Am I Enough as a Teacher?

It is the end of the school year and every teacher is utterly exhausted. Yes, all of us. We are proud of our students, but the end of the school year is a trying time. As we finish up the school year, we wonder did we do enough. Are our students ready to move on to the next grade level or even college? Then we see all of our co-workers going to professional development, obtaining masters degrees, or teaching summer school. We all are wondering the same question- should I do that? Do I need to go back to school? Is it wrong that I just want to sit at home and play with my kids? I have given everything to other people’s children. Why do I feel guilty for just wanting to spend time with my family?

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We all go through life wondering if we are “good enough” and as teachers, we are always questioning our abilities. This self-doubt is fed by politicians, the public, (unintentionally) our coworkers, and ourselves. The only person we should ever compete against is ourselves. We just need to be better than we were yesterday, last week, or last year. It is so much easier said than done. Why are we so hard ourselves?

The only person we should ever compete against is ourselves. Click To Tweet
I am here to tell you to stop. You are good enough. You are plenty. You did amazing things this year and made miracles happen when everyone said it was hopeless. You changed lives, not just one or two, but at least twenty, and those kids will remember you for the rest of their lives. You cried, you smiled, and you fought with children that did not care about themselves and you made them care. You brought new ideas into the world, and because of this, you made children see the world in a new light.
You have spent time with students that broke your heart, and made you so proud you could almost burst. You are enough, my dear coworker. You have earned a few weeks away from other people’s children. You deserve time with your family and even yourself. If you do not take a few weeks to focus on yourself, then you will never recharge and be the best you can be for your students. Not everything has to be about them if you want to go back to school, do it for yourself. Trust me, the students will not care if you have a master's degree, they only care about if you care about them. And that is not taught at any university, it comes from within.

Students will not care if you have a master's degree, they only care about if you care about them Click To Tweet
You are enough. You develop relationships with twenty-plus kids every year. You give them every bit of you every single day and not all of them hold up their half, but you made that relationship work. And you have results to prove it. You deserve a break. And NEVER let anyone let you feel guilty for focusing on you and yours during this summer break. We all know that you will be looking at lesson plans, writing curriculum, and attending professional development, and while all these things will enhance your abilities as a teacher, they will not make you good enough. Because you are already enough, you are a teacher and that in itself is extraordinary. I love each one of you and thank you for all you do for our kids.

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