A Note To Our Fellow Teachers

In the midst of the winter slump, this one is for you fellow teachers.  

This one is for you. 

To the teacher who starts every day with a fresh face and a smile for each student, and parent, no matter what happened the day before;

To the teacher is on, all the time, ready to take on whatever or whoever comes their way;

To the teacher who finds a way, every day, to find that joy.  You know the one.  The reward of helping s child to understand;

To the teacher who communicates - who emails, who writes notes, who greets parents at the door, you keeps everyone in the know;

To the teacher who keeps a pen and paper on their night stand to jot down ideas, whenever they come, usually in the middle of the night;

To the teacher who smiles and praises a child's piece of writing, no matter the spelling mistakes and run on sentences, because they know that writing is just as much a piece of art as it is an essential form of communication;

To the teacher who reads aloud to their students, proudly mimicking voices of characters and suspenseful moments, bringing a connection of joy to reading for each and every listener; 

To the teacher who always first looks for ways a child is right rather than correcting the ways in which they were wrong;

To the teacher who wants a child to show their work, even when their answer is wrong, just so it proves that the child truly did try and their efforts always have worth;

To the teacher who packs an extra apple (or more) in their lunch bag, just in case someone in their class comes without;

To the teacher who knows each student, truly knows each of them - where they come from, who they are, and who they want to be;

To the teacher who seeks the shining light in every child, creating opportunities that highlight the uniqueness and strength of each child;

To the teacher who has truly never thought a child to be bad;

To the teacher who talks to their students as individuals, respecting their emotions, their perspective, and supporting their originality;

To the teacher who replays moments of the day over and over in their head, whether you want to or not;

To the teacher who spends snow days and holidays prepping, catching up, planning, Pinteresting, reading, and most of all, thinking of ways to engage that one child;

To the teacher who plans their wardrobe not according to their mood or the weather, but to the day's activities ahead, which could be anything from painting, to soccer, to knee deep in a pond;

To the teacher who learns just as much from their students as their students learn from them;

To the teacher who actually understands what it means to reflect, and actually does so;

To the teacher who taught themselves phonics and base ten because it quickly became apparent it was necessary to know;

To the teacher who shares their resources, ideas, and experiences with colleagues, because honestly, why wouldn't you;

To the teacher who seeks out cool new apps, programs, and technologies and then actually uses them with their students, more than once or twice;

To the teacher who stays up late correcting quizzes, baking for the bake sale, designing projects, researching information, writing emails to parents, or putting the finishing touches on presenting student work;

To the teacher who reads young adult novels for pleasure, not because you have to read it to your students, but simply because you always get sucked into their suspenseful and adventurous plots;

To the teacher who spends an obscene amount of time organizing, colour coding, labelling, stacking, sorting, cleaning, folding, repurposing and replenishing;

To the teacher who connects the foam mats by a pattern, every time, just because;

To the teacher who ensures that each child has seen you smile, every day;

To the teacher who frequently spends their own money on school supplies, apps, games, books, programs, and resources without so much as a second thought;

To the teacher who turns a teachable moment into a teachable hour, week, month or term.; 

To the teacher whose last minute, unplanned activities often end up being the most influential, creative, and engaging activities you've ever taught. 

To the teacher who calls their students their 'kids' because when you care about your job that much, you really care about them like they're your own children;

To the teacher whose most memorable students, the ones who have truly taught you more about life, offered you the most rewarding experiences, and have confirmed your reasons for wanting to be a teacher, are often the ones others have let slip through the cracks or let go astray;

To the teacher who still thinks about those past students and wonders how they're doing today;

To you, teacher.  This note is for you.  

We just wanted you to know that we appreciate you.  We know you go above and beyond, and that's just who you are, and your students are benefiting because of it.  

Never stop being who are and doing what you love.  You are creating miracles every day.  You are influencing a growing generation to be independent, creative, strong, and supportive individuals.  You matter and your teaching matters. 

You are truly meant to be a teacher and we thank you.  You are doing a great job.  Keep up the good work. 

Written by two teachers who love what they do.
Founders, Via Via Academy