Just a Teacher

I worked with a substitute once.
When there weren't any students in the room we chatted a bit. And she asked me a question.

A question which I'm sure was meant to compliment my intelligence...but in all actuality it offended me.

So what's next for you? I'm sure you want to do more than just teaching.

I didn't have a good response at the time...but the more I think about it the more I know exactly what I want to say next time someone asks me.

Oh, but I already do more than "just teaching."

Sure I teach, so that is a giant part of what I do, but in reality I do SO much more than that.

I am a mentor.
officially and otherwise. I have a student I am a mentor to, but I like to think I mentor all of my students, or at least the ones who will open up to me that way. I like to check in with my students and see how they are doing; to check in with their other teachers and see what they need. I give them encouragement to do well in school and try to encourage them to do their best in order to get the most out of life.

I am a shoulder to lean on.
Kids have bad days, its part of life. I am there to comfort them if they will let me, to give them space if that's what they need. To care for them as they can't help but cry in front of their classmates. To welcome a hug or to give a pat on the back. I am the adult there for my students when they need someone to look to for comfort.

I am a momma bear to a sick lil one. 
But really though, I do get called mom on occasion. Remember those days when you got sent to school even though you didn't feel well? You didn't have a fever and mom had to go to work. It wasn't bad enough to stay home...but it wasn't good enough to want to be at school either. I'm there for those kids to acknowledge that they don't feel well. To feel their foreheads and reassure them that they don't have a fever. To let them get a drink of water which feels like liquid gold to a sick child in the middle of the school day. To let them rest their lil heads on the desk when their head is pounding.

I am the relief after your bad weekend.
Kids go through a lot these days. Poverty, parents getting divorced, many worse things. It is a lot for the child, and the weekend can be a nightmare. I have actually heard students saying they didn't want to go home for the weekend; that Friday is weird because it is a fun day of school but that its sad because they cannot come to school on the weekend. On Monday we are back; back to love them, back to entertain them, to make sure they have what they need, to bear the brunt of their anger, to dry their tears. We teachers are there to listen to them, to show patience and mercy, to create a safe place for our kids.

I am a writer.
I write lessons, I write word problems, I write the rules to new board games, and I write legal documents. I am a special educator, my student's educational future is in my hands. I write up 15-18 page legal documents that stay with the student at every school they attend. I have a chance to give them support and service, and to document it in a legally binding document.

I am a creator.
Students learn best when they are engaged. Students are engaged when they think it is fun. I am constantly thinking of new games for my students to use to practice skills that are critical to their progress in the regular education setting. I create ways to make learning addition and subtraction for the 6th month in a row fun again. I create reasons to smile in the middle...or even at the end of the day.

I am an actress.
Teaching is 90% acting. I write my own scripts by writing lesson plans....but life doesn't always go as planned and I end up running improv mode (I am so glad I took an improv class in high school). I am able to think on my feet and work with technology glitches...just today my technology quit working just as I had planned on my students going online...welp time to come up with something new before I lose the interest of my students!

I am a puzzle solver.
Special needs students are like puzzles; no two are alike yet many times the end goal is the same. Five children all need to learn the same math skill by the end of the year, but their brains work in very different ways. I admit it is frustrating in the beginning of the year when it feels like I am making zero progress. This point in the year, however when we are heading right towards, or surpassing mastery is the best thing in the world! Getting to that mastery, that is the puzzle...how can I present the same information in five different ways in order to make it make sense? How can I find where you are getting stuck?

So now I guess I have a much better response to give someone the next time they ask. I am so much more than a teacher.