The Joy of Teaching

There truly are many joys of teaching, it’s quite challenging to narrow it down to one greatest joy. However, as we finish up quarter three and begin to forge our way through the final quarter of school, joy comes in the form of the school family we have developed. Typically, it is another student being genuinely proud of a student for accomplishing a goal, or heartfelt words of encouragement when a student is struggling. Yet this year it’s different, this year I feel that we have truly survived a year of chaos together. My students have been fully remote, hybrid, back to fully remote, back to hybrid, back to fully remote, hybrid again, and now we plan for a full return to the classroom. The resilience of my classroom family is indescribable. We have conquered many challenges that were unimaginable a year ago today and through it all we have worked together. So, today, in this moment, I’m thankful for this group, this family that brings me joy on a daily basis even as the world around us seems to be in disarray. When we are together, in whatever form it may be in, magic happens.