I’m not a mom. I don’t have kids at home, and truthfully, I’ve never wanted any. Why? It’s not because I don’t love kids. I absolutely do. But nothing — and I mean nothing — in my life brings me more joy than teaching. It’s because of this that I don’t want my own kids … as in many ways, I have 14 of my “own.”

• 14 kids that inspire me daily.
• 14 kids that make me laugh.
• 14 kids that make me think.
• 14 kids that sometimes worry me, regularly surprise me, often make me happy, occasionally make me sad or angry … but never fail to make me care about them!
• 14 kids that I desperately want to see succeed.
• 14 kids that constantly make me think of new ways to help them improve and allow them to shine.
• 14 kids that forgive me for the many, many, many mistakes that I make!
• 14 kids that tell me what they need, and remind me that it’s important to listen.
• 14 kids that may go home at the end of the day, but forever remain with me as I think ahead to the next day, the next week, the next month … 14 kids that motivate me to improve as I want to be better for them!

And these are just my “14 kids” from this year. Sometimes I’ve had 70 Kindergarten kids, 20 Grade 1 kids, 23 Grade 1/2 kids, 30 Grade 6 kids, 32 Grade 5 kids, and various combinations of many other terrific kids, that do the same for me as my 14 do now. 

Many Of My 14 “Kids”

I applaud the moms of all of these kids, and thank you for all that you’ve done for them. Your children love you. They talk about you often. You are one of the most important people in their lives. Even as a grown-up now, my mom is just as important to me. As a teacher, I feel so fortunate to get to work with, learn from, and care about all of these amazing kids. I may not be a mom at home, but I’m glad that I can care just as much as I do at school.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of those incredible individuals that truly care and do so very much for kids! As Angela Maiers would say, “you matter!”

Aviva