Why I love to teach
Editor’s note: The February Letter of the Month was originally published Feb. 21.
“Mrs. Harris, how old are you? I think you’re about 104!”
“Did you know that my dog had kittens last night?”
“Mrs. Harris, I brought you a snack, but I accidentally ate it.”
These are some of the things I hear every day. I never know what kind of day I will have, but I know that I will love it.
I was born to be a teacher. My friends and family knew it before I did. If you came to play at my house, you played school. I could not wait until the end of the school year when we got to take home what was left of our workbooks. I took all the ones nobody wanted because I was going to use them to play school.
I was more excited than anyone else when I had my first field experience in a classroom. I could not wait. I look forward to July when the stores put out new school supplies. I have now been a teacher for 26 years. I get up every day and get to do what I love. When a passion and a job come together, it is a beautiful thing.
In order to love teaching, you must first have a love for children. My mother says that I never grew up, so it’s the perfect career for me. I love how carefree and silly they can be. And I get to be silly right along with them. Everyone knows the best teachers are the ones who play with the children but are also respected by them. I get to see those light bulbs come on when they finally understand something that was previously too difficult. I get to watch them grow (physically and mentally) from a small child to an adult. I get to teach them to read, write, multiply, divide, and survive and thrive in the world. I get to share my favorite children’s literature with them, year after year.
The best part of teaching? The relationships. When you reach the families, you are invited to graduations, weddings, and baby showers. And when your students grow up, you get to be their friend. That’s my very favorite part.
TRACY HARRIS Little Rock
Tracy Harris is a Gifted and Talented specialist at Bale Elementary.