Thursday, August 6, 2015

Wonderful Teachers are Just Regular People in Disguise

As we're preparing for schools to start up again - does it seem to happen earlier and earlier every year where you live too? - I wanted to take a moment to salute our teachers.  Not just those our "big kids" will see in school each day.  We also have all the dance teachers, sports coaches, art, language, music, etc. teachers who we'll meet each day.  Cut them - and you - a break, we all have a passion to help you and your child be something wonderful!

When I take any kind of class I always see the teacher as magical creature who has all the answers both in and out of the classroom.

I watch the owner of the dance studio we attend teaching her youngest students with such accomplishment- a whole class of toddlers are excited to see her, they mostly cooperate with anything she asks of them, and the exit class smiling and excited. Surly she must have the same success with her own small child.  Or, take for example, the teacher in an online workshop in which I'm studying about deaf childhood development.  As a school employee, she must certainly have incredible victories with every child on her caseload.  Even my own fitness quest can provide examples as each instructor undoubtedly maintains a perfect fitness and nutrition regimen every day.

Now, in my head, I know this isn't the case.  Each of these teachers is human.  They have a some great information to share, but they have good days and bad days.  There are days when what they know *should* work  - doesn't.  There are days when they don't follow their own great advice.  There are days where it just seems that everything goes wrong no matter what you try.  Still there tends to be a mystical perfection I apply to people in such positions in my life.

If for no other reason, I should know this because I'm a teacher, and mystical, magical perfection is far from a part of my life!  I hope that the families I work with see me as someone a lot like them - a mom who's very much human and just trying to do the best I can for my family.  The fact that I get to share my passion for language and children and early communication with them, and that it helps them too, is just a bonus.

Here's a story to prove it  - in case you need a reminder like I often do:

I was having a heck of a day - one of those where it seems like the universe is just against you no matter how many nice things you try to do.  After dealing with teething-induced tantrums, running late to teach my class, ruining the birthday cake I tried to bake for my husband, and not having a birthday present to give him, I let myself have a good cry before going to pick up said teething 2-year-old from daycare.

My plan was to pick him up early, go shopping together for birthday presents, then go to his weekly dance class.

3:45: Get in the car, give Mr. L. a snack and a sippy cup - he's thrilled!

3:47: Start "Elsa" in the CD player - life is grand!

4:00: Arrive at department store. "Doctor" is the exclamation from my back seat.  "You think this looks like the doctor's office?"  (The brick store looks nothing like our doctor's office with a white exterior.)  "This is a store.  We're going to buy some birthday presents for Daddy."

4:01: My phone rings as we're about to get out of the car.  We talk to Daddy for a few minutes about our game plan for the evening.

4:05: We enter the store, and I try to sit Mr. L. in a buggy.  He refuses, and he insists on walking. I'm learning to work with his newly demanded discovered independence, so I take a deep breath and make a mental list of all the tools I have to keep him in sight, buy birthday presents for Daddy, and still get to dance class on time.

4:15: My mental list is exhausted.  I am totally unable to keep him in my sight and do more than randomly grab things off of the shelf.

4:16: I take a deep breath and try to re-group while I retrieve Mr. L. from the little girl's shoe aisle. I kneel down to his level: "Mommy needs to be able to SEE (I sign see.) you.  If you want to walk, you need to stay where I can SEE you.  If you keep running off where I can't SEE you, you're going to have to ride (SIT) in the buggy.

4:20: We've made it through kitchen supplies.  Mr. L. let me hold him as we made our way down the aisles, so we avoided breaking any of the display items!  We're headed down the main aisle to men's clothing.  I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that we'll get what we need.

4:21: I bend down to look at golf shirts on a low self.  I look up, and can't see Mr. L.  Luckily, his winter boots are anything but quiet, so I know right where he is.

4:22:  I pick him up and try to sit him in the buggy with the reminder "Mommy needs to be able to see you.  You keep running off, so you're going to have to sit in the cart for now."  Can you guess how this disappointment went?

4:25: I remind myself that I'm doing fine.  I expected the resistance, the kicking, and some verbal protests. "Keep him engaged, let him help.  It will be short lived."  (Am I the only one who gives myself mental pep talks?)

4:26:  Mr. L. is still screaming and trying to climb out of his seat.  I'm trying to follow my own advice.  "Which one of these should we get for Daddy?"  "What color shirt do you like?" If anything, these questions only irritate him further.  Now instead of protesting, his screams sound as though I'm torturing him.  I'm certain everyone is staring at me even though it's mid-afternoon and the store is nearly empty.  Are the security cameras turning in my direction too?

4:27: With tears springing to my eyes, I pick Mr. L. up out of the cart and hug him to me for a chat. I feel the weight of the day sitting on my shoulder.  "Mommy feels the same way, bud. We need to find a birthday present for Daddy, though.  Can you help me?"  Momentarily, I contemplate leaving and buying nothing. Mr. L.'s tantrum intensifies.  Now he's screaming even louder (how is that even possible?!) and trying to throw himself out of my arms.  I sit him back in the buggy seat as carefully as I can and try to ignore his screams, talking to him as though it were any normal shopping trip.  I'm thinking of all the stories I've read about moms who've been applauded or criticized in similar situations.  "Just get what you need as quickly as you can.  Stay calm.  You're doing fine.  If anyone says something negative to you, just ignore them."

4:32: Realizing I've just walked the same path through men's clothing for probably the 50th time, I give up.  Nothing I'm trying is working. I can't focus.  I'm so distracted, I don't even remember there are bubbles in my purse!  I decide to purchase the couple of things I've already picked out and move on.

4:37: We're back in the car.  I'm trying to figure out how to kill time until dance class.  I'm disappointed with the results of our trip. but I'm proud that I kept my cool and dealt with the situation.  We end up driving around for a while.  Mr. L. calmly looks out the window and takes in everything going by.

6:15: Dance class lets out.  Mr. L. participated and behaved like any other toddler - mostly doing what he was asked and needing a few reminders.  We head home for dinner and bed.

I'm very much human!  

My tools and strategies aren't always successful.  In many ways, we are probably a lot alike.  We love young children, and we want to offer them the valuable gift of early communication.  No one has all the answers all the time, but we are invested in learning as many of them as possible!

If you're a parent, you are your baby's first teacher.  If you're a school teacher, a child care teacher, a teacher of teachers, a music teacher, a coach, etc., etc., etc., THANK YOU for all you do.  You are human, but you wear a superhero costume sometimes - you're a teacher!

You're doing a great job.  Stop for a minute today.  Take a deep breath and pat yourself on the back.  Not every situation will go off without a hitch - but you're doing great work!

40 comments:

  1. What a great and timely reminder! (One we all need for ourselves too!) So glad we are neighbors over at Kelly's place today for Small Wonders!

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    1. I'm not sure about other places, but our schools seem to be back in session earlier than ever this year! Thanks for stopping by.

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  2. You're doing great! Here from Inspire Me Monday.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by with such sweet words, Melinda!

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  3. Glad you were able to maintain your cool. Great tools to use too. Now if only my toddler puppy would go to sleep. He doesn't speak English. LOL Thanks for the inspiration. Visiting from #RaRa linkkup. ;)

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    1. I'm not too well versed in toddler puppies....I do know people have taught their dogs to follow signed commands, though! We have cats - you can't teach cat's much of anything in my experience....they seem to rule the roost! Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. My kids are 6 and 9 and they still exhaust me on trips to the store, its just a new kind of exhaustion. I do remember their toddler days VERY well, though. Yes, teachers do SO much. I can't even imagine, especially my daughters Kindergarten teacher last year, she had quite a class!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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    1. I'm learning that there are difficult things to handle at every stage, but there's new things to love and wonder about too! We learn and grow as moms during that time, too - life just keeps evolving! I don't envy preschool or Kindergarten teachers for sure - they are a special breed! Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Thank you for this! Today I found a note written by the mums of one of my students. She thanked me for the love I had shown her Child. It is the most special note I have ever received from a parent. I know I don't always get it right but I love my job and love the kids that I teach. That's why I do it!!!

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    1. Heartfelt notes are always the best gift! Our caring for our students -at any age is just as important as the facts we teach. Thanks for doing what you do, and for stopping by to visit.

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  6. Oh that brought back memories! Good luck to you -- parenting is truly the toughest (and most rewarding) job! Thank you for sharing with us at the Inspire Me Mondays Link-Up!

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    1. It is absolutely both! We're still learning each other, but we'll get there. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Life is a learning experience and we learn something new each day. I sometimes wish I might have done a few things differently here and there. However, I am forever grateful for the wonderful teachers my kids all had.

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    1. There are so many teachers in a child's life. I think the "unofficial" ones often teach us just as much as we learn in the classroom, too. I'm glad you have so many great teachers to hold in your heart. Thanks for dropping by.

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  8. I remember our daughter's 4th-grade teacher especially. She was a great teacher and I also got along with her in a real-life way. But, you're right that we think of the teachers as not having any problems, so this is a great reminder.

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    1. I often have to remind myself of this, too. When I get ruffled by one of my boys' teachers, I try to remember all the other things in their life too. We all have rough times! Having a teacher we can really connect with - as a student or a parent - is so wonderful and really makes the time together special and memorable. I'm glad you have a great one to hang on to! Thanks for dropping by.

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  9. My wife is a school teacher and it sometimes seems parents are never happy with results. This is the reason I'm not in the classroom every morning asking my sons teacher questions.

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    1. It's definitely easy to get caught up in our emotions, sometimes. I'm sure your son's teacher appreciates knowing she can take a breath! Thanks for stopping by.

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  10. Oh how easily our best laid plans can be to our own detriment at times, especially with little ones around. Sometimes it's helpful for me to remember that even Baby Boy has his own ideas about how/what/where/when things should/n't happen and what his participation level will be. After all, not only am I human, so is he! :)

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    1. Little ones sure do add an extra level of complexity. We were both having a rough day - when we are on our game and we remember our tools - be it bubbles, signs, or spoken words, things go so much more smoothly! We don't (either of us) always get what we want, but it sure does take the stress out when we can talk about it! Thanks for stopping by.

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  11. Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday this week! Thank you for the reminder and for the encouragement. Hope to see you link up again this Sunday :)

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    1. Thanks for dropping in, I always enjoy seeing who will be joining me at your link up! Thanks for always visiting.

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  12. Great story! Thank for linking up at the Thoughtful Spot Blog Hop! :)

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  13. Just wanted you to know I'll be featuring this on my Tuesday Talk next week in my honoring teachers edition. Thanks for sharing on our Tuesday Talk link up.

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    1. I'm honored to be included as part of your celebration of teachers. Thanks for helping to host such a great link up and for stopping by with great news!

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  14. Great article! Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday:-)

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  15. Aww so perfectly described! Just about every one I think has had this situation. Things just don't work out like we plan them in our minds. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty

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    1. Shopping with little ones can be a challenge. We both needed to take a step back and remember the tools we had to communicate - we all have off days! Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. What a great post. We are all human and we must remember that when we are being so hard on ourselves for not getting things right.

    Thanks for linking up with Small Steps Amazing Achievements :0)
    x

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    1. Absolutely! We both had tools to make that work out better, but our emotions, things that happened earlier in the day, etc. got in our way. We're still learning each other even after 2 years, but we're making progress. Perhaps by the time he's 25 we can shop together with no problems. Thanks for visiting!

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  17. Great Post !! I think as kids we don't realize this and as adults we tend to 'forget'
    Thanks for linking up @LFEO :)

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    1. When we only see someone in a single setting, it's easy to think that's their whole life! Thanks for stopping by!

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  18. Such a wonderful story and a great reminder. As a former early childhood educator (and now a full time mom) I completely identify with your sentiments here.

    Wonderful teachers ARE regular people.

    Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.

    Wishing you a lovely evening.
    xoxo

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    1. Thanks for visiting with such sweet words. Thanks for all you do - as a teacher to others kids, and your own!

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  19. Keep up the good work. I don't know if I could have held my cool for so long. Maybe that's why I shop online whenever possible! :) Thank you for stopping by my blog. Have a wonderful day!

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    1. Thanks. I was so determined to make it all work out....many days I might have lost it much more quickly. I'm often too much of a procrastinator to do my shopping online.....though when I plan ahead, that's definitely the way to go! Thanks for visiting!

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  20. Thank you so much for linking up with iDEA boX ! Love your shopping story and I agree- we forget that teachers are wives/husbands and parents too!
    Your post has been featured :)
    http://milaslittlethings.com/2015/08/idea-box-thursday-link-party-24.html

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    1. Thanks for stopping by with such great news, Mila. I'm honored to be included among the features for your great party!

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