I am a Teacher

I sit with my co-workers every day for our 40 minute lunch period. We talk about a variety of subjects. Some days the conversations are interesting and I really get excited about them, and other days we just talk about normal, boring stuff. Its nice to have some adult time every day to relax and unwind a little in the middle of the day.

The other day we were talking with the intern about the upcoming parent-teacher conferences and the other teacher at the table brought up an interesting point. To give a little background, we were talking about why conferences can be scary, and that you never know what kind of a parent might walk in and tear you apart. We were saying how sometimes its just really hard to not take things personally. So, this more experienced teacher says to the intern, "When people ask you what you do for a living, you don't answer the way most other professionals do." "You say, I am a Teacher".

As teachers we don't respond that we teach children, we say we ARE teachers. That is what we ARE, not what we do. And although it may seem a matter of syntax, I just have to say that I completely agree. When a teacher goes on vacation, she is still a teacher. When she drives down the highway, she is still a teacher. When she is at the grocery store, she is still a teacher. It is something you can never stop being.

In my family, I am the one that everyone comes to when they need help with homework. I really find it quite flattering. However, the point of the conversation was that everything a teacher has goes into their profession. I am a teacher seven days a week, and I really do work on SOMETHING for teaching EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yes, even on Sundays.

And so, in this day of the declining family unit and inevitable crumble of societal structure, remember to thank your child's teacher for everything that he or she puts into their profession. Teachers aren't respected the way they once were, and it really is a sad reality. With that said, I absolutely love my job. I'm glad I chose to be in this profession. I'm also glad my husband has a good job so that my salary isn't an issue. I love to teach. I've had some very difficult situations and experiences in my career. They have taught me a lot and the ways in which I've grown since I was an intern are quite astounding. I am extremely thankful this year that I've got a wonderful class of fifth graders and wonderful parents who volunteer and support my efforts as well. Those things really make all the difference. Especially since last year was basically the year from Hell.