Best Moments of the Week for a Teacher!

This morning after I’d fixed my tea and sat down to work on our school yearbook (with deadline looming in 10 days), I decided I needed a little Facebook therapy to get the brain cells moving.  Having just recently started this blog and a matching Facebook page, I’m trying very hard to gain a few followers.  It’s nice to have people read or listen instead of feeling you’re just talking to a wall!

I always make it a point to see what the Teachers Pay Teachers page has posted and add my two-cents worth if it’s something that applies to me.

The most recent question was this: “Best teaching moment from this past week? Let’s hear it.”

This was my reply:

I had three “moments” this past week. First, our entire school is reading “Running For My Life” by Lopez Lomong. As media specialist, it was my job to find us a good book and this was my recommendation. Everyone is in love with this book and that makes me so happy I get teary-eyed. I wrote an email to Lopez Lomong to tell him about our school-wide read and how inspired we are from his book. He wrote me back!! I shared it was the faculty and our principal will share it with our students next week. If you haven’t read his book, I strongly recommend it.

Second, I had some of my 7th graders telling me about their social drama and asking for advice (a rare thing for 7th graders to do.) They also told me that “We can tell you anything and you’ll listen and help!” THAT made my day.

And three, a sweet but often-in-trouble young lady chose me and another teacher to help her with a very bad issue that has been causing her a great deal of emotional pain. We’re not out of the woods on that yet, but to know she trusts me enough to help her with something so big in her life is really a bit overwhelming.

Moments like these just drives home the fact that we are teachers, not for the paycheck, but because we have a calling to be there for others, whether it’s academic, emotional, social, or anything else that makes others’ lives better. Under all the negativity, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important, but moments like these remind us of our impact and just how much we are really worth to others.

It was quite the week since these are only the highlights!  I did have another great moment at the faculty meeting when a teacher said that no matter what she needs, I never say, “No.”  Another teacher then popped up and stated that when she was reading about Lopez Lomong’s “favorite English word”, Yes!, she thought of me. I’ll take that as a compliment, even though it might be a sign of craziness on my part.

Happy Weekend!