We all remember the teacher who went above and beyond to show they cared.
We need to remember to not give directives that we ourselves are not willing to follow. As school systems continue to alleviate breaks more and more, and students have less and less time to socially interact with each other, how many times do teachers place an expectation for children to sit silently all day without requesting breaks, when teachers themselves are unable to do the same in all day in-service meetings?
As school begins, we need to remember to treat students the way we want to be treated. Students need times to get up and stretch, and they need opportunities to talk to each other throughout the day, as part of normal social development. They need to be given manageable tasks, and they need us as adults to show them that we understand their frustrations. They need us to remind them that they are not worthless for not understanding. They are valuable, and we care enough to get down on their level and help them through their frustrations. I remember once while trying to teach a first grade student how to count by fives, she became frustrated and said to me, "I just don't have the smarts for it." I knew that wasn't true and that I needed to instill some confidence in her in a big way. No child should give up on herself at six years old.
This teacher inspired me to remember that students need to feel valuable even in their struggles to learn. I give this teacher an A+ for loving while he teaches. That's what children need us to do. I never minimize the task of teaching. It's a monumental endeavor and I give kudos to everyone that takes on the task. Sometimes we just need some simple reminders from unlikely sources of what we're accomplishing with children.
I hope this video gives us all a reminder to be the change our students need us to be. Have a blessed beginning of the new school year.