Great lessons on “liberty” ingrained into each of us

Ode To Teachers Everywhere!e

My day today was split between the middle school and the high school.  I began by walking into the local middle school office this morning, and the ladies behind the counter handed me a stack of papers.  Not looking at what was included in the stack,  I quickly grabbed them up and started making my way down the hall to my classroom.

The tardy bell had not yet rung, and I began to go through the day’s curriculum before me.  I was stopped short when I noticed that the stack of papers I was given contained all handwritten notes from the 4th hour English class, all addressed to me.

My heart sank as I soaked in the words.  Tears came to my eyes.   There before me were kind letters of apologies for a day of disruption that I had long forgotten.  To me, it was in the past.

I remember that day.  I was leading the class through a study about Martin Luther King Jr.  One of the ending projects was to draw their handprints on a colored piece of paper and write a short statement about what Dr. King had done for them.   Once cut out, their paper hands would then be placed on the walls lining the hallways of the school for all to see.  A few rowdy kids and the lesson took a turn.  Not a good turn.  Luckily, word travels fast, and their rotten little deeds reached others who quickly took them to task. 

A few rowdy kids and the lesson took a turn

Growing Pains

To receive these letters reaffirmed that what I am doing as a teacher is worth it.  The students are worth it.   We have all been there at one point in our lives.  We have been to that place called 7th grade.  Even at my age, the memories of my own classroom experiences are as vivid as if they were yesterday.

A lot of grown-up decision-making skills are being taught at this early stage of life, known as  7th grade.  Pride, honor, respect, dignity, and great lessons on “liberty” are ingrained into each of us during these tender years.

Greatest lesson “Liberty”.

Maturity

I didn’t think my day could get much brighter – but it did.  My afternoon shift at the high school was also to be one I shall remember.  Sneaking into the classroom during the lunch hour, I sought some downtime before the next class.  That wasn’t to be the case, as two students burst through the door all smiling and bubbly, breaking my moment of silence.

Tatum, who is a senior, and her companion wanted to use the large classroom space to teach the promenade dance to those who wanted extra practice during the lunch hour.  For the next half-hour, I watched the pair glide across the room, almost effortlessly.  They graciously assisted the students who came to practice,  helping them to overcome that awkward fear of dancing with a partner for the first time.

At the end of their session, I was presented with a couple’s duet of the entire dance.  It was a beautiful promenade dance complete with lifts and turns. It was very elegant.  The young lady, Tatum, choreographed the entire piece herself – all the parts.  It was a joy to watch.

This is why we teach.

Everything in life is a learning lesson, and everything in life is worth learning.  Ode to the teachers who have spent their lifetimes teaching children the values and principles of our society. Ode to the professors who provide our young adults with the skills that they will need to be productive and successful citizens in the world they will quickly enter.

As teachers, we all know. 

• No, it isn’t always easy
• Some days you just want a snow day
• There are going to be growing pains – some of those pains will be your own
• They will surprise you, every student
• They will test you with their knowledge, and sometimes they will win, sometimes they will lose.
• They will frustrate you, excite you, laugh, and joke with you
• They will challenge your authority, and then turn just as quickly and march beside you
• If they stayed in class the entire time, THEY LIKED YOU!

Then one day, they will grow up and graduate, and move on without you.  But they won’t forget the lessons you taught them, and you won’t forget the lessons they taught you either.  You will miss them.

Thank you middle schoolers – you are my favs!