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A summer ago I was privileged to co-present at a workshop/seminar for teachers in Asia. What a great way to meet colleagues from another country and share ideas and common experiences! Then, it really hit me how we (teachers) are like brethren, regardless of language, culture, or country.
For example, in one debriefing session, I was asked what is considered a large class in the U.S., and when I said 36, they gasped and remarked, “We’d LOVE to have a class that small!” One teacher shared with me that it wasn’t uncommon for her to have 70. Thus began an instant friendship of everyone sharing their stressors (TESTING, large class sizes, want of more materials, paper work, and time spent preparing lessons). What amazed me the most was how the conversation came back to the one goal of why we teach: to make a difference in our students’ lives.
During my last year of teaching before becoming a specialist, I had one student who had experienced some tragedies and crises that affected her emotionally. My classroom mantra was that every student would feel safe, accepted, and part of an important community that would result in learning being fun and challenging. By the end of the year, I had no idea how my student felt because of their quiet and shy personality.
Imagine my surprise on the last day of school last year as I sat at my desk, and a florist brought a big bouquet of balloons which had written on them, “Best Teacher.” I told the delivery guy he must be mistaken because I was no longer a classroom teacher and he had the wrong person. “No,” he commented, “this is for you.” I opened the envelope, and enclosed was a thank you card from that child which said, “Thank you for helping me to trust again.”
That, my friends, is why we do what we do. To my friends around the world, be encouraged, no matter how stressed your work load may be. We are a profession that touches many lives over
