A Love Letter to Teaching

Dear Teaching, I miss you. The weekly zoom check-ins, car parades, google slides and SeeSaw messages are poor remnants that don’t come close to the daily magic that happens in the classroom. We’d spent the year together introducing expectations, familiarizing students with PBIS, setting, and holding boundaries. We navigated breaks, interruptions, and reteaching expectations. This was our time to fly. The magic months were creeping up! We had seen glimpses of strong routines, collaborative cooperation, and strong academics. We’d seen peeks of the time in our classroom where the community fully comes to life with pure, well oiled, and uninterrupted joy. We aren’t just missing students (a lot), we aren’t just missing the end of the year events, we are missing and grieving those magical months where a classroom of students become the community. I miss you and the feeling that comes with watching a community that blooms. 

Hi Teaching, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that the magic of all you can do has been reduced to weekly phone calls, virtual assignments, and homework packets. Amazingly, your people have braved it out and continued to do great things. New innovations are being seen each day. I hope that as time continues, the value of your work becomes known. I hope that people begin to shout from the rafters how important it is for you to continue and grow. 

Good morning, Teaching, Nice work! You’ve continued to be a space for all. A place to provide for all students, each family, and also your staff members. A place to evaluate and look at systems that need to be changed and fixed. A space for trauma-informed responses, ground zero for restorative justice, and change-makers. I hope your creativity and problem-solving continues to blossom and grow as more join in your shared vision. 

Hey Teaching, We’re in this together! Thank you for introducing me to the best and brightest around. The students I work with each day as they teach me how to approach instruction, see the world with kindness, and remind me to giggle. You also gave me the best and brightest coworkers too. Right now, I couldn’t survive without their collaboration and connection. Thank you for helping me find coworkers that became my best friends. Thank you for connecting me to team members that have different strengths and know just how to push and challenge me, kindly.  Thank you for connecting me with leaders across the state and country that are making waves and doing what’s best for kids. Without their guidance, I couldn’t bloom on my own.  Thanks for those connections too, for showing me that I’m not alone. 

Dear Teaching, Thank you. Thank you for calling me. Thank you for edging your way into my life and taking me on an incredible journey filled with passion, high fives, and laughter. Thank you for giving me a job that doesn’t spend a minute feeling like work. 

Dear Teaching, I love you. See you soon.