A Little Thank You–A Big Difference

Why do people become teachers?  Particularly teachers of middle school? Ask a middle school teacher you know and get back to me on that.  I bet that there are as many reasons as there are teachers.  For example:

• They like working with children.
• They like having  their summers free.
• They’re gluttons for punishment.
• They do it for the money.

Some days I wonder why I became a teacher.  There are some days when the lesson planning, and the unhappy parents, and the multiple meetings, and the discipline issues, and the middle school-er b.o. all join forces into one deadly combination that make me want to turn in my resignation and walk away.

Today was one of those days.

My lessons for the day weren’t ready- I needed to make 170 copies, type up a presentation, grade assignments that are piling up on my desk, and be at a committee meeting this morning by 7:30 a.m.  Unfortunately I slept in (I didn’t get up until 6:10 this morning!! Eep!!) and I didn’t get to school until 7:10! (I also had to swing by the ATM and get cash to give to a student doing a fundraiser. I don’t remember what it was for but I’ll be getting a Christmas scented candle out of the deal).  Long story short: I skipped the committee meeting, made the copies right before the bell rang, finished typing the presentation while I was giving it, and brought the papers home to grade tonight.

Anyway  what is the point of this, you ask?

Well, during 2nd period today a wonderful thing happened.  A former student, now a senior at TFHS, stopped by my classroom.  He came by to thank me for being his teacher 5 years ago.  He said that I have been his most inspirational teacher.

Did I tear up? Yes. Did I grin like an idiot? Probably. Was I floating on air when he left? Absolutely.  He didn’t have to do that. But of all the days to do it, I am glad that he picked today. Because it made all of my problems disappear.  Those few moments in my room made the rest of the day seem bright and cheery. Somehow I didn’t have a single discipline problem the entire rest of the day. 

I think maybe my favorite part of that moment was seeing the changes in him.  He is still the shy, quiet, boy that I remember. But now he is at least three times his previous size (serious growth spurt) and he has so much self confidence.  He looked grown up, mature, and ready to take on the world.

I don’t know exactly what motivated me to become a teacher back in college, but now my favorite part of being a teacher is running into former students. I like to see what they’re doing with their lives. I like to see what they look like when they’ve outgrown the braces, the acne, and the silly haircuts.  I like to see if they still remember all 23 helping verbs. Ha ha. (They never do.)

Okay, so I didn’t write this post so that I could brag about myself.  I don’t really know why I wrote it. Other than maybe to encourage you, my readers, to find someone who has meant something to you or one of your children and say thank you. That one moment from your day will do untold amounts of good.  I’ve had approximately 700 students pass through my classroom doorway in the last 6 years and I still remember almost every one of them (their names, if not their faces.) Hearing from the . . . um . . . 20 or so that keep in touch makes me get out of bed every morning and get back to work.

That’s why I teach middle school.