When Coffee Just isn't enough....

Today was the first day of our school start up.  Our district has been involved in job action for the past five weeks so we all hit the ground running (or should I say it hit us??). After three months out of the classroom I felt reflective at the end of today.  I work with some of the most compassionate hard-working people on the planet.  I have always said that no one can understand what it's like to be a teacher until you are one. What still surprises me (although it shouldn't) is the number of times in a day I have a teacher say to me .... "so I was just thinking about this child", or "last night I came up with a plan for..".  This always makes me smile. So many teachers live and breathe this job. They take their students home with them (figuratively not literally) and so often are constantly thinking of ways to make their lives better. This is just one of the many reasons I love my job. 

This morning I was surrounded by all of our school's returning students and I was struck by the enormity of my job.  We, as teachers, help shape these little peoples' lives and we get to help create their sense of themselves as a learner. Like almost all school startups there was chaos as we determined who was here and who wasn't. I was tackled by parents in the halls who just wanted to quickly tell me about their special child, listened to a million students tell me about their summers and dried tears for those that were anxious to start. I even attempted to communicate with a new little fellow who speaks zero English but whose smile spoke volumes as we danced to "Happy" in the assembly. 

Today, although I truly feel like there is not enough coffee in the world to help me stay awake to do all that needs to be done, I will go to bed happy and grateful for a job that is so rewarding. I look so forward to the year ahead and can't wait to see all that it holds.

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