How appropriate that this week comes in May. As teachers we are all finishing up the school year and counting the days until summer. It is the time of year we look back on what we have done during the school year while remembering the ups and downs we had with “our kids.” We often wonder if we have an impact on the lives of the youngsters we see on a daily basis. We wonder if the hours we spent grading papers, crafting lessons, learning new strategies and methods made a difference.
We are like the farmers of young people. We plant seeds to inspire our young learners to love finding out new things, be good citizens and have successful lives. We water the seeds throughout the years yet many times these young people are long gone before we get to see the “harvest.” I often wonder if my former students remember my class at all. I wonder what has become of them, what they are doing, are they using anything I taught them or if they are happy with families of their own.
I have heard through Facebook from several of my former students this week. Some are working with the Spanish I taught them, some are not, but they all mentioned something they remembered about their time with me in class. None of their memories had to do with the content I taught, but the emotional connections we had, how they felt in class and what activities we did (especially if it was a game).
After having taught for more than 30 years, I have seen more than 5,000 students in my classroom. When I heard from these former students my eyes got teary (something quite unusual for me) and I was very touched to hear from them. It made my day. The next time I had a difficult situation with one of my current students, I took a deep breath and remembered the comments from these grown “seeds.”
To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, I encourage you to reach out to a former teacher. Let them know you remember them, tell them what they taught you, tell them what impact they had on you. It’s not the muffins, cookies and treats that mean the most to a teacher (although those things are appreciated too) it is these connections that make a difficult job worth it. If you don’t know how to reach them, send a note to the school — we can usually find our retired friends.
Yours in Education,
Alison C. Grier
President, Newton Community Education Association