Latest / New Teacher Talk / Ep 172: New Teachers: The Gratitude You Don’t See

Transcript

Ep 172: New Teachers: The Gratitude You Don’t See · New Teacher Talk

• Welcome to New Teacher Talk, the podcast that reminds you,
• you are not alone and you are doing more good than you
• know.
• I'm Dr.
• Beth,
• and today's episode is called The Gratitude You Don't See.
• Because it's the week of Thanksgiving,
• and while everyone's talking about gratitude and rest,
• you might be wondering if anyone sees how hard you are
• working just to make it each week.
• Let's talk about that, okay?
• If you're listening to this, you've made it through parent,
• teacher conferences, full moons, fire drills,
• and at least one day where the copier betrayed you.
• You've taught through exhaustion.
• You've smiled when you didn't feel like it.
• You've answered questions like, is this going to be graded?
• And can I go to the bathroom more times than you can count?
• And still, you're here, still showing up, still trying.
• That's not small, that's not ordinary.
• That's the kind of quiet resilience that builds trust,
• community, and change in your students.
• This time of year, we talk a lot about thankfulness.
• But in schools,
• the gratitude you deserve isn't always spoken out loud.
• You may not hear it from the student who finally turned in
• their work,
• or the one who stopped acting out because they finally feel
• safe in your room.
• You may not hear it from the colleague who watches you
• handle a tough moment with grace and thinks,
• I wish I had been that grounded in my first year,
• but it's there.
• It's in the way your students linger after class.
• It's in the way they light up when you remember their name,
• their story, their favorite book.
• It's in the way they start to believe they can do hard
• things because they see you doing hard things every day.
• Now, let's get real.
• You might be so tired right now that you started calling
• your students by your pet's names or your children's names.
• I get it, I've been there.
• You might've eaten a granola bar for lunch and called it
• self-care.
• We've all been there too.
• You might've said,
• let's focus so many times this week that it's become your
• personal mantra.
• That's okay, you're human,
• and you're doing something incredibly hard with heart,
• humor, and hope.
• So here's what I want you to hear before you head into
• break.
• You are not just surviving, you are building.
• You are building relationships.
• You are building competence in your students and in
• yourself.
• You are building a classroom where kids feel seen, heard,
• and safe,
• and that matters more than any perfect lesson plan or
• Pinterest-worthy bulletin board.
• So as you head into Thanksgiving break, I hope you rest.
• I hope you let yourself breathe.
• I hope you remember that rest is not a reward for
• surviving.
• It is part of the work that we do as teachers.
• You are doing enough.
• You are becoming the teacher your students will remember,
• and you are not alone.
• Thanks for tuning in to New Teacher Talk.
• If this episode gave you a little lift share it with a
• fellow educator who needs to hear it too.
• Also, follow us on our socials.
• You can find us at New Teacher Talk on Instagram and Blue
• Sky for our Tuesday Teacher Resource and Thursday Thought.
• And remember, the gratitude may not always be loud,
• but it's there, you've got this.