Teachers are lucky...

As I sit here at my desk the last day of school before winter break, I am once again reminded of the why I chose this profession (besides the long winter breaks and killer summer vacation.)  It is on days such as this that my students take a step back and show that they really are still children down deep inside, and not adolescents struggling to find their way.

Being a middle school teacher, I have quite literally seen it all.  My students, while only 12 years old, struggle every day to find their identities and then once they find them, make them their own.  They have peers to impress, teachers they know they need to listen to but don't want to listen to, and parents that they want to rebel against.  Literally, every day is a struggle in one form or another. 

Today, I look out and see students with a light in their eyes - it is almost Christmas vacation!  It is on this day that they come to school toting gifts for their teachers, and their smile could not be bigger when a teacher reaches out to give them a hug and a thank you.  I cherish the moments when they come up to me asking to borrow a novel because they know they will need something to do over break (as an adult, I would love to have that problem!)  I cherish this job, this profession, and the 86 students that make it the greatest job ever.

Merry Christmas...