The things you learn

Day 326

I am thankful for staff meetings.   Well, ok, today's staff meeting.  I can't say I'm thankful for all of them.  We were discussing student success and how all children can learn at a high level and how teachers working together can make this happen.   There was a question I had difficulty with, "can all children learn at a high level?"  Well, I have to answer that with a strong No.  But that's not the way the discussion went.  There had been a part of the presentation that talked about who is included in "all" and some of my former students would have to have been excluded but no one was talking about that.

As the discussion continued I felt very anxious and was thinking a lot about my previous assignment.  I realized how that position was a soul killer for me.  I realized today that the knowledge that my students were not going to be successful in their lives and that many of them had very little in the way of safety nets did not make me a better teacher.   My emotions colored everything I did and not always in a good and beneficial way.

So, I am thankful to have the change to work that suits me, my heart and my soul.  I am grateful that there are special ed. teachers who can do my previous job and be energized and joyful in the work.