#teacherhat

A casual hat featuring a kindergarten teacher graphic on the front, highlighting customized name typography and playful classroom-themed visual elements.

“There is no recipe for a great teacher; that is what is so unique about them.” 

The thought behind this quote is so true.  I can remember several teachers throughout my school years who were instrumental in my becoming the teacher I am today, and although they were each great in their own ways, none of them were exactly the same in any way.  Whether my teachers inspired, encouraged, challenged, or dared me to go beyond my own boundaries, they each impacted my life in special ways, and as I stand in front of my classes day in and day out, I desire to inspire, encourage, challenge, and dare my students to go beyond their own boundaries too.  

This is my twenty-second year teaching, and looking back over the last two decades, I am amazed at how times have changed, and students, parents, and textbooks have changed, but what’s never changed is the excitement of a new school year that first day when students come to school with their new notebooks and sharpened pencils ready to embark upon a year full of discovery and learning new skills, and without fail, even the most reluctant of learners is usually excited on the first day of school.  

As the school year progresses, the air of new energy begins to settle into daily routines and lessons that the students don’t altogether hate, but would most likely rather skip in exchange for Wacky Wednesday or Fun Friday.  It is often with obligatory resolve that we forge ahead through each lesson and each assignment reaching for that ever elusive light bulb moment when a student exclaims, “I get it!” or “Oh, I see it now!” These are the moments that I live for as a teacher.  The moment when a student who has struggled and struggled to finally understand “gets” how to combine like terms in pre-algebra, or the moment when a student who is never picked to be on a team is chosen first because someone finally realized the value of having “that kid” on the team, or the moment at the end of the day while grading papers when I am able to write “100%” at the top of a paper whose owner has rarely scored above a 70% - these are the moments that make every late night lesson plan session, every parent phone call, every after school tutor class, every “long day at the office” seem totally worth it all.  Not because the teacher followed some recipe and achieved greatness, but because the journey that was taken to get to those moments was unique and special.  There is no recipe for a great teacher, but the uniqueness of us all makes teaching great.