The great Shawnee leader Tecumseh said, "when you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength."
Being grateful is powerful, and as a teacher, I have a tremendous amount to be grateful for.
First of all, we have an amazing school system in Canada. I have lived on four continents and in many countries, and I am thankful each day when I walk into a beautiful building with books and desks and other educational resources. So many teachers around the world do not even have the resources they need to do their work, and so many children are not able to get an education.
I am extremely grateful for my students as well.
They are amazing people discovering their individual paths to greatness. It is an honour to be given the responsibility of guiding, teaching and mentoring them. One of the greatest joys of being a teacher is seeing students as adults, living their dreams.
I am also grateful for the amazing people who share this mission with me, administrators, fellow teachers and support staff.
In my work with special needs students, I have an amazing support staff. While I oversee the progress of my students and develop their educational plans, I rely quite heavily on them. I am only one person, I do not always have the ability to talk to my students one on one when they need it, and I humbly admit that I am not able to connect with each student as well as another staff member may be able to. Often this team will meet and discuss their observations of my students, and they deal effectively with issues that arise.
The support staff that I have include educational assistants who help students with their work. With a full classroom of students all on individualized programs, I couldn't function without an EA.
Youth care workers help to deal with other issues students have. This could be lack of attendance, issues at home, or needing to contact community services. Again, with the expanding needs of our students, YCWs are invaluable and I feel so fortunate to have their support.
In addition, we have an aboriginal education department. They are doing a tremendous amount to help our society to heal from the wounds of the residential school system.
They bring their culture alive in a way that not only helps our aboriginal youth to reconnect with their heritage, but which helps all students to benefit from a First Nations perspective.
Our schools, of course, are publicly funded. A huge thank you must be given to the tax payers who support our schools. They allow us to offer the programs that are helping our young people to realize their potential.
It is said that it takes a community to raise a child, and I have only mentioned the work of a few people who make our schools run. While improvement is always essential, we can be proud and grateful for these synergistic teams that are serving our young people and their families.
