One of my favorite things about teaching is the magic of random. There are routines in school, but the most common routine is dealing with the unexpected. Often, the unexpected is unpleasant and upsetting. But, sometimes, the unexpected is happiness condensed into a small, memorable moment.
Last week, I had a moment like that. My seniors were working on their mock graduation speeches, and I was walking around helping them. As I moved past one table, a student asks me to come stand in the front of the room. I guess I'm suspicious, because I was hesitant. But, eventually they coaxed me to go along with their plan.
With a song from Star Wars playing in the background, I was presented with this.
Last week, I had a moment like that. My seniors were working on their mock graduation speeches, and I was walking around helping them. As I moved past one table, a student asks me to come stand in the front of the room. I guess I'm suspicious, because I was hesitant. But, eventually they coaxed me to go along with their plan.
With a song from Star Wars playing in the background, I was presented with this.
Someone had found this card in a book they were reading, and then they all signed it and wrote some very nice things to me. It was a silly thing, but it was so special. It was so rewarding to see their gratitude for the effort I've been making. It made me feel a little bit more capable and it made me more grateful for them.
A few days later, during a different class, I had to leave for about 15 minutes to do something for NHS. As I left, I threatened them with my unending wrath if they snuck out or did anything very wild. I came back to this on my whiteboard.
And this, which they made up because they are silly.
This whole week, these silly messages have made me think a lot about showing love and appreciation. They showed me their appreciation, and even made up some from me to them. Being appreciated is something we all crave. We need to be recognized from time to time to feel valued and capable.Most of all, this experience made me want to be better at showing my gratitude. It's a small way to make the world a little bit better.
3 comments:
That is so cute. I love when kids do stuff like that. At Christmastime my student council presented me with a giant poinsettia plant and a handmade card. It does make me wonder if I show enough gratitude to those in my life.
I love this. So much. Yea for your students and for the power of gratitude. Thank you for sharing and for being my awesome friend.
-Kt
I loved your post. Yesterday we had a special training session about teaching and one of the most important things they talked about was showing love to your students - even though they meant church-wise, I don't think there is a forum where love isn't appropriate, or where showing love goes unappreciated.
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