Being a teacher means a lot of things to a lot of different people. To some people, being a teacher means being a glorified babysitter. To others, being a teacher means being a critic, and that they love nothing more than taking points off of your assignment for what seems like "little" details. Then, to a few who were brave enough to let a teacher into their heart and help shape the way they saw the world, being a teacher means being a difference maker. I myself am in school learning day in and day out how to be everything a teacher is, but over this past semester, a very real truth wrecked my world and left me feeling nothing but motivated and driven to be a true educator, and that is this; the heart of a teacher cannot be taught. I love learning about various educational theories, instructional strategies, and the like, but something I've learned on my own, something I don't think we talk about enough on the journey to becoming teachers, is every other role a teacher must embody besides facilitating education. The following statements are everything I am willing and learning to be in order to get students to fall in love with school and learning again, and truthfully, everything our teachers are that they do not receive enough credit for.

I am a greeter. I will see you come through my classroom doors every morning, and I will make sure you feel welcomed and comfortable for a day full of learning.

I am a reminder. I will remind you of bathroom breaks, snack breaks, what time lunch and recess is, and to always wash your hands.

I am a band-aid administrator. Goodness knows, I will go through plenty of these throughout my days. I will help you put band-aids on your boo-boo's, and I will let you squeeze my hand when it's time to rip one off.

I am a ketchup packet opener. I am already bracing myself for all of the days where the majority of lunch time will be spent making sure that every single ketchup packet is opened, because what is corn dog or hamburger day without them?

I am a mediator. When my classroom friends can't decide who should get to play in the house center during center time, or when two of them need to use the exact same wooden block to build their tower, I will be there to make sure peace is maintained and that we all understand the importance of sharing.

I am a tear dryer. There will be so many instances of tripping over the reading rug, so many times when someone says you aren't their friend anymore, and even more times that you will get frustrated because you can't sound out a word in your independent reading book, but not to worry, I have tissues in stock and words of encouragement to roll out whenever we find ourselves feeling hurt or sad.

I am tough. If I seem like I expect a lot out of you and the work you turn in, it's because I do. I don't hold super high expectations for just anyone, but I do for you because as long as you are in my classroom, you are my student, and if you are my student, then we are going to do our best work.

While I am tough, I am still gentle. If you didn't get your homework completed last night because you were helping take care of your brothers and sisters, let me know. If you weren't able to study for your test because the sounds of arguing and shouting were so loud at your house last night that you couldn't study, let me know. If you can't focus on completing your in-class assignments because the starving feeling in your stomach is keeping you from learning, then by all means, let me know. I will work with you, and together, we will find some solutions.

Above all else, above all of the sleep that I am sure to lose, all of the free time I have that will be spent grading, all of the meetings I will attend, all of the parent teacher conferences I will be planning, all of the time I will spend writing lesson plans, the one aspect of teaching that I grow more and more passionate about with each passing day is this; I am a difference maker. If I am the only smile you see everyday, then I will spend all day smiling to make up for all of the ones you've missed in the past. I'll wait with you until someone pulls through the pick-up line to take you home from school. I will make it my life's mission to see that someone you live with and I are on the same page as far as seeing you succeed, and I will make the phone calls necessary or write them emails to check up on you and see how your journey in learning is going. I will not rest until you see in yourself what I see in you. You are not alone, and you are not a mistake. You are my student, and together, we are going to change this world.