I Take It Personally

Dear Teenagers:

If you have ever wondered why a teacher gets angry when you have a lame excuse for being in the hall, or why a teacher raises her voice when you try to justify being late to class, or why a teacher stops talking altogether after the seven hundredth time you say “I don’t wanna do the vocabulary,” I am going to give you the answer.

It is because we spend countless hours planning lessons we hope will be engaging, challenging, and relevant.  It is because we spend countless hours aching over students who do not achieve or understand.  It is because we sacrifice time and sleep and energy because we want YOU to succeed.  

It is because I take it personally when I tax my physical and sometimes mental health to give you the priceless gift of education the best way I know how and you skip class, yelling as you roam the halls and distracting the kids who do care.  It is because I take it personally when I invest time and money to learn new ways to engage you and you mock it or ignore it.  

It is because I take my job personally.  Because it means something to me to help students see the world beyond the city limits in which they live.  It means something to me to see a student get it, the a-ha moment, after struggling for days or sometimes years.  

You mean something to me.  

And when you swear at me, or ignore me, or roll your eyes, or put your head down, I take it personally.

Sincerely,

Teachers Everywhere