What I learned in English IV
by Mrs. Duncan
The Main Lesson
Part of my issue this semester is the fact that I have been seeking external validation...I have hoped to have students tell me the impact my words, actions, or lessons have had on them. The reality is that even when my lessons et al do have an impact (and eventually something I do or say or teach will have some impact on someone), I will probably never know what that impact is. From almost two decades in the classroom, I knew this already, but somehow I forgot.
Hoping for personal validation from students is frustrating because it is rarely forthcoming. I know this, and it's not personal. They are in this for them, not for me, which is as it should be. I have to trust that I am where I need to be, doing what I need to be doing, and I need to do it to the best of my ability. Teaching is important work that I still feel called to do.