There are just a couple of weeks left of school, and while this can be a happy and exciting time of the year, for many educators, it can also be a stressful time. Last year, I was packing up to move grades and schools, and this year, I’m getting ready to move grades and rooms. It’s exciting, but it’s also overwhelming. Today, I started thinking about what I need to do before school ends, and I could feel myself getting anxious. These feelings made me think of a blog post that I read last week by one of our Board’s superintendents, Sue Dunlop. In her post, Sue talks about “living in the tension,” and this can be a very hard thing to do. She asked us how we cope during these stressful times (paraphrased), and I replied with this comment.

Her follow-up question had me thinking more, and this question and my response to it, were what I looked back on when feeling overwhelmed today.

It’s the kids that make me feel better when I’m feeling stressed, and so this morning, I started thinking about all of the things that I love about my time with the students.

• I love that they always make me laugh.
• I love to hear their thinking.
• I love that they make me think … even when I didn’t anticipate that I would be thinking in that way or about that topic.
• I love their honesty, and I love how their honesty helps all of us change for the better.
• I love how they willingly tackle challenging problems, and always with a positive attitude.
• I love that they love school, and seem so genuinely happy to be there.
• I love seeing their growth — as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, sociologists, artists, performers, athletes, and thinkers. I love that they can see this growth as well.
• I love that they see themselves as learners and teachers, and I love that they teach each other and me.
• I love listening to their conversations, and hearing that pure joy that always makes me smile!
• I love how they support each other. I love our community of learners!

Somehow thinking about this list and writing down what “I love,” already makes me feel calmer. Have you tried this before? What do you “love?” Kids are at the heart of education, and keeping them there — with all of the positives that they bring to our classroom and school communities — are sure to make a stressful time a little less stressful. What do you think?

Aviva