Yesterday, I had to wake up to an alarm for the first time this summer. I had to be downtown by 9am to attend the Knox County New Teacher Orientation.

I was anticipating that the orientation would be small. It was at the Sarah Simpson Center in Knoxville. I went there a few weeks ago to meet with someone about my benefits and we met in a computer lab/classroom. So, I imagined there’d be 12-15 of us, squeezed into a classroom.

Turns out we were in an auditorium of some sort. With multiple tables. And SO MANY PEOPLE. Mind you, these are all new hires. 

But, fun fact: Knox County has over 80 schools (50 of which are elementary!).

Holy moly.

It was fun to be around fellow teachers again and potential new happy hour friends. (Though, the reality is I probably won’t see most – or any – of these people again because most of the people I met are going to be teaching on the other end of the county).

Anyway, I entered the room – about 15 minutes early – with my Starbucks iced coffee in hand. I wore a dress to the occasion (also the first time I’ve dressed up for something this summer), but most people were wearing comfy attire. And flip-flops. Love that casual teacher life.

Patience in Special Education

I sat down at a table next to two girls and we immediately started chatting. One of the girls was also going to be doing elementary special education at a school in east Knox County. The other girl was going to be teaching 4th grade.

About 5 minutes into our conversation, the 4th grade teacher looked at us and said, “You really have to be a special person to do special education.” 

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard that. That we are special. That we must have loads of patience. Usually, it comes from someone who is unfamiliar with that #teacherlife. (Because, HELLO, being a teacher – period – makes you a special human. And you need ALL SORTS of patience to deal with a classroom of up to 30 little, squirmy humans.

But the reality is that I am not doing my job BECAUSE I am a patient person.

I am a patient person BECAUSE of my job.

My kids have – time and time again – taught me how to take a deep breath, assess, and then jump in.

My kids have taught me that intention and effort is more important than the outcome.

They’ve taught me that it’s OK to derail from the lesson and be silly.

And they’ve taught me that there is good in the world – all around us – if we just stop, pause, and take it all in.

While I appreciate the compliment (especially coming from a fellow teacher), I think special education teachers are misunderstood.

We are who we are because of our kids. 

Our kids are the ones that make us so special.

Questions of the Day:

• Who was your favorite teacher growing up? And why?