Dear Teachers Starting the 2014-2015 school year,
With all the craziness of the beginning of school, then working on the Common Core, and the new assessments, curriculum changes, we get bogged down with the "doing." I would like to challenge you to at least weekly, to journal about the impact you think you might have on the kids you teach and work with. Reflect on it, think about it, feel it, breath it.
When cleaning out boxes in my new house, I came upon two letters that I received from 2 students that I have kept since I retired in 2011. Re-reading them made me understand how much I loved the students in my school district and how much I enjoyed interacting with them on a daily basis. It was not just about their intellectual development, academic development, but also about their development as people, learning to deal with conflict, problems, death, friendship, who they are as young adults, trust, caring and disappointment. I was lucky enough to have watched those develop in the students.
So know the impact you have on these kiddos, whether in Kindergarten, middle school, or sophomores in high school. What you do, your interest in your students as learners and as PEOPLE, makes a huge difference.
AND don't forget the impact that they have on YOU, as a teacher and a person! The lessons we learn from them are amazing!!
Have a great 2014-2015 school year!!
