Most of us know that being a teacher is a challenging profession. I was recently speaking with a teacher regarding just that. She was expressing her frustration in that she felt like she had not accomplished anything remotely related to teaching that day. There is a lot we have to deal with. We can start our day with the best-laid plans in place, and end it without having accomplished anything at all. At least, that is how most teachers feel! My comment to this teacher was that what I have learned over the years is that everything I do, in some form or fashion, is teaching. Daniel taught me that.

Daniel was one of my students. He was the sweetest boy with a gorgeous smile and quiet spirit. Daniel fought the good fight battling the return of leukemia. We were all excited when we found out that Daniel was in remission. But in the end, an infection in his lungs took his life. In speaking with Daniel’s mom, Sonia, and reminiscing over his time spent with me, I was reminded of the important role I play in my students and their parents’ lives. What Sonia was most grateful for, when it came to school, was her memory of Daniel’s last day in my classroom. He wasn’t feeling good; it wasn’t anything major, no fever, no runny nose, nothing to indicate that something was really wrong with him, other then that I knew he wasn’t feeling good. So, I called Sonia to see if she could pick him up from school instead of going to his babysitter after school. It meant that mom would have to leave work early and drive from the other side of town to pick up her son. She did. What it also meant was that I would have to keep Daniel with me in my classroom until close to 3:00pm, when school lets out at 2:00pm. I did. All Daniel wanted me to do that school day was hold him. I did. I was still holding him when Sonia walked into my classroom to pick him up. Unbeknown to both of us, Daniel’s leukemia had come back. Sonia wanted to thank me for caring for her son: for making that school day the best school day of his life. For me, I felt like I had accomplished nothing at all. For Sonia, I had provided her son the best school day of his life!

As a teacher, I touch lives. Whether it is the typical four or five years that life spends with me, or if that life spends just a few months or even weeks with me, I touch their lives. The minute my students walk through my classroom door, is the exact minute I begin to touch. How I touch their lives is up to me. No matter how easy or difficult that student might be, how easy or difficult their parents might be, how I respond is ultimately on me. It is my responsibility. It is my responsibility to touch my student’s life in a way that promotes educational growth, social responsibility, maturity, childlike wonder, curiosity, gross motor and fine motor skill development, academic growth, and a love for learning. It is my job to provide a learning environment that fosters a sense of belonging, a feeling of safety, and high expectations; where my students know that they are loved and cared for. I have learned over the years that, on any given school day, my touch may not have anything to do with education, but everything to do with humanity. And that’s OK.             Just as much learning occurs whether I teach or whether I comfort. Whether I educate or whether I lend a listening ear. Whether I impart knowledge or feed a hungry student. When I demonstrate compassion and empathy. When I do not laugh at the expense of another student’s feelings, actions, or words. When I do not ignore bullying, teasing, and obnoxious behavior. When I encourage the student who doesn’t want to be encouraged. When I don’t give up on the student who has given up on him/herself. When I demand more, insist on discipline, and set high standards. I am more then just a teacher. I am a role model, and information provider, a facilitator, planner, resource developer, and so much more.

As I reflect back over my many years of teaching, I can see where I have spent considerable time teaching humanity. Someone once said that education is not preparation for life; education is life itself! Yes, you may have started your day with the best-laid plans in place, and somewhere along the way, circumstance changed things. It’s OK. Because somewhere in your school day, you taught life!