Before I had children, I knew exactly what type of parent I would be. I knew without a doubt that I would NEVER be one of those weepy parents when their children started school for the first time. Well, kids have a way of making you eat your words. My daughter is starting PreK this year, and I’ve become a bit of a basket case. Seriously, you’d think she was moving away for her freshman year of college and not going to a school five minutes away from me. I’ve worked ever since she was born, but we were fortunate enough to have an amazing woman keep her while I was at school. After four years, she is like a member of our family, and we love her dearly. This will be a whole new experience, and I lay awake at night and worry about so many different things. From serious concerns-Will her teacher like her? Will she be able to make any friends? Will she lose her innocence? To an array of completely petty things-What if she puts her shoes on the wrong feet? Will anyone help her if she can’t zip her jacket? I know it probably sounds crazy, but the unknown is so scary to me.
This has really hit home the massive responsibility I have as a teacher of taking care of other parents’ babies. They’re trusting me the same way I have to trust my daughter’s teacher. I’ve always tried to treat my students the way I would want my own children treated, and worked with their parents the way I want my children’s teachers to work with me. I think that now, more than ever, I see the importance of developing a relationship with my students outside of academics. I want to get to know my students on a deeper level and show them that I genuinely care about them as people. I want to find time each day to make every student in my class feel loved and special. My goal for this school year is to not allow myself to become so consumed by the academic aspect of school that I lose sight of what is really important, my students. Keep things in perspective!
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