Worth It

“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” 

Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society, Richard Dreyfus in Mr. Holland’s Opus, Morgan Freeman in Lean On Me, Michelle Pfeiffer in Dangerous Minds: this is just a few examples of inspirational movies about teachers.  We’ve all seen them and thought, “I want to do that,” but in reality, we definitely know that is Hollywood’s version of what happens every day in our world.  This job of ours is hard, and when you’ve had a hard day or week, please remember the quote above.  Teaching kids today is NOT easy, but you will have moments that make it worth it.  Let me tell you what I have seen this year.  I’ve seen one of you moved to tears in a parent conference.  I’ve seen you bring countless kids to Student Intervention Team meetings for a variety of reasons because you fight for them.  I’ve seen you hug, encourage, and cheer on kids who were not easy to cheer for.  I’ve seen you build a desk out of milk crates and a pizza box for a student with a broken arm.  I’ve seen you pay out of your own pocket for Snack Attack, jean days, and field trips.  I’ve seen you dig in old book rooms and beg teachers in other grade levels for just-right materials for a single student.  I’ve seen you give up planning time to help a child. What we do is not easy; it is not like the movies, but I believe when we approach the end of this year it will have been worth it.  This post is hopefully a big, fat “THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!”  I know about the tears shed in the bathroom and the vent sessions that are necessary on the halls, but please know you are making a difference.  And at the end of the semester and year, we will know that every tear shed and every headache endured was worth it.  You do make a difference, and it will be worth it!