myself about why I teach and the importance of what we all do for our students.
As I was going through my emails today, I came across this great blog post forwarded me by a colleague. It really hit home. It is a letter from a veteran teacher to a new teacher about what students remember most about teachers. In it the author, Lori Gard, describes what really matters to our students. Here is a brief expert:
As I was going through my emails today, I came across this great blog post forwarded me by a colleague. It really hit home. It is a letter from a veteran teacher to a new teacher about what students remember most about teachers. In it the author, Lori Gard, describes what really matters to our students. Here is a brief expert:
Because we want our students to think we’re the very best at what we do
and we believe that this status of excellence is achieved merely by doing.
But we forget- and often. Excellence is more readily attained by being.
Being available.
Being kind.
Being compassionate.
Being transparent.
Being real.
Being thoughtful.
Being ourselves.
And of all the students I know who have lauded teachers with the laurels of the highest
acclaim, those students have said of those teachers that they cared.
If you, like me, need a February reminder about why we teach, check out the full post at http://pursuitofajoyfullife.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/what-students-remember-most-about-teachers/. It is worth the read.
Happy Valentine's Day
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