Great goals! But I wish to disagree with your comment about not knowing the impact you have on your students. You won't know about all of them, of course, and you may not know for a while, but I'm confident that in future years some will reach out to you to tell you how much you mattered because that's the kind of teacher you are. I confess that some of the students who have reached out to me were a total surprise, but all of them have convinced me that my decades in the classroom were worthwhile. You will get that, too.
Thank you for this! To your point, I actually received an email last week from a former student from over 20 years ago. She thoughtfully recounted things we did in the classroom and thanked me for the impact I had on her. She even became a teacher!
My husband is also missing those baby and toddler years, especially around Christmas time, and I (like your wife) love this preteen stage they are in. Mine are a little younger than yours, but it's so fun to see them become their own people.
What a great reflection. It really made me think about how I parent and approach my teaching. Very thoughtful and inspiring at the same time. Thank you for such an honest post Adrian
Great goals! But I wish to disagree with your comment about not knowing the impact you have on your students. You won't know about all of them, of course, and you may not know for a while, but I'm confident that in future years some will reach out to you to tell you how much you mattered because that's the kind of teacher you are. I confess that some of the students who have reached out to me were a total surprise, but all of them have convinced me that my decades in the classroom were worthwhile. You will get that, too.
Thank you for this! To your point, I actually received an email last week from a former student from over 20 years ago. She thoughtfully recounted things we did in the classroom and thanked me for the impact I had on her. She even became a teacher!
No surprise there, and more of that will happen... What you do matters, even when you feel like Sisyphus.
My husband is also missing those baby and toddler years, especially around Christmas time, and I (like your wife) love this preteen stage they are in. Mine are a little younger than yours, but it's so fun to see them become their own people.
How lucky we are, to be parents :)
I love your resolutions for 2026. Thank you for sharing!
What a great reflection. It really made me think about how I parent and approach my teaching. Very thoughtful and inspiring at the same time. Thank you for such an honest post Adrian