Nice Comments Keep a Busy Mom Going

Someone said something really nice about my teaching yesterday, and it gave me a needed boost.

She sees me teach on a regular basis- daily- and she said I was a really great teacher, that I knew a lot about English, and that she felt that she had learned a lot from me. Yesterday was a rushed, tiring day, and I needed to hear that in the middle of my day.

Teachers really need this feedback from other adults, because you just don't get that kind of recognition from tweens. (You get other good stuff from them- their humor, their affection, their kindness, their intelligence, and it's awesome- but recognition as a professional, not explicitly.)

As I am teaching, I am usually thinking the other adults in the room (special education teacher, aides, maybe a speech pathologist doing a once weekly visit) are thinking, "Wow she is so boring! Why can't she find her overheads? Is she talking about topic sentences again?!?" It's intimidating that people might see you at your worst (some days are TOUGH to be patient), but to know that overall people think you're great is reassuring.

I bet we all need that, no matter if it's our job, our marriage, our parenting... right?

Another mom last week gave me very positive feedback about my writing instruction, and to have her notice the work I'm doing with her child means a lot, because writing, and teaching it, and getting my students to a) enjoy it and b) improve is a major priority for me.

Off to work, and another rushed day of dropping off AND picking up the kid, since the husband now commutes into NYC for at least the first half of each week. Sigh.