Makes it all worth while

Sometimes teaching can be a thankless job, hugely gratifying yes, but at times a little thin on the praise. My customers don't really think they are getting a whole lot for what they pay. Tuesday, though, I had one of those moments. Those moments when you realize why you do something, why you get up each morning, stay up late doing work, put on a smile each day. A student of mine received some awards during an assembly...this was particularly unusualy since he has never been recognized for anything good in his whole life. His reaction was above enthusiastic, it was full of joy, pride, and total abandonment. Everyone in the audience, our administrators, teachers and students could tell and there was a resounding huge smile held on everyone's face that witnessed this event. I teared up as well as his classroom teacher, I tear up now as I write this. When he received his classroom award back in his classroom, his whole class cheered for him. He deserved all of these accolades as he has had an incredible year, due mostly to his spectacular classroom teacher. I beam with pride for him. As Declan once said, "It makes my heart smile."