It's The Little Things

Last week, I had one of those days.

You know what I'm talking about. The day that nothing seems to go as you plan, the day you got less than your usual amount of sleep the night before, the day that your lesson doesn't go the way you hoped, the day that the coffee just doesn't hit the spot...it was one of those kinds of days. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, as my dear friend Alexander might say.

In middle school, we get to a certain time of the year when my sweet little sixth graders start to become more...daring seventh graders. They have summer fever, and are ready to be finished with school. As a teacher, it becomes harder and harder to engage them, and I'm constantly on my toes doing a tap dance to keep them invested in my lessons, as they stare out the windows longingly at the sunshine.

Well, on this day, my kids were definitely in "summer mode." I felt like nothing I was doing was engaging them. I was constantly saying, "Please keep your hands to yourself." "Please stay in your seat." "No, you can't go to lunch five minutes early." "Stop touching his desk, please." "Is that gum in your hair?" You get the idea. I felt like I was about to lose it.

Then, sixth hour, one of my sweet little kiddos came up to me, just as class was ending, and said, "Thanks for today Mrs. Tackett." I looked at him astonished and said, "What? For what?" He just looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said, "Thanks for all of the work you put into today."

My. Heart. Melted.

It's so easy to get lost in the end of the year commotion. It's easy to give up or feel defeated. But that one little thank you made a WORLD of a difference in my days. That's why we teach. That's why I'm at school every day. I'm here for those kids, and even at the end of the day when I'm completely drained, I can leave knowing that I at least made a difference in the life of one of my students. It's the little things like that thank you that I always want to remember, and it's the little things that truly make a difference. :)