The Children

I am completely inspired by the hardworking teachers and their students who are constantly fighting to fill our country with authentic perspectives, real-life examples, and courage to fight racism and systematic oppression. Within the last week alone I have come across three separate videos that classrooms of children have planned, created, and shared with the world. Our students, with their brilliant minds, their creativity, and their compassion really are the future. I feel so extremely grateful that I will be able to soon spend my days with such inspiring youth. The videos I stumbled upon covered topics from treaty rights, to the education system, to healthcare; all of which are at the forefront of Canadian controversy and importance. Yes, these topics are controversial to some (why, I have no idea, its just money). But, these topics are also extremely important and pressing topics.

No, this battle of systematic racism that is so deeply rooted in Canadian institutions and culture is not an easy one. The Canada that I so badly dream of will never exist in my lifetime. The children who are fighting and advocating may not see how beautiful Canada could actually be if settlers forgot the stereotypes and stopped seeing skin colour as the most important thing.

So, to those students, who fight injustice, breakdown biases, disrupt Eurocentric views and inspire others, like myself, I give you a round of applause. Keep it up. This blog post is in appreciation of your hard work and unfaltering support of those who are disadvantaged in all aspects of their lives.

For the Kids

Love. Teaching is nothing without the love and dedication that teachers have for their students. I have been at the long meetings that go through each child who needs extra reading help – brainstorming of what we can do to help. I have seen the worry on teachers’ faces when they hear about problems that a child is having. I have seen tears wipes, backs rubbed, and reassurance given. These teachers are not just teaching children math and reading. No, they are there to ease the anxiety that goes along with everyday life, they are there to offer solutions to everyday problems, they are there to listen and to soothe. If all I did was walk into the classroom, teach, and leave, I would leave this profession. I stay for those smiles, those hugs, those stories — I stay for the kids. 

This thought — staying for the kids — has gone through my mind quite often in the last month or so. Yes, I work hard; my mind is always on school. But, do you know what makes it worthwhile?  Seeing my kids in the morning. Joking around. Listening to their highs and their lows. Seeing the lightbulbs go on. Smiling and laughing.

So, teachers if you are feeling down, or tired, or lonely. Think of those kids. Don’t let the long hours, hard work, or pressure of this profession get you down!

The Moments where there are no Words

Some moments deserve words, lots of words, loud words, or quiet words. Other moments speak for themselves. Those are the moments that I live for. Those are the moments that push me to keep going with this crazy career. Those are the moments that reassure me that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

These moments do not come frequently. These moments do not last for hours. Instead, this is a fleeting moment that is gone before you even knew it was there.

In my internship, I have had only a handful of these beautiful moments, but they are what I am going to remember the most.

These are the moments when you catch a student smiling at you. These are the moments when you are reminded that you are not teaching outcomes, but teaching children. These moments are the reason that I put in the long hours of planning and preparing. It makes it all worthwhile.

Those beautiful moments, that words cannot begin to explain, are the reasons that I keep going.

 

 

Love What You Do

I have so much to be thankful for lately; I have a wonderful family, my friends are angels, I am healthy and happy, and I know that I am on the path that I am supposed to be on.

Even if I have an off day throughout my week at school, I always end my Fridays by reflecting and showing gratitude for the fact that I am spending my days in an amazing profession. Every single colleague shows me support and inspires me to be the best teacher that I can be. Every single student encourages me to appreciate the little things and be kind and nurturing.

I always thought this profession would centre around marking, supervision, and coffee (yes, I still love my coffee, but there are more important things). But instead, I find that my days revolve more around how I can connect with every student, when I can find time to ask each child how their day is going, and what I can do to ensure my students are learning to be kind, compassionate, empathetic, and inspiring individuals.

Yes, of course, I spend way too much time planning but it is only because I want every student to succeed. Differentiation has never meant more to me than now that I am actually seeing it in action. Every child is unique and in no way should a group of students be treated likes clones of each other.

When working with children I always get these overwhelming feelings to do absolutely everything that I can to make their lives a little bit better. I honestly cannot even explain it. I want to rid my kiddos of all hurt, all rejection, all sadness, all humiliation. I know that I must sound sappy, but when I say that I wish them the best, I truly wish them the best lives possible.

The last month has pushed me to open my eyes to the passion that I have for this career and to my one true goal of being a constant support to my students, whether that be academically, emotionally, or mentally.

 

The Outcome

I won’t lie, over the last couple of years in university I have asked myself a couple of times why I hadn’t put my time into a career that pays a bit more for my hard work and time. When deciding to become a teacher, I also had nursing in mind. Periodically, I had a feeling of regret. This regret would disappear in a week or so but during that time, I wished for a more solid compensation for overtime hours and a higher wage. I fought this inner battle for the past year and a half or so.

As I progress further into my education program, I am starting to see a familiar trend that all of us early elementary teachers share – we do not do it for the money. Instead, we all have hearts overflowing with empathy, kindness, and sincerity for our students. We go to schools every day and we instantly see why we chose this career. Our passion is to give our students the absolute best that we can each and every day – even if that means spending our evenings and weekends preparing our teaching to better suit each one of our little learners.

Why I Teach

This quote sums up the reason that I know that I chose the right career. It is due to the smiling faces, the kind words, the difference that I can make in my students’ lives and learning.

So while I may not make huge amounts of money, what I am able to do really is priceless.

I am Teaching Children

This class has pushed me to think a lot about the type of teacher I aspire to be. Do I want to be the teacher who produces the best test scores? Do I want to encourage my students to be creative geniuses? I have realized that while I would love to achieve the goals, there is something that is more important to me. I wish to encourage students to be ambitious, kind, critical thinkers, inspiring, and respectful.

As a teacher, I want to be an inspiration to my students. Education has a huge role in a child’s life and I believe that many teachers narrow-mindedly focus on helping students develop cognitively, forgetting emotional, social, and physical development. The role of a teacher is much greater than just teaching what is in the curriculum; teachers are encouraging and supporting their students in their search of identity and self. One must remember that they are not teaching just math or science, but they are teaching CHILDREN.

This class opened my eyes to the importance of building lasting relationships with students and supporting them no matter what. Who knows, maybe with that extra support a student may excel academically. But, above academic wellness, is emotional, social and physical wellness of the child.