I walked into my empty classroom and just stared.  I had just left the Principal’s office.  No one likes having to go down that hallway and enter that office and hear the voice, “please take a seat, we need to talk.”  The students are not the only ones who get to hear that ominous phrase.  I stood in my room  and asked myself:

“Why am I a teacher?  Why am I here?”

I walked to my desk, sat down slowly.  I watched the ink run as the tear dropped onto a students paper.  More tears began to flow.  I screamed out, “I’m here for the kids!!  No one else.”

I love teaching!  I am passionate about preparing these kids for the future.  I make learning fun and I truly love every one of them; yes, even the challenging ones.  But the politics that goes along with teaching these days is enough to make you want to quit the profession.  It’s not about test scores.  students are not numbers on a paper.  They are real, warm bodies, that come to learn everyday.  I teach them about life and applying what they learn to everyday living.  They know I’m not perfect and that striving for perfection isn’t the goal.  It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey getting there.  I teach them to open their eyes to everything around them.  To see the beauty in the smallest of things.  We dance, we laugh, we learn.  I greet them every morning with a smile on my face welcoming them into a place where their imaginations can soar, their voices are heard, and their creativity can be shared.  I know I am making a difference in their lives.

But I still got the, “Please take a seat.”

“You can’t take them to the desert to study the plant life. You can’t take them hiking  to see and learn about the Az desert.  It is too close to our state testing.  REALLY???  Who wants to look at a picture of a cactus, snake, spider, or a lizard, when you can go see it up close and personal?  TESTING!  If they aren’t ready now, then I haven’t done my job.  I refuse to teach to a test.  These kids are not testing machines.  How is bubbling in A,B,C, or D going to get them anywhere in life?  AHHHH!!!!

I was doing my best to hold it all in; mind you, that is not my strength, although, it is  an area I have been working on:)  So I let it rip… Just for a minute; 60 seconds. That wasn’t too bad.   I felt I had a right to my opinion don’t you think?  The Principal didn’t see it that way.  Hmmmm.  I kindly sucked it up and told her I would cancel the outdoor experience and I was sorry for expressing myself.  (I really wasn’t).  I always tell my students their opinions are valued in our classroom and should be heard whether we agree with them or not.  I guess that doesn’t apply everywhere on campus.

The tear drops managed to cease; my focus was clear.  I had a day, I had a moment.  It is gone now.  I know why I get up every morning.

I AM A TEACHER, BECAUSE I LOVE THE KIDS AND I AM HERE, IN THE CLASSROOM EVERYDAY BECAUSE I LOVE TEACHING THE FUTURE ADULTS OF AMERICA:)

My students will be ready to take on life; the good and the bad.   To Hell with multiple choice

Keep hiking to the top!

Kimberly Rae