I teach, what's your superpower?

I will start off first by saying Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all my fellow teachers. We truly do not get enough credit for all that we do. Our job is one of the most valuable and yet one of the most underappreciated ones. Thank you for all the time, dedication and money you put into this job.

If I had a dollar for every time someone says "How hard can it be" or "Preschool is just play", I wouldn't have to work another day in my life. Wouldn't that be nice? I mean especially seeing how little we get paid and how much of our own money we are expected to put into our classroom. That alone is another topic for another blog. Don't even get me started or you will see steam coming out of my ears and a bunch of wide eyed preschoolers asking what is wrong with Ms. Hall.

But the truth is, teaching preschool is hard. The age I teach (2/3's) has the biggest burn out rate. And you want to know why? Because preschool is not just play. Preschool is building fine & gross motor skills, creating social skills, developing and expanding their language skills, etc. For anyone who thinks its easy, I challenge you to teach one day in my room. It wont be so easy then when you have 14 two and three year old's who need to not only learn but be kept occupied. Yeah, how many activities can you come up with off the top of your head? Two and three year old's have the attention span of a new puppy, the minute they see something they want, everything else goes out the window. And oh, believe me if one of them sees it, they all see it. Good luck prying the preschoolers off of said toy. They may seem small, but they can hold on longer then you ever could ( they have perfected the death grip).

Along with educating our future generation, we have the responsibility of catching any developmental delays. From delays as obvious as speech to the deeply hidden sensory, OT, fine motor, etc. Early intervention is key to a child having a successful future. It is our job as early childhood educators to get these young learners the help they need so they don't slip through the cracks and struggle come grade school. We set the foundation for their years of education to come. Talk about quite the responsibility.

You see preschool isn't all play. Each day we make the choice to get up and educate no matter what our paycheck may say or how bad a day we may be having. I promise you our job isn't a walk in the park and more times then not we don't get a chance to sit or even use the bathroom. Each day we have the power to change the life of a child. These kids are our future. So next time you want to complain about how we get a summer break or say how "easy" it must be, think again. I can guarantee you wouldn't last one day in our shoes.

So here is to all the bad a** teachers out there. The ones who sacrifice nights with their family, their weekends off and most of their paycheck to give their students a classroom where they feel welcomed, loved and most importantly want to keep coming back to. Thank you. You are the reason our future looks so bright. You deserve more then just a week of appreciation. Next time you see a teacher, please thank them. They are educators, moms, janitors, magicians and more in one. Thank you for making a difference in the life's of so many children. I raise a glass to you (of teacher juice of course).

~ By doing what you love, you inspire and awaken the hearts of others.~