This semester for me has been a roller coaster of emotion
when it comes to my own perspectives on teaching. The harsh reality of
standardized testing and its prominence, combined with the bureaucratic
nonsense that often seems to take place in schools, combined with outside
criticisms that teachers are not doing their jobs, all make me question why I
even want to continue teaching in the first place. There were days this
semester when I legitimately wondered, “why am I planning to enter a classroom
again next year?”
Recently, however, I have heard a great deal from my former
students. Of course, as a teacher, this is a great sign. They had my class for
a year (or two) and still like me enough to talk to me!? I’ll take it. Several
students contacted met to see if I would be able to attend their graduation
(which unfortunately coincides with my own graduation from graduate school) and
another student informed me that she would be pursuing a degree in English
education, and wanted to thank me for influencing her choice. In each case, I
am thrilled with the decisions and successes of my students, and am incredibly
excited to see where their futures will take them.
I don’t mean to highlight these interactions as a form of
bragging rights, although I am genuinely proud of my former students, their
accomplishments, and their appreciation for their past educational experiences.
More than anything, I highlight these interactions because they grounded me
back to thinking about what teaching is really all about in the first place-
our students. I improve my knowledge of digital literacies, young adult
literature, alternative assessments, and countless other areas not ultimately
for myself, but for my future students. Reentering the overwhelming education
realm, in all its bureaucratic nonsense and uncertainty, is for students. And
small interactions with my formers students remind me of why I love teaching.
As it is, in fact, teacher appreciation week, I want to give
a shout out to all of the amazing and hardworking teachers in my life—both
my peers as well as my former and current teachers. I applaud the time and effort you spend
shaping children every day, and know I would not be the individual I am today
without the countless, fantastic teachers I was (and am) lucky enough to have
who shaped and molded my learning and believed in me. As for me, I am
incredibly excited to continue working with young people next year, and as I reflect on
my graduate school experience, I can’t help but be excited about all of the new
ideas and possibilities I now envision for my future students.
