Day 5 of the March Slice of Life Challenge hosted by the Two Writing Teachers! #SOL23
A year
Nearly ten months
180 days to be exact
That’s all
That’s it
Teachers have been portrayed as heroes
And sometimes as villains
And yet, we’re just humans
Trying to do the best we can with the resources and the time we are given
We don’t get to choose the people who walk into our classrooms
Nor the experiences these humans bring with them
But we do get to choose the space we create with and for them
We can make the choice to see them as people, first
To welcome and embrace them
To listen and to advocate
To love and to encourage
While also holding them accountable
We can choose to show up
Again and again
We can let them know that mistakes help us grow
That mistakes do not define us
We can make the choice to do our best
To help them grow as people and as learners
A year
Nearly ten months
180 days to be exact
That’s all
That’s it
The teaching profession is difficult
At times overwhelming, as the to-do list never ends
There is sacrifice
And feelings of defeat
And not enough_______ (you fill in the blank)
And yet
There is incredible joy
There is laughter
And possibility
And inspiration
For these humans are the future
Our future
Teachers Write 
I kept nodding as I read your words. Anyone who is not a teacher has hard time understanding what a mixture of feelings, joys and challenges this job is really like. I like how you finish with a high note.
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Thanks so much. I agree–the mixture of feelings is real. The high notes help me remember my why.
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“Not enough ______” hits home. So much of the conversation about education can be about deficits, and then about how teachers must become all things to fill those gaps. We can never be enough of all the things to fix societal challenges bigger than all of us. Your solution is powerful: “But we do get to choose the space we create with and for them
We can make the choice to see them as people, first”
Love this as an intention for the week. Thank you for sharing it!
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Thanks so much. There is so much that is out of our control as teachers, and yet there are things that we can do. Thanks for reading and commenting. 🙂
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You write such clearly and concisely how it feels to be in education. How the career lives and sits with you; and how we are constantly striving for more. I appreciate your vulnerability.
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Thank you–I appreciate your comment. The challenges continue to intensify. It’s important to remember the why and to also acknowledge the many challenges we face everyday.
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We are so lucky to have each other, to show up, to love our kids, to figure out the hard parts, and to embrace the joyful ones!
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Yes times a million! So thankful for YOU!
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You are the strong, silent type. Your classes are so lucky to get the power they us you!
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*that is you
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Thanks so much, Patti. 🙂
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I can’t find words to say how this blessed me.
Thank you for writing it out, and sharing it with us. Every line made me go “uh huh!” and this section
“The teaching profession is difficult
At times overwhelming, as the to-do list never ends
There is sacrifice
And feelings of defeat
And not enough_______ (you fill in the blank)”
I honestly didn’t fill in the blank, I stopped at “And not enough” full stop.
I’ll probably come back to this again.
love to you ❤
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Thank you. ❤ It's a beautiful and overwhelming and can be all-consuming profession and YET… the children who walk into our lives and our classes deserve the best–and make me a better and stronger human.
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