The best part of my job can also be the toughest part of my job.....and that is how much I care about my students. I don't know if every teacher experiences the same feeling, if it's unique to a few of us, or even if it's unique to our small school. I see it in other teachers that I work with. In fact, today I saw it in all of us.
For me, it's so easy to begin to care about their lives. I see them every day for 9 months. They tell me their stories. They share their worries. They tell me when they aren't feeling well and I find band-aids and ice packs. They share what they did over the weekend. I help them solve arguments with their friends. I help build confidence in their academic achievements, even if that means earning a 'C' instead of a 'D'. I become part of their lives. So caring about them comes naturally.
Today I felt so many emotions for one of my old students. He was in my class two years ago and is now a 5th grader. I knew when he was in my class that he was a great kid with really great parents. In fact, every teacher that ever had him in their class has said the same thing. Today, I watched him do what no 5th grader should ever have to do.....he gave his father's eulogy.
As soon as I heard his voice the tears began to flow freely. I cried because I knew the great relationship he had with his dad. I cried because I wished I could do something to ease his pain and yet what could stop that kind of hurt? I also cried because I was proud of him. He stood up in front of probably more than 100 people and spoke with such bravery, poise, and grace. I can't even tell his story without the tears beginning to well up in my eyes and yet he stood there in front of all of us and spoke with conviction. He mentioned a few things that he would miss about his dad but only after mentioning that he would miss everything about him. He told us the things his dad had taught him like how to shake hands and look people in the eye. His last statement was the promise that he would keep his dad's memory alive. I know he will keep that promise forever. I know this because his dad taught him at such a young age how to be a great young man. When people interact with him in the future they will see a product of a dad and a mom that spent time making memories and teaching life lessons.
And so for today, the best part of my job, the caring and sharing in their lives, became the toughest part. It has been emotional for all of the teachers at our school. We all care about this student and his family. And yet, all of us love what we do. We will be there on Tuesday to welcome him back to school. We will be there in April when it's his day's birthday to help him get through the day. We'll continue to pray for him. We'll be there at his 5th grade graduation to help him celebrate his accomplishment. We'll do all of this because caring about students..... that is the best part of our job.
