Keep Tryin

There are moments in life we never forget. Sometimes, as teachers, we witness these moments in the lives of our students and never even know it. Other times, the important moments in the lives of our students leave such an impression that it becomes a moment we never forget either.

A couple of weeks ago one of my students had a moment at school I know she will never forget (and neither will I). Her parents are recentely divorced, and because of the economy her father had to take a job on the other side of the US. For whatever reason, her father decided to say the final goodbye when he dropped her off at school. I found her a couple of minutes later just bawling at the end of the line.

Of course, I was concerned, and I recommended to her mother that she start meeting with the school social worker. I recieved the nicest e-mail from her father about a week ago thanking me for my help. I could hear in the tone of his e-mail how hard it was for him to leave.

Today, I recieved another e-mail from her dad asking that I scan the weekly progress reports and e-mail him. At first, I was annoyed and I thought, "that is way beyond the scope of what I should be asked to do." Then, after thinking about it, I realized that this is a man trying hard to keep every connection with his daughter alive. How could I not do what I can to help?

I grew up far away from my father and he chose not to be involved in my life. Here now, is a dad trying to prevent this situation from becoming his reality in his life and his daughter's life. If keeping him very connected to the school helps, I want to do it.

Guilt Free

I kept the minutes for our third grade team meeting this week. I was the intermediary between what was said and what was reported to administration. This week, I made sure we submitted solutions instead of complaints. I also prevented my teammates from purposely not providing the resource teacher with information. I feel great about it, too.

Two weeks ago, I left my meeting feeling extremely guilty for allowing things to run the way they did. I learned from my mistake, though, and this week I did what I needed to.

Am I afraid that my teammates will turn on me if I show my true feelings about the way they treat other teachers? Yes. They hated the girl I replaced and I am not vain enough to think that they wouldn't hate me too. Yet, I know what I always know: I'll sleep better at night if I do what is right even if there are consequences for me.

AND maybe there won't be consequences for me. I have a positive relationship with my teammates and hopefully I can maintain that without compromising my own ethics. I really like all of them and they have been very kind to me, but I won't be a part of bullying other teachers. I just won't do it.