A Morning Message. They were writing a message together like my son's preschool teacher does each morning. She and I had talked not long ago about how eager and enthusiastic her class is to participate with helping her fill in the blanks of her message each morning during circle time, how they look forward to using the calendar to find the date and to hearing about their objectives for the day. They love to read the message together, taking turns using her special pointer. He had spent a Fall Break morning crafting a morning message to show his teacher when he returns to school.
We had enjoyed a wonderful break. We had stayed up late, gone camping, visited a theme park, and had just enjoyed sweet, unscheduled togetherness. And here they were, on Fall Break, working on a morning message together, "ready for school," as he said. He asked her how to spell each word that he wrote, and she encouraged him with sweet support. He asked her to write what his words said, "just to make sure they know what I wrote." He was so proud to show it to me and lamented the fact that he had to wait three more days to show his teacher.
The first grade teacher in me cheered the fact that he knows he can use writing to communicate, his pictorial representation of who participates in their Morning Message time, the left-to-right, top-to-bottom directionality in his writing, and the spacing between words. - All of these things that he has learned during this time with his teacher each morning. But his mommy cheered the fact that he WANTED to write, this hesitant child that I love. This child who wants his pictures or writing to be "right," and often gets frustrated when his four-year-old fine motor skills and desire to create don't always align the way he would like them to just yet. This little boy chose to spend his free time writing. Why? "Because BB knows I can."
How far-reaching is the impact of a teacher! How many students are recreating a school activity, playing school, referencing something they learned, reading, writing, experimenting, computing, designing, wondering, researching, creating, or thinking...because their teacher inspired them? Simply because their teacher believes in them and "knows they can?" Never underestimate your impact. Never undervalue the time and effort you pour into your students every day. Never wonder if they are getting it, or if it's worth it. Because THEY DO, and THEY ARE.
