Notebook Night Entry & What a Teacher Does

We have notebook nights for our high school youth group occasionally.  We were inspired by this video.  Notebook nights are a time to share.  A time to be vulnerable if needed.  A time to appreciate, support and encourage one another.

To be on the safe side I wrote a notebook entry in case we didn't have any student takers.  We did.  But here is what I wrote:

I've never been worried about going to work.  It's never been scary for me to walk into the doors of my school.  But Monday morning... monday was. 

I walked in thinking about how easy it is to access, to walk into the building.  And the building was a buzz.  There was an incident yesterday heightening my anxiety a bit.  I heard a teacher request demand that her doors with windows be replaced by solid ones.  Staff members were wearing badges more prominently as opposed to just having them in their pockets, regardless of the fact that most of us know each other.

But the one thing I never questions was my course of action if the worst, the unimaginable (well what I thought was unimaginable) were to happen.  I'm not extraordinary.  I'm nothing special.  But, I'm a teacher.  And I... and WE... will ALWAYS put our students first.  Tomorrow, I will still be a little cautious I'm sure.  Maybe a little anxious.  But my students won't know it. 

My job is to teach.  To instruct.  To connect.  To support.  

To make my students feel safe.  

And to do my best, my absolute best to keep them that way.

I got home, sat down to write this but first checked Facebook.  I saw this post from a colleague:

To parents who are not educators, this may be hard to understand.
Five days a week, we teach your kids. That means we educate your kids. Play with your kids. 

Discipline your kids. Joke with your kids. Console your kids. Praise your kids. 

Question your kids. Beat our head against a wall about your kids. 

Laugh with your kids. Worry about your kids. Keep an eye on your kids. 

Learn about your kids. Invest in your kids. Protect your kids and yes, love your kids.
WE WOULD ALL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOUR KIDS.
It’s nowhere in our job description. It isn’t covered in the employee handbook. 

It isn’t cited in our contracts. But we would all do it. 

So, yes, please hug your kids tonight, really, really tight. 

But on Monday, if you see your kids’ teacher, please hug them too.

While I'm not much of a hugger, I do think it is important for people, not just parents but people, to realize how much of ourselves we invest in our students.  How much every single teacher cares for their students.  Even on a kids worst day, we would do what those brave women at Sandy Hook Elementary did.  Every day.  Every kid.  And I would be, every teacher.

So please, thank a teacher tomorrow.  And if you have a child in your life, give them a hug the next time you see them.  Take every chance you get to tell the people you love, that you love them.  

Many things in life can wait... but being thankful, love, and The Sunset Won't.