Appreciation

Teachers rarely get the appreciation they deserve. Especially high school teachers and especially, especially, special education high school teachers. By high school the students are too old and cool to ever think to be grateful for all you do for them. Most parents by this time think of sped teachers as the enemy. It can be disheartening at times, so any little thank you you get can mean a lot!

I got an email from an old student of mine today telling me he had a daughter and named her Leah after me. How sweet is that. This student was a pretty rough and tough guy with many behavior issues. He had a difficult family life and was close to dropping out of school. My goal from day one was to make sure he felt safe and comfortable in my classroom. I tried my best to give him a positive adult role model and to show him that I genuinely cared about him. His tough guy wall eventually came down and I got to know the real him. He turned out to be one of my favorite students. He did finish school and is now working and seems happy.

So, for all you teachers out there-you are changing someone's life, even if you think everything you are doing is going unnoticed.