Sometimes teaching is hard.

Who am I kidding? Teaching is always hard.

Over the recent Christmas break, I received a very short but to the point email from one of my sixth grade students.

“Thank you for being a good teacher “.

While this does not seem like much, I found myself re-reading this message several times and crying a few tears. Why did this simple message strike me in this way?

Hard Things

Many points throughout my teaching day, I find myself pushing through challenging situations, solving unique problems, and meeting students at various educational points. According to teachervision.com, teachers make an average 1500 decisions a day.

But, often the hardest point of each day is when I start to question if I am being successful. Do my attempts really connect with the students? Do the tough decisions that I make move us forward? Have I done anything that makes a difference? This is what I find most difficult about teaching. It is the hardest thing I have ever done.

Receiving this short unprompted message from a student so quickly confirmed that I had connected.

Hard Teaching Connections

I wonder how often we work hard, stay awake at night solving classroom problems, try a multitude of strategies but sit back and wonder how effective we have been.

Today, let me encourage you. Teaching is one of the hardest things you will ever do. Do not let this weigh you down. Resist the temptation to compare yourself to the teacher across the hall. Fight the urge to let frustration win. Commit each day to the work of God and trust Him to make those 1500 decisions for you.

Thank you for being a good teacher.

” Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT