The Hardest Part

I just sat through our last faculty meeting for the year, and had a lot of thoughts racing through my mind about this job. About what I come to work to do every day. To everyone who wants to be a teacher, and to everyone who has kids, please read:

The hardest part about being a teacher is that I can never do enough. No matter what I do, I don't prepare all my kids for every situation they face in life. I will never teach them everything they need to know. I will never help them feel safe every day, and I will never make sure they are happy every day. I will never teach them to always make good choices. My job is literally never done. Every night I think about what I could have done better that day. How I could have handled the situation better. How I could have taught the lesson better. How I could have been better. The day's regret is often a long list. Even in the summer, when I don't have to work every day, I think all day about what I'm going to do for my kids next year that I didn't do last year. How am I going to be more efficient so I can teach more, and the kids can learn more. But we are literally never done. Ever.

My principal mentioned that he sees miracles performed every day in our classrooms. I never feel that way. No teacher ever feels like they performed a miracle. They sigh and think, "Wow, we just made it through something tough. But did I do everything right? What will I do better next time?" So please, if you are thinking about becoming a teacher, think about all this. This isn't a job. It is really my life. I dream about my class often. And to all the parents with kids in school, please tell your kids' teachers about those miracles that they perform, because they will never recognize them. Every time they look at your child, they see all the things they could have done better.

Just so you know.