Kelly KleinI was inspired to write this after running into an old high school teacher, and knowing that many teachers may not know how appreciated they are.
I’m sure a lot of teachers don’t realize the difference they make to their students. There are kids who may never do well in school, or act like they don’t care about school, or don’t even let it on that a particular teacher had an impact on their lives. You just never know what you are doing for that kid. You may never know until you run into them years later. Even then, they might not let on that your encouragement has helped them through tough times. You never know which kid will be affected by your example, your encouragement, the lessons they’ve learned from you – whether in the classroom or after the bell rings.
I had some discouraging words said to me by a guidance counsellor in high school. I let those words hold me back. I believed what she told me – that I couldn’t be what I wanted to be because I wasn’t good in school.
There were two teachers especially in that high school that gave me the opposite. Lately I’ve been thinking about their encouragement and realize I should have listened to them. They saw in me what I didn’t see in myself. Only now am I beginning to see it. I don’t remember specifically what these teachers said to me, yet I remember verbatim what the guidance counsellor told me. I wondered why. Then it hit me. It was because those teachers were a constant presence in my life, and there wasn’t one specific moment. There were many. I also had two teachers in junior high that were that presence for me. I remember them with fondness.
If you are a teacher, you may not know the difference you make. You go to work, you do your best in the classroom, and it may seem like you aren’t getting through sometimes. You may wonder if what you do matters. Please know that you DO make a difference. What you do is SO worth it. There are kids who have grown up and moved on that take your encouragement and hold onto it during the darkest days. You may never know this. Either you never see them again; or if you do, they may not tell you directly the impact you had. What you do is so important.
I was a C-average student. I didn’t study. I sometimes skipped class. I was painfully shy. You wouldn’t think I got anything out of school. I’m like a lot of kids out there. Yet, I still took with me the life lessons and the encouragement. Yes, what is learned in the classroom is important, but there’s so much more. School is more than just math tests, science experiments, and essays. What we learn in the classroom could be translated to other areas of life.
This message is dedicated to teachers at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels; university and college professors; daycare and early childhood teachers; parents, because they also have a role of mentorship in their kids’ lives; and all teachers everywhere. Special note goes to two of my high school teachers (Sir John A. Macdonald High School): Mr. Boutilier and Ms. Munro; and two of my junior high school teachers (Timberlea Junior High School): Mme. Corkum and M. Thibeau. I liked all my teachers throughout school, but those are the four that stood out. They encouraged me and believed I could do more than I thought I could – not just in school, but in life.
Teaching is not an easy profession, but it is worth it.
May your life be passionate!
