I don’t want much and I’ve never been one to want more than what’s deserving of me. However, I do want to be appreciated, acknowledged, and praised. Who doesn’t? I don’t desire this all the time and not just for any reason, but it would be nice when I am doing my job and doing it well. As an adult I realized that I have a tendency to be a people pleaser. When I say people I mean my superiors. I always want to show them that I’m doing what I am supposed to do well.
I work my butt off every day at work and I am never praised for a job well done. For all the years I’ve been a teacher. Some may think that this means I’m not doing a job well done, but my evaluations and test scores say other wise. I build relationships with the challenging students same as I do the lovable ones without bribing them with candy. I don’t need to blow a whistle in my classroom to calm my students down, because they respect the class expectations enough to get quiet when I tell them to. The same teachers being nominated for various awards are the same ones watching how I handle the difficult children that we both share and trying to mimic me.
I provide laughter into my classroom to build a safe haven and a family atmosphere. I encourage my students every day and spend too many hours trying to make sure that I am always giving them the best of me. I do all I am supposed to do in this profession and I am never acknowledged individually. Of course, the group praise is always given because the faculty made the school look good for having high test scores. The “I can’t do this without you all” and the “You guys work so hard”, is common and cliche’ by now, but individually? Never. After a while, it hurts. I begin to feel unappreciated.
I didn’t become a teacher for the praise and I know that I’m doing a great job. I am often told this by my colleagues and I just know. We all know when we are truly doing a good job or a horrible job at something. I can tell that my current students enjoy me and our class My previous students continue to reach out to to me to remind me of what they remember learning and to tell me how much they enjoyed having me as their teacher. Honestly that is why I became an educator. To make a difference in the lives of students and to be remembered by them as I remember my favorite teachers. For making an impact and being there for them when they felt alone.
It just would just be nice to receive genuine acknowledgment from those that I keep making look good to their superiors, that they notice a job well done from me.
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Read my previous post here:
A Divine Perspective 17: Be Humble…
Kat's Eye View 
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