We are just wrapping up teacher appreciation week. I've always had an interesting relationship with teacher appreciation week. On the one hand I think it's weird to be appreciated for a job I'm paid to do essentially by the people who pay me with their tax dollars to do said job. So often I find that parents are gushing over what I just do, like teach their child to read or get better at math. They often act like I've given their child a million dollars or a free new car! I don't know. It's never felt right to me. The parents gushing and so grateful when I'm just doing what I love. I would not object to being paid more to do the job I love, but that's probably for another blog entry.
When I started teaching I was probably 5 years old. I had been to school one day and I'm pretty sure I started teaching the world ever since. I loved the rhythm of school and I had two younger siblings and a host of daycare kids so teaching came very naturally to me. I was 22 years old when Dan Olson hired me to teach third grade. I was about as green as you could get, but I was so excited. I couldn't wait to have my own classroom. I can honestly say I loved my job. For eighteen years I've loved my job. There have been very few days that I have thought I might want to do something else with my life.
Throughout my career I've had moments of contention with parents or other teaches where I have had differing opinions. So often these conversations ended with, "You just wait until you're a mom. Then you'll understand."
"When you have a kid of your own you'll understand what it's like."
"I don't care who my kid has for a teacher next year, but I want it to be someone who has kids because they just understand kids better."
These conversations would enrage me. I would cry for hours over not feeling validated as a person who could handle or teach children because I didn't have any of my own. As horrible as it sounds I always wanted to be a teacher, but I never really saw myself as a mom. I think that's why these comments were so devastating.
Alas, I made the decision to become a mom and while delivering the two of you did very little to enhance my ability to teach. In fact it made me so tired I think it was more of a hinderance. What it did give me perspective. The perspective didn't hit until this week. Teacher appreciation week. A week that has always been a little odd to me. It was this week that I finally understood parents gushing over what I've done for their child.
Enter my baby going to school. First, I'm always in awe of kindergarten teachers and their ability to transform a group of rowdy five year olds into school-rule abiding six year old students.I've worked with Mrs. Salter for a few years now and she has always amazed me. I knew her mostly from seeing her in the hallway being the perfect kindergarten teacher. I was so excited for Baby Waider to have her because cousin Finn had her and he loved her class. So, I sent my little girl, a piece of my heart, to Mrs. Salter. Baby Waider didn't really know her letters too well, sounds, or how to spell, or write. She wasn't even very interested in learning...In just eight short months Mrs. Salter transformed Baby Waider into a reading, writing, counting, and math machine. I have never been more grateful in my life for an individual than I am for Mrs. Salter. My child loves school. She loves to learn, read, write, and complete any variety of tasks related to school. Mrs. Salter has treated my child with compassion, concern, set limits, and taught her to be a better person. She has willingly helped her overcome challenges, and encouraged her when she needed an extra push all while wrangling and teaching 19 other children. The value of that is not lost on me. I will forever be grateful for Mrs. Salter's contribution to my child's life. To me Superman's got nothing on Mrs. Salter. She's a superhero.
So while becoming a parent didn't give me a greater understanding of bad behavior, parenting without limits, refusal to believe my child does anything wrong, or a need to make excuses for children, it has changed one thing for me. It has given me a much greater appreciation for the extreme importance of our job. Each person in my class is someone's heart. My job is to make sure that child learns, loves school, and strives to be a good person. So I probably won't be telling anyone anytime soon that they will gain anything as a teacher when they become a parent except less sleep. But what I will continue to do is teach my heart out so that I can be to each child in my class what Mrs. Salter was to my child. Thank you to all teachers, but mostly thank you, Mrs. Salter. Also, the next time a parent thanks me profusely for being a part of their child's life I will totally get it.
Love always,
Mama
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