Something I want my students to know...

 I've had the privilege of teaching young children for about ten years. From the first fearful step into the 3rd grade classroom of P.S. 154 as a City Year Corps member, to looking up at my ninth and tenth graders during my teacher fellow year at the Collegiate Institute of Math and Science, I've been humbled to be in the presence of these young people. And now, in a primary Montessori classroom, with children who will remember me as one of their first teachers--if not the first teacher they've ever had--the stakes feel higher, even as I have to bend lower to look at my students in their eyes. I sometimes wonder if the message I want to get across to each child comes through in the way I'm teaching. If not, here's what I'd want them to know:

• Everyday I think about how I can be a better guide to you, and everyday I feel more inadequate to do so.
• I want you to know that you have far greater ability than you think, particularly the ability to do good in the world. Keep striving.
• You don't need to ask me permission to go to the bathroom. Just go.
• It is preferred that you don't give me a hug while I am giving a lesson to another child. But should you need one, ask. The answer will (almost) always be yes.
• Please know that when I'm looking at you and listening to what you are saying, there is most likely a smile under my mask...unless you've just told me you've hit someone. That is not okay, Rosie.
• I try to speak carefully and walk lightly around the classroom because I recognize that this is an impressionable time for you; I do not wish to leave tracks of mud upon the carpet of your mind. ( I also don't want to distract you from your work...could you try to follow my lead and stop tickling your neighbor?
• Finally, know that I love you and the person you are becoming. I really want to do right by you, and I'll never fully know if I have. So I'll just continue striving to do better. I pray you do the same, even after you've left my room.