The Gift of Education

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Aside from all the freebies and sales, this is great time to reflect about why we are teachers.  For me, I choose this path for many reasons; all deeply personal.  

I became a teacher because of my mom and sister.  You see, I am the child of a migrant worker.  My mom, like many others during her time, never had much of a formal education.  She stopped going to school by the 4th grade.  As a child growing up, she reminded me daily of the importance of an education.  She knew what a precious gift it was because she never had it.  My sister and I each had very different experiences in school.  I was the kid who got to choose the books I read whereas she was the student who went to reading class.  I would get to do presentations while she answered the questions at the end of the story.  My dream of becoming a teacher was to give the gift of education but also to let everyone have a learning experience that is positive and makes you want to know more.  Each year, I fall in love with the people in my classroom; even the most challenging ones.  Sometimes, I love them even more because I may be the only who shows them that learning can be fun, meaningful and does not always come with a worksheet.  Nothing give me more pride than to here that sigh in the room when it is time to stop because they don't want to. Or when a child asks and even suggests our next learning topic.  

These are two stories that I shared before but reflect why I am a teacher. Read more about them here or here.

I teach because of those lightbulb moments when everything clicks.  Years from now, my students may not remember everything about their kindergarten year.  What I hope I leave them is that longing to continue to do their best and to learn more and to believe that anything is possible with an education.

Why do you teach?

Happy Teaching and Learning!

PS- All my Common Core Cheat Sheet Standards from grades k- 4 are $1 now until 5/9/12. Click on my TeachersNotebook shop on the sidebar to get yours.