May 25, 2025: Wrapping Up

My thirty-first year as a classroom teacher will wrap up this week.  Like the previous thirty years, there will be tears and hugs as I say good bye to students who are moving on. There will be celebrations, as students and teachers gather to look back and cheer how far they have come.  There will be boxes to pack and materials to be stored so that our phenomenal summer crews can deep clean the school.

         The end of a school year is always a wonderful time for reflection.  What went well this year?  What do I hope to change next year?

It is also the time of year when I am reminded, yet again, of how truly fortunate I am to work every day among educators.

Yes, there are lots of memes, posts, and articles about the work teachers do and how much we need to value what they do for our children.

Teachers touch the future.

Teachers make all other professions possible.

Teachers make a difference. Truly make a difference, every single day.

Teaching has also always been a challenging career.  Historically, teachers have always been asked to do herculean tasks with little or no resources. And we do. No one has to dig too deeply to uncover the negatives and challenges and obstacles that go along with the life of a teacher.

But that is the thing about those of us who were born to be teachers- we see all the negatives, we understand the challenges, we know what we will be up against, and yet we know that there is nothing we would rather do with our lives.

We are not Pollyanna’s with our head in the sand.  We are not ignoring or dismissing the hard part of teaching.

We are acknowledging these truths, and making that choice anyway.

Choosing teaching is an act of courage.

         Never before, in the history of our country, has education and teaching been under attack like it is today.  It doesn’t take too much digging to find people who are demonizing public education and teachers.  Yet those of us who choose teaching know that we are needed in the classrooms. That the children of this country need our passion, our energy, and our focus, regardless of the attacks on our integrity.

Choosing to teach is an act of faith.

         That unshakeable belief that the work we do is worthwhile; the confidence that even though we will not be perfect, we will step up and meet the needs of the children we are entrusted to educate. Even while many of our elected leaders deliberately begin to dismantle public education, we know it is an essential part of our democracy.  

Choosing to teach is to choose optimism.

         To look beyond what others might see in our students, and our schools, and to find the gifts and talents that our students bring to us.  To uncover and nurture interests they might not have even known they had. To support them as they struggle, and celebrate with them when they discover that they are stronger and more resilient than they realized.

Teachers truly are the most devoted, selfless, individuals you will ever meet.

And I can’t believe I am lucky enough to work alongside them every single day.

         To all my teacher friends, thank you for inspiring and invigorating me every single day!  Enjoy your break!