MakeMeSmile: The Best Thing a Child Has Taught ME

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The best thing a child has taught me was... to chill.

It may seem small and easy for some of you, but in my teaching life, I have lost count on these beautiful reminders and lessons from my students. Just recently, my co-teacher was on sick leave for two days, and I decided to take over all her duty slots during snack time, lunch time, and playground time. Sure we had other teachers around to help, but they were either teaching or had meetings to attend. And yes, we need eyes to supervise these kids at all times. The weather was not too accommodating. By noon, I was craving for a coffee shot. My battery was low, and I was close to hibernating with my eyes open. Yes, trust me, I can do that! LOL

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On days like these, I would usually doze off as early as 5:30 pm until the next morning. A super duper long time of hibernation. I guess, the depth of exhaustion may feel almost similar like parenting too. My 'parenting' starts from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm for five days a week, dealing with over 20 hyperactive little monsters. Opps, I mean, students. :D Anyway, so no coffee shot for me, and I was pretty tired to even eat my lunch. Suddenly, there was a gentle tap on my left shoulder. I turned around, and it was one of the best things that I have ever heard from one of my students.

"Miss Cally, you have worked a lot today. You look tired and your hair is messy, so you need to rest. We can go play there, and you can just sit here and enjoy your lunch."

Isn't that thoughtful?! I rather hear that than complaining words about how Student A does not want to play with me, and other student shenanigans. I was so grateful that at least I had 15 minutes of some quiet time while watching my students from a distance, before teaching again for the next 2 hours. Can teacher fatigue be this serious? YES, OF COURSE!

As mentioned in previous post, I am a strong achiever at work. Thus, I always aim to complete all my tasks and responsibilities diligently, and meeting deadlines is really important to me. Pretty much a workaholic when I am on my teacher mood, but it was because of my students and their lovely reminders. I must say that each and every one of them has taught me huge life lessons, and the biggest yet so far is to chill, or to rest. My students are the best teachers in my life. In the teaching and learning journey of transforming young lives, I am even more changed in simple yet extraordinary ways.

Should teachers then make sleeping or resting a priority? A big, fat, happy YES!

This is my entry for The Best Thing a Child Has Taught contest by @keciah (find #steemmamas at Discord, and MakeMeSmile trail by @elizacheng. Thank you for reading my post today! Hope you liked it :)

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