Falling into joy

It's that time of year where it's getting colder and everyone is sick.
The time where it's dark on the way to school and dark on the way home from school. It's where meetings and paperwork and grades seem endless. Where you are pushed to reach out to families and remind kids of grades being due soon. Today was one of those particular days where I was in a haze of fatigue and endless tasks. I had grading or coverages during preps and stayed for tutoring after school where only one student showed up. It's been a rough year filled with uncertainty and changes and difficulties, and it's only October.

But one small thing made me feel better.

One text "thank you for today" from a parent. I helped tutor this student and it made an impact on the student and their parent. This warmed my heart because it reminded me that ultimately this is the job. I help kids. I don't invent, implement, and produce inquiry projects for the sake of inquiry.  I don't do endless bureaucratic paperwork and grading and following initiatives. I teach. I help kids. I don't feel like I'm helping and I don't want to do it for a big award or constant recognition. But in a job where you have two million things to do a day and sometimes never even get a thank you, this text was a bright spot.