Hey you!

Behind that tired, forced smile and those dark circles under your eyes, there's a girl that I know pretty well. I bet today you got 7 emails about testing; 4th period made Harry Wong look like he didn't know the first thing about classroom management, during your unannounced observation; Little Suzy's parents blamed you for her 49 that she earned on her progress report, and you forgot your lunch at home (and I'm sure it was leftover takeout from your favorite restaurant).

Today as you lock your classroom and trudge to your car with two oversized totes filled with ungraded papers, you think to yourself, "Why did I ever decide to do this; I could have been anything else.."

Stop right there, my friend. The truth is you could not have been anything else. You were uniquely, intentionally created for and called to this profession. Let me just remind you why you are here.

Remember all those lesson plans you made in college for invisible, non-existent students. Each time you sat down to plan, you'd imagine a class full of students who were all yours, in a classroom that was your very own (well actually, really the county's, but you know what I'm saying). You pinned bulletin board ideas and accepted any and every worn out old book that anyone would give you, like it was a Grammy. Your go-to phrase was always, "When I have my own classroom (fill in the blank)...".

In your classroom there are twenty-seven desks, and every day, Monday- Friday, those desks are filled with students who have been entrusted to you. "They have brains in their heads, and they have feet in their shoes. They can steer themselves any direction they choose," (Oh the Places You'll Go, Dr. Seuss).

Each day you have the distinct privilege of looking into the eyes of future doctors, lawyers, business owners, nurses, teachers, preachers, farmers.. the list goes on and on. Each and every one of those sweet and sometimes salty faces will go on to do things that you can't even imagine right now. But today, they are in your classroom. Today they are yours. Today, you will give them your best because because tomorrow they will be off chasing their dreams.

Remember when you were student teaching and your teacher tank was so full that your eyes filled to the brim with happy tears every time that a student made a gain or worked so hard on an assignment that they surprised even themselves.

Think back to your very first year as a teacher, the summer you spent preparing for students, the hours you spent working in your classroom, and the pure joy you felt as you welcomed smiling faces into your classroom that you had prayed over all summer long.

You spent two weeks teaching imagery, seriously doubting that it even stuck, only to read "Johnny of Few Words' " journal a few weeks later and see imagery jumping off the page, creating the most beautiful and detailed mental pictures. The "aha moments," the "I get it now's!", the "I knew how to do this on the ACT's," they're all worth it.

You matter. You make a difference. You've seen students that wouldn't talk to their best friend break out of their shells and become natural leaders. You've watched kids that every one else has given up on, grab ahold of the knowledge you pour into them and blossom right where they are. You've laughed with them, cried with them, and loved them through misplaced modifiers.

You, my friend, did not go into this profession for the zeroes at the end of your paycheck. Believe me, there aren't many of them. You really didn't choose this career at all. God chose it for you. You get to give students the one thing no one can take away from them, their education. You have such a unique opportunity. You love what you do.

So yes, today has most definitely been a headache. You are tired. You are stressed. You are a teacher. Go home. Fix a strong cup of coffee. Forget about your observation; everyone has bad days. Email Suzy's parents and offer her extra credit for the 29th time, and devour that lunch you left on the kitchen counter. These kids need you, and you need them. Go to bed early, and get up tomorrow to teach run on sentences like your life depends on it. Today they are yours; make it count.

Proverbs 22:6