It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.
Everyone else sees noisy little kids, I see rapidly evolving people with fears hopes and dreams.
They do their best to drive me crazy but we seem to have an uneasy truce going. That’s probably not fair; they don’t really want to drive me crazy and they don’t want to take over ——- some of my colleagues actually think this —— they just want to be happy, get through the day with as few hassles as possible.
I think they like me, at least most of them do.
I know that I like them.
Teachers are not well paid in my country but that does not bother me.
I love what I do.
I’m alive when I’m amongst them.
They soak up knowledge faster than I can hurl it at them.
They learn, I don’t teach.
I pretend to teach, it keeps the higher-ups off my back but what I actually do is make it easy for the kids to pursue the things that interest them. Sometimes I have to be very creative to stop the school administration from finding out what I’m doing.
The kids are in on it.
They know that if we draw too much attention to ourselves the whole thing will fall apart and it will be back to everyone sitting quietly at neat rows of even neater little desks.
A couple of the parents are in on our secret as well and they are always the ones who I ask to accompany us on excursions.
We travel on trains and trams and the journey is always as much fun as the destination.
My students know that they get to do things and go places that the other kids in this school don’t get to do, so there is never any misbehaving when we go places.
No one wants to be left behind on the next journey.
I cannot imagine myself doing any other job but I know that one day I will have to.
No one lasts in this job; it takes its toll.
One day I’ll wake up and I’ll know that the dream is over; but until then, until my nerves give out, I’m going to enjoy every moment, listen to every story, laugh at every joke, play every game, return every smile and shed a tear at the end of the year as I watch my people head off into their future life.
I’m a teacher and I love what I do.
.
Photo credit: http: //strassenfotografien.wordpress.com/2013/10/02/kindergarten/kindergartensw/
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araneus1 
Your pupiils are lucky! Love your spirit and the photo is great too!
Happy Easter!
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Thanks Dina. I thought I could hide behind the ‘fiction’ tag, but apparently not.
Terry
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Is this really fiction? 😉 Love it!
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Yes and no……. glad you liked it.
Terry
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Yes and no? Were/are you a teacher? Primary/Secondary school or perhaps, Uni/Tech/Tutor?
Good story 🙂
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Primary school teacher back in the 70s…….. amazing time…. too many stories to write them all down.
Terry
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Oh excellent! I’m sure that some of those stories will seep out of you eventually… Thanks for sharing 🙂
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This is such a lovely and heartwarming story Terry! I love the way you see and understand children. Have a wonderful Easter weekend! 🙂
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Thanks Elina. I’m glad that you heart is warm, but I have the feeling that your heart is often warm….. how fortunate that is for those around you. I hope your Easter has been a good one.
Terry
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Thank you Terry, you are so kind, and your heart is warm. 🙂 Easter has been lovely, I hope yours also!
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I loved teaching as well. I always felt it was more an adventure than a job and I didn’t care about the pay either–I was having too much fun.
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I’m glad it was a good time for you also. Unfortunately, I believe that the people in charge take advantage of those of us who love/loved the job. It’s probably why teachers and nurses are so badly paid.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Good memories for you I hope.
Terry
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Great picture and even better composition.
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Thank you. Cannot take credit for the photo, apart from noticing it, but the words are mine. Thanks for noticing, and taking the time to say so.
Terry
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Anytime friend, keep up the great work!
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I understand:) The most important jobs are often undervalued.
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I wonder why that is?
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I am a teacher. I can identify with this post, especially the “They learn, I don’t teach”. I really enjoyed the message. Thank you!
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I very pleased that you liked this piece and that it spoke to you so personally. Good teachers are very special people. They light sparks that burn for a lifetime.
terry
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I was a concrete random learner experiencing early onset psychosis and bouts of mania by my teens. Most of my teachers were very afraid of me. But the few who weren’t made a huge difference. I’ve done a lot of adult education, instructing street involved individuals with serious mental disorders. The pay was shit, and everyone thought I had a death wish. But it was very rewarding. Sounds like you had similar good feelings about your work. Nice piece.
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“But the few who weren’t made a huge difference’……… God bless those few. Well done for giving some of that back…… can’t have been easy.
Terry……… and yes, it was a very special time.
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My bride comes from a family of teachers – and they all loved this piece!
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I very touched. Thank them for me. And thank you for letting me know.
Terry
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