To you, the teacher who is finishing his school year and wondering if he will be able to continue this profession for a long time, I want to tip my hat to you. I want to congratulate you for having accompanied one or more groups of students throughout the year, but above all for having loved them. Because despite what we try to make you believe, if you liked them, you made it. We tell you that it is by the marks of your students that we evaluate your value as a teacher. Don’t believe it, because too many factors that are not yours come into play.
It’s not your fault if the school is falling apart, if there aren’t enough services to meet your students’ needs, if your student arrives hungry in the morning, or if their parents are separated and he is having trouble dealing with the situation. On the other hand, it is thanks to you that he wants to come to school, to find your smile and the warmth of your arms. It is thanks to you that little Coralie has regained her confidence in mathematics and that she no longer cries when she hears the word “mathematics”. It’s also thanks to you that Gustavo manages to speak in front of the class, when he couldn’t line up two words at the beginning of the year because it stressed him too much, or when the great David discovered that he had things to write and that he handled words like no other.
I would like you to know that each time you have chosen to value the human being in front of you, you have succeeded. All the stories of inspiring teachers have one thing in common: the teacher gave value, recognized a strength, knew that the student was worthwhile. I hear people telling you that it’s leveling down, that the students only have to do what they’re asked to do, to make an effort, that you’re stalking them too much. Keep believing it’s the complete opposite. The student you loved and who has regained his confidence will finally be able to develop his full potential. Will her grades in her report card be better? Not necessarily, but your student will be capable of great things because you gave him what he needed. As Louise Latraverse would say: “Love crisse. »
Each time you have cultivated the pleasure of learning, you have been right. You end the year completely exhausted, because it takes a lot of energy to love so many humans at once. Take advantage of the holidays to fill your bag with love. The students need you, your love and your humanity. I suggest you reread These children of my life, by Gabrielle Roy, to remind you that you are right.
And know that all the work you have done to be a teacher has value and that it allows you to be a good teacher. Your knowledge, your passions are precious and make you an exceptional being. Continue to make a difference, to develop these little humans, one at a time, to make them discover life and to help them open up to all the beauty of the world.