My "Day" Off : )

Thursday, October 3, 2013 I took today off so that I could fulfill my master's program requirement of observing in either a middle or high school classroom. I decided to go back to a school I taught at last year for 6th grade during a maternity leave. Over the summer, a couple of those students emailed me about how they missed me and liked having me for a teacher. Wanting to know if I would be coming back but, of course, due to budgets and school closings, there were not open positions available to me again this year. It is hard to explain that to kids. I want them to understand but sometimes it is difficult to explain and understand as an adult! During the summer, I was having a down day, thinking about how badly I want to teach and watch a group of students grow and move on, when I received an email from a former student. This girl, when I first started teaching her class, really tried to give me a hard time but I never backed down and expected more from her. One day she cried and said she didn't think I liked her. I told her that was not true at all but that she needed to follow directions and not try to fight me so hard when I expect things from her. After that day, we never had a problem and she started to open up to me about her family and share things. I've learned that no matter how bad or what a student tells me that I don't react or seem shocked. I usually just ask them what THEY think or feel. And I listen, I don't judge. So this summer I received this email: Dear Ms.Lahare I Was Just Wondering How Yhu Have Been? Well Excuse My Spelling But It's Called "Txt Talk" And I Donno What I Did Wrong But I Got A "C" In Research.. That Surprised Me.. And Even Though We Hadn't Start Off Good..You're A Nice Teacher..I Was Disappointed When You Were'n't There On That Next Morning. Well Bye!! I started to cry. I know that sounds stupid but it just touched me that she thought to write and funny that she KNEW I would comment on her spelling! LOL! But as luck would have it, this student went home sick on the day I went to the school. But I will see her in a couple of week when I go back. When my students from last year saw me, they were so excited and hugging me and asking me if I was coming back to teach. But I explained that I was just finishing course work. They were bringing up advise I gave them or wanting to know if I remembered their names. It was bittersweet. But it is days like this that remind me that teaching is what I am meant to do.