Celebrate this week- Teaching!

Each week I take time to reflect on my week and Celebrate with Ruth Ayers and my readers. You can join the celebration by visiting Ruth's blog, Ruth Ayers Writes.  Our class also celebrates weekly, we hope you will visit our class celebration, comments are welcome and encouraging to young learners. ;-)

Celebrate! So many possibilities swirl in my head, I let them sit, some disappear, others continue to swirl  until swept by yet another idea that whips them up into a bigger idea. This week I had the opportunity to listen to visiting author, Linda Stanek. When young writers of our school asked  how she picks an idea to write about.  Linda offered this advice,"Just pick one, pick the one you are most passionate about."

So here's my celebration, the one that was swept up and swirled into something bigger, my personal gratitude to my profession, a profession that gives me so much each day, teaches me about myself as a learner, as a teacher and as a person. 

My mom often shares how I didn't like school, I never wanted to go and I often cried at the fact that I had to go school. Then, she laughs and shares " Now she's a teacher, she stays at school late and goes to school in the SUMMER and LOVES EVERY MINUTE." She assures my youngest (who feels much like I did) "It will get better, look at your mommy!" 

Well, my mom was right, school got better, much better! 

• Teaching is teaching me to consider the perspectives of others. I am learning they're many ways to look at a situation. Understanding this is helping me to meet my kids where they are. 

• Teaching is teaching me how to be a student and to understand the value of being a life long learner. This helps me understand my students as learners, their triumphs and their celebration. 

• Teachiing is showing me each child is as special to their families as our children are to us. This helps me see the children through the lens of a parent. So on those rough days, we all have them, I can look at that child as my own and CHOOSE to treat them as I would want my child to be treated. 

• Teaching is teaching me to consider the intention behind the behavior and to assume positive intentions. Children come to us from various backgrounds and perspectives. I would be remiss to let our opinions cloud their intentions. 

• Teaching is giving me the opportunity to make new friends each year. I hope to build lasting relationships in our classroom, student to student, student to teacher and teacher to parent.

• Teaching is showing me I am never done learning. I am learning with my kids each day,  I hope to inspire learners in a way that they will ask questions I can't answer. 

• Teaching continues to give me the confidence to take risk and to constantly strive for more. I want to be the teacher that helps the kids feel the power of learning, know that risk are necessary for growth and that without mistakes learning is stunted. 

• Teaching has brought me lifelong and endearing friendships, teaching has made me who I am today. I am proud to be an educator, to work alongside amazing people who are working hard each day to be all of this and more for the kids! 

I am proud to celebrate a profession that builds me as a person, supports me with great friends and pushes me to work even harder each day all for our kids. I want to thank all of you who encourage me with your supportive words and push me by sharing your thinking and asking questions that gently nudge me to explore, think and wonder. 

                                                                   
                                      - I love what I do and I feel privilliaged to do it everyday!