Such an important week.
Nurses Appreciation Week is this week. Oh, if I didn’t know before, I learned in 2013, how important nurses are. If you have a hospital stay, they can make or break your stay. An amazing nurse, in addition to providing important medical care can make you FEEL better. Really. I have fond memories of some of the amazing nurses I had during both of my hospital stays. Nurses take good care of us at the doctor’s office. I saw one yesterday to help me hurry on my path to healthy. Here’s to all the nurses out there – your job is so difficult – so many balls in the air (or patients on the floor), so many things to remember, rules to follow, so many ‘yucky’ jobs, and so many hours helping / caring for someone other than yourself or your own family. You are appreciated – thanks for all you do. I go on longer on the next topic – not because it’s any more important, but because it’s one I know even better and it’s SO close to my heart and all people everywhere have these people in their lives (though most of us encounter a nurse at some point).
AND,
It’s also Teacher Appreciation Week. I guess it’s appropriate that Teachers & Nurses share the week because much like I described a nurse, a teacher’s job is so difficult in many of the same ways: so many balls in the air (or students in the class), so many things to remember, rules to follow, so many ‘yucky’ jobs, and so many hours helping / caring for someone other than yourself or your own family. I have been fortunate in life to have had so many wonderful teachers, to have worked with wonderful teachers during my brief, but much loved, stint teaching.
So far my kids have had AWESOME teachers. I know, I know. They haven’t started “school” yet. BUT they love it where they are, be it preschool or daycare depending on their age. And they have learned, and they have been loved. Wyatt sings the Itsy Bitsy Spider with such gusto and enthusiasm and all the hand motions. He loves it. It is adorable. (I’m working on a video.) We didn’t teach it to him. Sure, we’ve sung it with him, but he learned it from his teachers. Malcolm has been pointing out rhyming words like a crazy guy lately. We haven’t spent significant time on this at home. He learned it from his teacher. Both of them know a plethora of Spanish words. “Te amo, Mommy” says Wyatt. Or, “la luna”. They didn’t learn that from us. They learned it from their teachers. They also know they are safe and loved at school. We walk in the door and before I’ve got it closed, Malcolm has run off to see his friends and his teacher and find out what they are doing that day. If he misses, he worries about what great activity and learning he is missing. He, at 5 1/2, has teachers that make him excited about learning, which I think is one of the BEST things a teacher can do for a student. Wyatt is always excited to see me in the afternoon, racing over to me, but before we leave, he needs to go find the teachers and give them a hug and say “Bye!” His teachers make him feel loved and safe. All of this makes me able to walk out the door of their preschool happy and comfortable going to work to do my job. They are safe. They are learning. They are loved. They have awesome teachers.
I appreciate all the fantastic teachers I’ve had. And as we wrap up Malcolm’s preschool experience this year, and start Wyatt’s preschool years … I look forward to both of them having many more really great teachers in the coming years. Without a doubt, our teachers help shape who we are as people. Our interests can be altered, or deepened, by them. When we are young, much of what our day is like is because is because or our teachers. It’s a huge responsibility they have. We make it hard by adding all kinds of rules & requirements. And we don’t reward them (financially, anyway) for it. There are perks, there are intrinsic rewards, and fortunately for the rest of us, for many of the best teachers this is begrudgingly enough. But if we can’t pay them better, we darn well better at least recognize them and tell them how much we appreciate them. So, teachers, I APPRECIATE YOU. Thanks so much for all you do for the world.
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I applied to renew my California Teaching Credential and have been looking into programs where I can earn my Masters of Education so I can consider pursuing a position in Administration. I looked into this a bit 5 years ago, but decided that with 2 babies in the house, it was not the right time. As Malcolm ‘grows up’ and even Wyatt … I’m excited about potentially being a student again, and new challenges. I am not certain yet, but it’s definitely something to think about.
For “our” teachers, we provided a single lottery ticket for Friday night to each teacher & staff at the kid’s school, with the pictured insert. I think it would be AWESOME if someone were to win big. : ) And, beautiful flowers for their current (or very recent) teachers for helping them grow.
Fun & Focus 