I received this letter from a student after Winter Break. As I read it, it reminded me of why I chose this profession. As elementary teachers, most of us don’t get to see long term outcomes with our students. We don’t often get to celebrate with our students as they receive their high school diplomas or their college acceptance letters. What we do see is their growth from a wide eyed kindergartner to a precocious preteen. As elementary teachers we try to nurture their dreams and point to the path towards a promising future. But most of the time, we never know that we have succeeded in doing so. That’s why this letter means so much to me. And that’s why I chose to teach.
You are right; we see students for a year (most of the time) and then don't often know what happens when they leave us or if we have reached them in a certain way. That's why, with even the most tough, difficult, unenthusiastic students, we need to continue to try to get through and keep after them and remain committed to them because you never know and can only hope that we do make a difference.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, Debra! It's so important to keep up with our students, even after they leave us. I can only hope that I have made a difference in my students' lives. Just the other day I saw a parent of two of my former students and it warmed my heart to know that they still think of me! I was so proud when their mother told me how well they were doing in school.
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