Thank someone today

A student writes an alarming piece and hands it to me.

The piece contains suggestive material that I immediately report to the guidance department.

The student is called from my class and is gone for over an hour and when they come back they grab their books and leave.

There is an natural emotional strain of being a teacher.

Maybe because I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I’m pushing 40 and have my own children but the strain is more taut than ever before.

From my experience, most students are just kids. Lost, confused, angry, happy, infatuated, funny, sugar-fueled, love-sick, angsty, excitable, curious, quiet, fickle, loud, tired, spoiled, thankful, obnoxious, death-defying, well-intentioned kids.

But every so often you meet a student that is so broken that it makes you wonder how–in their brief existence–did they become so broken. More broken than you’ve ever been. More broken than most adults you know. A lifetime of brokenness before they earn their driver’s permit.

26 things I tell myself when I’m struggling

The hard part about being a teacher is not the 180-day grind or the minutiae of lesson planing or dealing with angry parents or the bureaucratic bullshit that litters your desk– the hard part is meeting young people who are so damaged that you can’t help but shake your head, rub your hands, wonder about the adults in their life and accept this hard truth: If things don’t change, if they don’t get help–these kids don’t stand a chance.

So whether you’re a young person or an adult who is struggling (because we know adults struggle too) I want to tell the these things today:

Take a deep breath.

Listen to your heartbeat.

Appreciate one good thing in your life.

Practice your passion.

Sit in the sunlight and smile.

It will get better.

People care about you.

Your existence matters.

You are irreplaceable.

Your uniqueness makes you awesome.

You aren’t weak.

Your life matters.

It will get better.

You can’t change the past but you can change your thinking.

Take a walk.

Listen to good music.

Opinions are not truths.

Forgive yourself.

It will get better.

It will get better.

It will get better.

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week–– Whether they admit it or not, teachers enjoy hearing from people who they had a positive impact on. I encourage you reach out and thank someone (academic teacher or not) who inspired you, gave you confidence, instilled courage, or made you more appreciative for the life you’ve been gifted. Because let’s admit– we did not and can not do life on our own. We all received help and continue to need help from others.

The person I want to thank is Dr. Jules Tasca. Dr. Tasca is an English professor at Gwynedd-Mercy College where I earned a degree in English. A little quirky, a rambunctious, a little disenfranchised by the often-pretentious world of academia, Dr. Tasca showed me it was okay to take risks and be different in a profession where most are cautious and trying hard to be the same.

Be well,

Jay

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