This week I received a letter from a kindergarten teacher asking me to write down what I believed was my best performance. Her principal challenged them to collect motivational strategies that would energize them this coming year. Here was my response:
As I thought about
your message, one moment did not appear, but a tapestry of children’s smiles
flashed before my eyes. Life and
teaching are not a snapshot, but a video of all our experiences, challenges,
accomplishments, failures, joys, and adventures. Every day you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and
start all over again!
I recently
received an email and on the bottom it said, “In life it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass over –
it’s about dancing in the rain.”
Isn’t that what educators do every day? You have to shut your door and figure out how to make
learning more exciting and fun.
You’ve got to give children the academic roots to be successful and the
hope and dreams to believe in themselves and the future.
It’s the little
things in life that count. Do
every act of kindness and do a little bit more than the job demands.
A friend who
taught with me over 40 years ago visited recently and said, “I remember how you
would take the most pitiful little child and write on their hand: YOU ARE AMAZING AND WONDERFUL! Or YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!”
She said, “Why did
you do that?” My response was, for
once in their lives I wanted them to feel that way. I wanted them to know that someone believed in them.
Several years ago
I visited a fourth grade class and sang some songs, told a story, and made a
book with them. I wasn’t there
over 30 minutes, but when I was leaving a little boy placed a note in my hands
that said:
Tis
the gift to care about kids everywhere.
Tis
loving them no matter where.
Tis
right to teach. Tis right to
share.
Tis
caring to feel for others
Tis
you who sits and listens to others.
Tis
you who understands.
Tis
you, tis you, tis you who CARES.
What a profound
thought! In spite of technology
and Common Core State Standards, every child just wants to be noticed and
loved! TIS YOU who does that every day!