Impact

Sometimes I wonder if I really have an impact on people, especially children, given my profession. I'm guessing all teachers feel like this at one point or another. I would even go so far as to say that we all feel like that at some point in our lives. Maybe some of us go through our entire lives wondering. Sometimes, it just helps to know. That's the beauty of teaching. It is definitely one of the most rewarding (not financially, that's for sure) professions. I once heard someone say that teachers are immortal. It took a while for me to figure that out, but it made sense when I finally did. When one class is taught/impacted, something sticks with at least a few of them and they share it with others, whether it be their children, cousins, etc. At some point, it gets passed along, even long after that teacher is no longer living. That's definitely something to think about, especially since that does not only apply to positive experiences.

This was given to me the on the last day before Thanksgiving break (2007). This student was in my class last year. I wondered if this class was told to choose a teacher to write a thank-you note to, but they weren't. They were able to choose anyone. I was so touched.


This note was given to me at the end of January. It is from a student who was in my class 2 years ago. He typed it when he was in Technology Lab.



On Valentine's Day, another student from 2 years ago wrote a very sweet poem for me. Not only was I absolutely amazed with her talent, but I was touched beyond words:

Finally, this last one (below) was also created by a student from 2 years ago (If you haven't guessed, this was an AWESOME class.).

Click to enlarge.

I have always saved things like this. I have several beautiful pictures and sweet notes on my flash drive, but the truth is I don't go back and look at those files very often. It makes it much more difficult to forget when it is on my blog. We all need to be reminded from time to time. This is my reminder. If you think about it, I'm sure we all have some reminders. Make them more visible, so you don't forget.

"To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world."
- Author Unknown