Insanity

As a primary teacher, I have my sanity questioned quite often. 

"Why on earth did you choose to teach?" 
"Why do you want to spend your whole day with other people's kids?" 
"Do you ever get tired of cleaning up vomit, snot, and other things that fall out of children during the day?"

Primary teachers are a different breed, and anyone who has spent their day in the trenches of an elementary classroom can confirm this fact.  The truth of the matter is this:  

1.  Yes, teaching is hard and yes, I love every minute of it.  Sure, I could do without the vomit and the snot, but I absolutely love what I do!  I feel honored to spend the day with the children in my classroom.  They are all unique and amazing little people and they make me laugh everyday!  Most people only get to experience the success of their own child. I get to experience the small successes of 20+ children each day and that feeling is inexplicable.  To watch that very moment when it "clicks" and a student understands something for the first time is beyond words.  Being their cheerleader all year and celebrating along with them when they reach their goal is indescribable.  

2.  No, not every day is easy.  In fact, many days are just plain hard.  There are hurt feelings, tears, skinned knees, and wiggly teeth to deal with on a regular basis.  There are cries of "I miss my mom" and "no one will play with me".  There are little hearts breaking because of things that happened long before they even arrived at the door of my classroom.  Each day, teachers pick up these pieces and help to put them back together with love, patience and compassion.  It is a slow process of earning trust and respect.  It is a process we repeat day after day, in hopes of providing a sense of belonging and comfort to all of our students. 

3. Our students have some heartbreaking stories and truly overwhelming situations that I cannot even fathom.  These are the hardest days.  These are the days that keep me in tears long after I lock my classroom door.  These are the days that they don't teach you about in college.  Nothing can prepare you for the first time you experience this with one of your students.  It is gut-wrenching and will bring you to your knees.  You struggle to find the right words to comfort the little person in front of you and you feel at a complete loss to help them.  When the words won't come, you just hold them tightly and cry along with them.  

Why do we do it?  Why do teachers all over this country put their hearts and souls into their "job"?  It's simple, really.  Children are not just a "job" that we can clock out of at 3 p.m. each day.  Children are a life long commitment. They are a part of our lives from that very first moment they enter our classrooms.  They are "our kids".  We will continue to be one of their biggest fans and we will always root for them!  We will always care about them and watch over them and we will always love them. That's what teachers do, we invest in these children for the long haul and there is nothing insane about that.