As A Teacher, I Wish You Knew (Part 2) #iWishTeach
Wow, if only I knew how much this blog series was going to take hold! Last week’s post, “As An Admin, I Wish You Knew” stirred so much conversation! I am thrilled about the interest from educators, from around the world, who wanted to share their voice for Part 2!
So here is part 2! I reached out to all of my online connections in education and asked them to answer this question….”As a Teacher, I wish you knew…..” Listed below are their responses.
These are from educators all over the world who chose to take part! I found so much truth, honesty, and heart in many of their responses! And look for Part 3 next week, as we hear from PARENTS!
“That I wish more people took what I see as my calling seriously. I’m not just a teacher; I pour my heart and soul into the lives of the next generation.”
“I try my best each day, each week, each month and each year to help every student grow (academically, socially and emotionally). Sometimes I feel like my best isn’t enough. “
“I wish you knew how hard it is for me to test your children for the wide variety of testing that I am obligated to do. I hate it. It tears me up inside to see the students wiggle in chairs as they are tied down with invisible ropes to take a test to get a number. Your child is NOT a number to me. They are a unique gift to this world and this way of testing cannot and will NEVER reflect the miracle your child is. I am so sorry that I have to do this to them. It hurts my heart.”
“That during the school year almost every minute of my day is spent thinking about how best to help my students. I wish you knew how much I want to be trusted to do what I know is best for them, rather than given directives that are not child based. I wish you knew that I want to be the best teacher that I can and help every student I come in contact with, so that they can develop into lifelong learners and great people who are highly successful.”
“That I hate grades–probably more than you and your child do–and that makes me the most conscientious grader your child will ever have. I want all my students to make straight As, and, contrary to popular belief, I take no joy whatsoever in “giving” a student a low or failing grade. “
“That I have two children of my own, and I k ow exactly how you feel.”
“That I wanted to be a teacher. I didn’t become one because, as people joke about teachers,”I couldn’t think of anything better to do” or “I wasn’t smart enough to do something better,””
“I wish you knew that I want my students to be brave and bold and try new things. Never be afraid to make mistakes because your brave actions might inspire others to try new things. Your actions may show others it’s ok to make mistakes because that’s how we learn. I wish students and parents knew we become a family and we are all in this really hard thing together. We’re going to laugh and sometimes want to give up, but we’re a team.”
“As a teacher, I wish you knew how much I love. Everything that I do, everything I say, every standard and expectation that I set comes from a place of love. All the time I spend doing non-teaching paperwork or attend endless in-service and faculty meetings comes from a place of love. Every activity, all the homework that I assign and all of the tests and quizzes that I write are done out of love. Every conversation, every new idea and every different way that I try to explain something is done from a place of love. This doesn’t mean that I love to do all of these things. As a matter of fact, a lot of these are things I would rather not have to do. But, I love what I teach. I love how important it is and I love that I have the opportunity every day to be able to come to school and express that love of learning. This would be enough to be able to have a successful and fulfilling career for most, but for me its goes much deeper that just the love of what I teach.
Ultimately and what the most important thing that I wish you knew is how much I truly love the kids that I teach. I love when the light of knowledge is switched on in a student. I love the student who doesn’t care because I know that I can make a difference. I love the student who is bored because I know I can get his attention. I love the student who is passionate about what I teach because I know that I can stoke that fire even hotter. I love the student with a dozen accommodations because I know that I can find a way to break through. I love the student who is a discipline problem because I know all that student wants is to be heard and understood. I love all my students because I have never forgotten what it’s like to be a kid. All the kids that I teach are in their own special way a mirror of the student I used to be. And the most important thing that I wanted when I was a kid was to be loved. So, I love, respect and treat the kids I teach the same way that I wish I had been loved when I was young. Love is the most powerful and positive emotion and I am extremely fortunate to give that love freely by teaching.”
