Take a minute to think back through the million different moments you’ve spent in a classroom. What do you remember most?
A while back, one of my former students told me one of her favorite memories from the year she was in my fourth grade class.
She was working at her desk during writing time, listening to the song Build Me Up Buttercup in the background. (It was the American Idol season of Clay Aiken and we had quite a few fans in our class!) For no reason at all, I came over, took her by the hand and we started dancing around the classroom.
She’s about to graduate from high school, and I just received a super sweet note thanking me for being an important influence in her life. Now that’s a reason to teach.
Whatever you decide to do each day, don’t forget to dance.
A while back, one of my former students told me one of her favorite memories from the year she was in my fourth grade class.
She was working at her desk during writing time, listening to the song Build Me Up Buttercup in the background. (It was the American Idol season of Clay Aiken and we had quite a few fans in our class!) For no reason at all, I came over, took her by the hand and we started dancing around the classroom.I’ve come to realize that moments like that represent my beliefs as a teacher. It is our experiences that help create our motivation, excitement, and love of learning. Teachers nurture our passions, interests, and sense of wonder. They teach us to be proud of ourselves and to learn from our successes and our mistakes. And we learn best when we’re in environments that make us feel comfortable, safe, and valued. Neither one of us remembers what she was writing about that day, but we created something to write about.
She’s about to graduate from high school, and I just received a super sweet note thanking me for being an important influence in her life. Now that’s a reason to teach.
Whatever you decide to do each day, don’t forget to dance.
