Teacher Appreciation Week
And it’s not JUST because I am a teacher.
When I was younger, I ached to live my life on stage. I hated school, hated the bullies who tormented me daily, and hated the thought of ever stepping foot back into a classroom after graduation. College was necessary, but never desired.
No, I longed to join the throngs of unemployed actors in NYC and wait tables as I hoped for my big break.
My mother, always right, annoyed me daily with her relentless, “be a teacher!” Hell no.
But alas, higher education found me student teaching in front of an inner city classroom in Syracuse, NY. And I never looked back.
My very first classroom…
12 years later, I sit in my current room, reflecting upon the profession that I did not choose, but rather wormed its way into my soul. I was fortunate to have teachers who allowed me in, allowed me to find refuge in their classrooms when the cafeteria and hallways were too daunting to dare navigate. I was rescued by teachers who recognized that I was not just their student, but a lost soul who needed a safe place away from the chaos of adolescence.
Now I do my best to emulate their goodwill, and offer my classroom to those souls who need a safe space in which to find peace and inspiration. I am happiest when I am in front of my students, guiding their inquiry and igniting their passion for learning and literature. I have cried with my students, laughed until my sides ached and tears of joy stained my cheeks, and have spent countless nights awake in the dark praying for their safety.
To all of the teachers out there who know that this profession is not just that; it is a lifestyle. A choice that does not consist of test scores and assessments, but the responsibility of protecting and guiding young minds down the right path, my hat is off to you. I know that a teacher must also be an advocate, a counselor, and at times, a parent.
With my Seniors in 2009
With my Seniors in 2016 at TC Williams
Mom, thanks. Your words “be a teacher” was the best advice of my life.
-Al
