The Immeasurable Impact Of Teachers

We have what has grown into an annual tradition here in town. As with most things which have grown into traditions, it began quite organically. Some of the graduating high school seniors decided to revisit their elementary school and spend a few moments with some of their favorite teachers, some of which they hadn’t seen in at least eight years. Just to say hello. Just their way of stepping back into their past and with their physical presence saying thank you.

None of these kids went back because their teacher taught them about the order of operations when solving a math problem. Nor did they go back because their teacher drove into them that I comes before E except after C. They went back because these teachers moved them, inspired them, helped them grow through certain challenges. Because their teachers believed in them, encouraged them, and helped them to become more confident as both students and as individuals.

On a day designed for partying and celebrating, they went back and let their teachers know how much they mattered to them.

This is what impact looks like.

When others believe in us it helps us to believe in ourselves as well. What we believe about ourselves determines our sense of identity of who we accept ourselves to be. That accepted identity shapes every aspect of how we will experience life. Of our own sense of worth. Of our own sense of value. Of our own sense of what’s possible – or not –  for us.

Identity impacts everything. We will become who it is we accept ourselves to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Teachers understand the power of identity, knowing that their encouraging and supportive words will resonate within the young minds before them, words which will echo and impact for a lifetime.

It’s a challenging time to be a kid. Every generation has had their own stuff to get through, but it feels like our children today are forced to deal with far more than what I ever had to deal with. The world feels faster, colder, superficial. At times cruel and unforgiving. Many kids don’t have familial support systems in place to give them a basic sense of emotional stability leaving them to try and figure that out on their own. In this new world, the classroom and teacher provide that sense of stability, creating a safe space of structure, acceptance, and encouragement so critical for developing a strong sense of self, of building a strong sense of identity.

The education space is a highly quantifiable one. Quiz scores, assessment exams, state-mandated standardized testing, class rankings. And while all have their own degree of importance, the most significant impact of what a teacher does can never be quantified. It’s the impact they have upon helping to shape the identity of the students in their care.

Identity impacts everything.

Thank you, teachers, for the impact you are making. For the strong children you are building. For the identities you are positively influencing. For the possibilities you are planting within those young precious souls know as your students.

Your impact is immeasurable.