I am not who you say I am……..

Written by teachersofnovascotia

I am a teacher.  This I am sure of from the tips of my toes to the deepest part of my soul.  But I am not the teacher you say I am.

You sit behind your keyboard and screen and you tell people who I am, what I value, what I care most about.  But you don’t know me.  I do not recognize myself in who you say I am.

You say I am lazy.

You say I only care about the money.

You say I do this job for the summers off.

You say I am overpaid.

You say I don’t really teach, I just let my students watch movies.

You say I don’t care about my students.

You say I leave as soon as the bell rings.

You say I let my kids play games instead of teaching them.

You say I teach because that is what you do when you can’t do anything else.

 

I do not know this teacher.  This is not who I am. This is not who my students say I am. This is not who my family, my friends, and my colleagues say I am.  This is just who YOU THINK I am, but that is not me.

I am a hardworking teacher.

I am a teacher who cares about her students as if they were my own children.

I am a teacher who loves her job.

I am a teacher who cries when your kids cry.

I am a teacher who comforts your kids when they are hurting.

I am a teacher who celebrates with your kids when they achieve something amazing.

I am a teacher who works many evenings and weekends.

I am a teacher who sits at the dinning room table and does her homework while her kids are doing theirs.

I am a teacher who sits in the doctor’s waiting room, the gym, the dance studio, etc… with her folders of tests and assignments to mark while waiting.

I am a teacher who chaperones school activities because it benefits my students.

I am a teacher who maintains an online classroom because it benefits my students.

I am a teacher who gives extra help before school, after school and at lunch.

I am a teacher who calls parents when I am concerned about their children.

I am a teacher who calls parents when I am proud of their children.

I am a teacher who writes reference letters for my students to help them get jobs, scholarships and entrance to university.

I am a teacher who listens when your kid needs someone to talk to.

 

And most of all, I am a teacher who is grateful that I get to teach every day.

That is who I am.

 

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “I am not who you say I am……..”

  2. I love you L and I know how long you studied to be the best teacher you could be . I see you tear up when you speak of your students , You love and care for them as if they were your children… There may be teachers out there who do not care , BUT you are not one of them ….. Hang in there your life is just beginning You will I pray have many years to fill your teaching dreams …
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  3. This is not about money, it is way more than that. People do not see the dedication and many hours of work that teachers put into all of those lessons that your children benefit from. Who stays after school to do the extracurricular activities that your children get to participate in. Who gets the children ready for the school concerts without receiving any thanks or compensation for all the time and effort that is put into the production. Who digs into their own paycheck to provide school supplies and recess for those children who don’t come to school with any. Who listens to your children when they need an ear to listen. There are more things that I could list but I am not going to. I for one support the teachers decision to do what is necessary to have their terms met.

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