What is your reward? - Originally posted on thompsonsoc.blogspot.com

So, the other day, I am teaching, or some reasonable facsimile thereof, during 6th hour when our Renaissance group takes off to recognize the latest teacher, student, and staff member of the month.  That is a great honor for the people who work in our building, and not just the ones who get paid, but also the ones who HAVE to show up!  

 In my 6 years in education, I have not received that honor, but that doesn’t bother me as much as it once did.  You see, I am tough on my kids, but its tough love that they are getting, not just some jerk who doesn’t care one bit about who they are and what’s going on in their lives.  Would it be great to get that kind of award?  Well, yes, it would, but I am not driven by getting one or two awards in my career.  I am driven by having the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of my students that they will remember for as long as they are alive.   

I remember a story that my dad told me about a teacher that he had when he was in middle school.  My dad was the son of a single mom who had some extremely tough health issues when he was young causing him to live with his grandparents while he was in middle school.  He was the definition of a young man who was the worst of the worst.  When you opened the proverbial dictionary, his picture was next to “holy terror”.  Well, this teacher actually took the time to get to know my dad, and because of that, my dad realized that someone did care.  Because that teacher showed my dad that he cared, my dad was put on track to become a faithful husband, a father of three, father-in-law of two, grandfather of two, and a pastor.   

I want to be like that teacher.  I want to have an impact so great that it will literally change lives.  That student who gets the tough love now, will most likely hate me during school, but in my short experience as a teacher, thank me for it in the future.  I was able to get a taste of that last fall when one of my former students who found himself in some very hot water came back and thanked me for being firm, but fair.  To me, it is worth all of the recognition in the world to see just one kid straighten themselves out and succeed in life.