Mom Teachers

This week I was thinking back to those middle school days when I preferred math problems over writing assignments any day of the week.

Funny, right? I'm a writing teacher!

Math was simple. There were specific rules to follow and reliable formulas on which I could depend. All I had to do was take my time,  follow the steps, and produce the answer.

On the other hand, writing was a complete mystery to me.

Why some of my school essays would return to me with an “A” and others a “C’ boggled my mind. After all, I followed the teacher’s vague instructions each time. Why did my grades keep on fluctuating?

By the end of eighth grade, I decided writing just wasn’t my thing.

Until, as a freshman in high school, that ONE teacher offered explicit instruction, high-standard expectations, and sincere encouragement.

Wow, that sure changed my opinion about writing!

In fact, I believe that experience (and person) launched my infatuation for the subject.
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Teacher Appreciation Week has me reflecting on things like this and people like her. 

Hmm.

People like her.

As I've considered all the teachers I've had, I can't help but think of my own mother. It was my mother who, regardless of any teacher I had at the time, was always willing to help. My mother believed in me and was a constant encourager.

Now, as a teacher, it is my ambition to teach with passion, expect the best, and encourage with love and patience. 

Funny. It feels exactly like what I do as a mother. 

Right?!!

We teach our children first to crawl and then to walk. We put the first crayons in their hands and sit for hours reading Curious George and Dr. Suess over and over. We teach them to tie their shoes and sort their own socks by color and size. We show them how a seed we plant in the dirt will grow into a flower, fruit, or vegetable. We ignite their imaginations and take them to magical places like Disneyland!  

Yep, that sounds like P.E., art, language arts, math, science, history, and field trips, too!

Whether you homeschool, have homeschooled, or never desire to homeschool, as a mother you are a teacher. And a darn good one, too!

So, HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK, my friends.

Oh.

​And, Happy Mother's Day, too.