"I want to be a teacher."
Two students have said this to me in the past week. Two. And neither of them could articulate a subject or grade they wish to teach. They just know they want to be a teacher.
Which could only mean one thing. We have a pretty amazing group of teachers.
Think about what they're saying, what they're implying by that statement! They know you work hard, that you get paid just over a pile of dog doodoo, and that you are in fact never fully or appropriately appreciated for the work you do. Yet, they want to be like you. They want to be a teacher.
They want to be helpful, brave, fun, exciting, kind, respectful, a person of character, hardworking, inspiring, comforting, smart, RESILIENT, full of purpose, and the million other things all of you are! They look at you, they watch you, in all the muck and mire that surrounds your job, they see how you respond to it all, and they think, "I want to be like them. I want to be a teacher."
Not, "I want your car", or "your long summer vacations", or anything superficial. No, want to be what you are. They want to be like you. THEY WANT TO BE A TEACHER!!!
I just don't know if there is anything more praising or gratifying than that.
It may seem at times that you're beating your head against the wall or dragging kids across the finish line, because you are:) But you're also modeling and teaching our kiddos what it means to make a difference. What it means to be a man or woman of integrity and who is ALIVE, day in and day out. And they've notice. All of them.
And I just love that.