More Than a Number

More Than a Number

by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Oh, this just made me cry!  Grab a tissue and watch.  I try to remember every day, that THIS is why I teach.  It is a calling.  A service.  It is not, should not, be solely about putting kids in terms of something as simplistic and sterile as a test score.  Do I get excited and happy when the students in my class perform well on tests?  Of course!  We celebrate the victories!  But in the end, there is SO much more than that.  At the end of the year, if I've helped a child have self confidence that had little before, if I've helped someone discover the magic of books, or friendships, or if I've played a part in a child's realization that boundaries set by adults are a good and expected thing and that games have rules and we all take turns?  Then I know I've done well.  I know it was a job well done.  I wish that back to basics meant that we could once again say that we teach CHILDREN, not TESTS.  Not CURRICULUM.  That those are simply part of a means to an end.


On a lighter note, I brought a salad in a jar again for lunch today (thank you, Pinterest, for bringing back the salad magic!).  My kids love to look at all of the veggies and stuff through the glass.  One of my students asked me if my lunch was a "seizure" salad again.  I dare you to order one at your next dinner out.  I know I'm going to!