Dudley Shoals Elementary

I Didn't Know

I didn't know that years of school and a college degree would be
of little consolation when facing a room full of bright little eyes
on the first day of school. I thought I was ready...
I didn't know that five minutes can seem like five hours when there
is idle time and an eight hour school day far too short for a
well-planned day of teaching.
I didn't know that teaching children was only a fraction of my job.
No one tells you about the conferences and phone calls, faculty
meetings and committees, paperwork and paperwork...
I didn't know that it took so long to cut out letters, draw and
color pictures, laminate-all for those bulletin boards that were
always "just there"...
I didn't know that I would become such a scavenger, and that teaching materials would feel like pure gold in my hands...
I didn't know that an administration and co-workers that support
and help you could make such a difference...
I didn't know that there would be children that I loved and cared
for and stayed up late worrying about, who, one day,
would simply not show up.
And that I would never see them again...
I didn't know that I can't always dry little tears and mend
broken hearts. I thought I could always make a difference...
I didn't know that the sound of children's laughter could drown
out the sound of all the world's sadness...
I didn't know that children could feel so profoundly.
A broken heart knows no age.
I didn't know that a single "yes ma'am" from a disrespectful child
or a note in my desk that says "You're the best!" could make me feel
like I'm on top of a mountain and forget the valleys I forged to get there...
I never knew that after one year of teaching I would feel so much
wiser, more tired, sadder and happier, all at once.
And that I would no longer call teaching my job, but my privilege.

~Author Unknown~

~~I found this poem a few years ago as I was finishing up my Master's Degree in Elementary Education. It was the perfect ending to the two years that I spent working on becoming a better teacher.  How perfect it is!  So many times, people often comment how easy teaching is--that we work from 7:45-3:15 and have the summers off.  Yes, that is true, but teaching is so much more.  I think about the kids in my classroom constantly throughout the day and night.  I am always planning and talking to others that I work with to make my classroom a better place.  I treat each kid in my room as he/she were my own.  Essentially, I am their "2nd mom!!!"  Even during the summers, the work doesn't stop. 

During this year, please remember that I have your child's best interest at heart.  If you ever have any concerns, questions, suggestions, or praise, feel free to let me know.  I want to work WITH you to help your child succeed!