This is why I teach!

I have a student in my reading class who had a real personality conflict with a Kindergarten teacher last year. It finally got to the point that his parents requested that he be reassigned to another teacher. This bothered his parents and J. very much, and left J. being very insecure about his abilities and unsure of how to respond to teachers.

J. has been doing just fine in my class, but his parents still worried that he might have some attention problems. I have known J's parents for years, so we converse often about his progress. J. is a great kid....has a fantastic personality and writes very interesting and detailed stories for his age/time in the school year.

The other day, I was shopping online for books to give for Christmas presents. I came across a book about a middle child, and thought immediately of J. (He has an older and a younger sister.) I just couldn't stand not to buy it for him!

It came in last week and I had J. come down to the room so I could give it to him privately. He didn't really have much to say, so I wasn't sure if he liked it or not. That is until I got the sweetest email from his mother today!

She told me that J. carried the book around with him all weekend! He even took it to a birthday party and to his grandparent's house. She said that he had been reading to everyone. She thanked me for giving him the confidence that he needed to read, and for giving the extra attention that was helping him be successful.

Needless to say, I am thrilled! So often in teaching, we seem to give and give and give, and wonder if anyone even notices. We often don't hear from parents at all unless they have a complaint. To hear that I have made a difference in this child's life, especially after he was not in the best situation last year, brings tears to my eyes!

THIS, my friends, is why I do what I do!