All that is to say that sometimes when teaching gets really hard (because it will...often) and you think you are really meant to be hiking through the Swiss Alps or picketing your way through the Southeast, a certain thing will happen that reminds you that teaching doesn't suck. Sometimes, and very rarely, it makes you cry happy tears (if you are the crying type of course) and helps you realize that you did something here, today, and you aren't still standing around waiting for life to happen. This little girl's mother did that for me. The following email was sent from her mom in response to an email where I expressed happiness that her daughter decided to turn this misfortune into a learning opportunity.
Hello C,
Thank you so very much for the kind note. I want to thank you also for your courage in this situation as I know that it could not have been easy for you. I truly do believe that you did the right thing by bringing up an issue that could have potentially lead to greater failures for Eve* in the future. This issue really extends beyond just the paper, but encompasses Eve's need to take responsibility for her success, as a student and individual. Life's lessons come in many different packages and it was a good one that came at the right time.
You have taught me something as well this year. First, although as parents we always want to "fix things" for our children--they actually are capable of dealing with some things and the consequences themselves. Had Eve not dealt with this situation, I do believe she would not have learned the valuable lessons as a result. Second, perhaps, our expectations (as parents) need to be calibrated so that we truly understand the plight of our children. For the first time, in many years, Eve shared with me the amount of pressure she has been under to "achieve" and that she has felt lost and under-prepared for longer than I (or anyone else for that matter ) knew.
So you see, some things happen for a reason. It's been a tough year for Eve (and us!) but I think she is stronger and better for it. Know that you have contributed to the development of a better and stronger person who will , hopefully, move forward in the direction we all wish.
I hope you enjoyed your first year as a high school teacher and hope to see you in the fall.
Have a fantastic summer!
Kindly and all the best,
Evelyn*
Wow, huh?
Teachers don't become teachers for a pat on the back, we don't do it for a stress free lifestyle, and we damn sure don't keep coming back because the county sees to it we all have lofty bank accounts. I guess teachers, the ones who suck it up and stick it out for a long time, are really just suckers for the reality that weaves our lives and the lives of others into our work. The golden thread of humanity, people, and their stories ties us to our commitments when we feel like fleeing the most.
Work as an educator isn't just work or a job with the summers off, it's life that never stops and a reality that is hard to face, that at times, can fill me up with tight-chested thoughts and leave me spinning towards the days end with thoughts of my student's home lives, hardships, and the injustices that they unknowingly face. Now that it is all said and done, I think I have learned to appreciate the realness of this work environment and the way it leaves us all vulnerable to one another. No veneers of "professionalism" from the students or the parents...they are sad so they cry, they are happy so they do a silly dance, and when they are pissed off I hear them loud and clear. I have never functioned in a place like this before. The idea that I am doing something for other people and deserve a letter of thanks like that still seems a bit foreign to me, but I dig it and it makes me feel like I have at least done one thing this semester that didn't screw somebody up.
Basically, I guess the wonderful things about teaching (which are few and far between) keep us here...for at least another year.
*Student and mother's names have been changed to protect privacy.
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