Validation

This afternoon I received the most incredible e-mail from Theresa who was at my BER presentation in Milwaukee. She explained a number of ways in which she has used my ideas in her classes, then joyously told of what happened in her class today. (For those of you who are language teachers it's particularly exciting to know that she found great joy in teaching direct object pronouns!) She ended her note with the following paragraph:

"I have never felt as good about my students and my class as I did today. I have never felt so validated about all the sacrifices I make of my free time, preparing activities and trying to make things engaging. I have never had so much FUN being at work in my life!"

I have never felt so good about my teaching either!!!

Theresa's note made me think of how lonely teaching really is. I certainly had many experiences when a class went really well and there was nobody I could tell about it who would understand.....until my room was across the hall from "mon amie" Jill who would both listen and understand. Merci, Jill!

I also remember the many times that a lesson totally bombed or I lost control of a particularly difficult class. It's hard to go to the teacher's lounge and confess that you can't control a certain bunch of 13 year olds! A few days ago I googled myself (for some totally professional reason, of course) and saw that the web site "Rate My Teachers" is still there. I couldn't look at it! Three years after retiring, I still worry what some creepy kid might have said about me. All teachers carry around their failures along with their successes. Most can tell friends or spouses about their good or bad day, but how many of those friends or spouses even begin to understand?

I was so incredibly lucky today to get validation of my current work. My hope is that all teachers - past, present and future - can feel as validated as Theresa and I did today. Man do they/you deserve it!