30 Thankful Days - Day 15

I'm going at about an every other day average here, with my 30 Thankful Days, but honestly, if you consider how often I blog, that's pretty darn fantastic!   Join in with Dawn and others to share what we're thankful for and learn from each other how to express our gratitude.

Thankful thing #14 and #15.
My Job.
and My Students.

I LOVE my job.  Truly love it.  I think I like it about 90% of the time, if not more.  No, I don't love getting up early since school starts at 7:20 am, but I do love being out by 3.  And no, I don't love grading, but it's a necessary evil if I want my students to learn. 

What I really love are my students.  They are amazing. 

Don't doubt this next generation, friends. 

Sure, there are more and more problems, and the world is a scary place, and many teens are entitled, selfish, self-centered, and un-aware.  But give them a chance.  Who are their role models?  Snookie?  "The Situation?"  Puh-lease.  Do you blame them for being entitled, selfish, and un-aware?  I don't. 

In fact, I've learned, that when given the chance, teens will almost always rise to the occasion.  They want to be somebody, to do something big and good, to make a difference.  They want to listen, but they need to be listened to first.  They want to help, but sometimes they have to be helped first.  They want to care, but they need to be cared about first.

And I love doing that.  I love listening, helping, caring.  I love teaching them that the world is bigger than they are (Spanish teacher and Leadership teacher), but that can truly make a difference in whatever ways they can dream.  I don't mind holding them accountable when they need to be held accountable - that's part of the job, too - and being a little "mean" sometimes.  But when you're strict but it's obvious it's because you care, they tend to get it... eventually.

Coming to work is almost never a drag to me.  I'm always behind because I always have students in my room, but I don't mind.  They learn from me, and I learn from them. 

And they're so funny.  They care about me, too.  About teachers, I mean.  If given the chance to care, they care.  I have a whole slew of high school boys and girls who are seriously invested in my life and my son.  They want to know everything.  They want to be involved.  They want to be a part of what I know.

Because, you see, they want to be a part of anything they can be, and they hope it's good.  They don't want to be left on the outside, looking in.  They want to be active, involved, together.  Sometimes the only people that will "take" them are the ones who encourage them down a path that might not be so good - but the need to be involved, to be a part of something, is great.  And so they go.  But give them the chance to go another way?  To be involved somewhere else?  To have people?  They'll get there, eventually. 

Somebody has to give them the chance first.  Somebody has to believe in them, to trust in them, to provide them with the opportunity.  But they want to be good, to do amazing things, to be important for good reasons. 

Don't doubt them, friends.

And so, I love my students.  Even the "bad" ones.

And I love my job.  Because getting to be with and interact with and teach and learn from these amazing young people is so worthwhile.  Because not a day goes by where I don't laugh and laugh and laugh at something that's been said.  Because watching students have a moment where they "click" with something - be it something we're learning in Spanish, be it a life lesson, be it a leadership strategy - makes every other piece - the grading, the meetings, the politics- all completely worth it.

I hope you like your job and the people with whom you work even half as much as I do.... because if you do, you're probably pretty content!