An Awesome Responsibility

I found this - so I'd like to share it.

Dedicated to all teachers - struggling and dedicated, tired and burnt-out, past, present and future. Know your strengths and utilise them wisely.

I make decisions in my classroom

all of them,

each moment,

each day,

every day.

By these decisions, I make my lessons

exciting, inviting,

stimulating, boring,

confusing, difficult, or

effective and appropriate.

My decisions determine the classroom climate,

the atmosphere, the aura,

the ambience or the mood, and

conditions conducive to learning.

I am in charge, I am responsible,

I can create anxiety,

hesitancy, uncertanty; or

satisfaction, happiness,

exhilaration and anticipation.

My classroom presentation can be

intersting, boring,

monotonous, dynamic,

tedious, humorous,

enthusiastic or dull.

My decisions, my power, my actions, my responses and

my failure to decide, to act or to respond makes my lessons

worthwhile, memorable,

worthless, harmful,

helpful, useful,

valuable and impressive.

As teacher, I control kids' lives for a period of time

I can affect their attitude,

their feelings and their emotions,

their desires, interest,

attention and aspirations.

My decisions make their lives better or worse

for the moment,

for a little while,

for future learning and perhaps,

for time to come.

I remember times when I myself as a student, felt

angry, upset,

embarrased, alone,

helpless, inadequate,

resentful and troubled.

I still harbour some of the frustration,

resentment and pain from those times, but

there is nothing I can do about my pain.

I can also feel the hurt and frustration in some of my students,

and I can do something about their pain.

I can decide at any given moment

to smile or to frown,

to give an 'F' or to give a second chance,

to be autocratic or to be democratic,

to be uncaring and authoritarian,

to be caring and empathetic.

My responsibility is to help my students

to develop positive attitudes,

to learn to be confident and competent,

to become knowledgeable,

to become productive and independent

to be World Class citizens.

Making teaching decisions is an awesome responsibilty

And the decisions are all mine.