Successes and Why I teach.

Warning: This is my obligatory “feel good” teaching post. In our prompts for our weekly blog posts, the last idea written was “successes”. This was a topic I initially avoided because I cringe when I hear all of the mushy things that teachers say about why they teach. However, As this year comes to a close, I actually feel inspired to make a list of the things that keep me going when the year starts to get tough. SO…

1. Teaching has never felt like a job to me. This may sound cliché, but it is true. When I am in my classroom or even in my free periods, I never feel like I am in the wrong place or am looking at the clock, waiting to get out. I am actually bored and a bit bummed out when my students are not in my classroom. This year has highlighted that for me. We work on a two-week schedule, and every other week I have free periods until 2:10 in the afternoon. During grad school, this was a great time to get work done, but by 2:00, I was so excited when students started trickling in. They, of course, were exhausted and this was last period. However, I always find a way to get the students up and moving for that period.
2. The extracurriculars. Coaching, leading outdoor trips, watching my students in the plays, musicals, chorus or jazz band. These are all things that I love about the school where I teach. I have never been a part of a community where I work 12 hours a day and then volunteer to come back to support my own students. They are so talented at what they do, and it makes me proud to teach the students when I get to see what they accomplish, or the fun I have on the many different trip that I go on with them
3. And obviously, the students. I have  had days where I am dragging my feet into school, but as soon as the students walk in, I find it impossible to be grumpy or tired. They are what give me the motivation and energy to get through the day.

So there it is, my final mushy blog post of the year. I am so glad that I have completed my masters and I look forward to improving myself as a teacher for the rest of my professional life.