As an end of the year gift, one of my students gave me a shirt from a book we read, and a simple card that read, "I just want to thank you for being the resilient, bright, and wonderful teacher that you are. Stay hip!" At first glance it seems like a sweet, basic message, but if you read each adjective that he used to describe me, it truly shows a lot about what these kids learn from us educators. I battled cancer in 2011, which is way before any of my students attended my school, so they don't truly know what I went through. However, I feel it is valuable to be somewhat candid with them regarding my experience, because I want them to feel comfortable being equally open with me in my classroom. I can't expect them to do so without modeling this myself. I have always done this as a means to create relationships and a foundation for a successful learning environment. However, I never truly realized the impact this is having on them. Not only are my students more susceptible to learning curriculum from me, they are learning things like the importance of being resilient. I am a living demonstration that life is not perfect or even predictable, but that we can still persevere regardless if that is what we choose to do.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a role model in this way to my students. They see me smiling despite my setbacks, and I truly hope they learn to do the same.