Yesterday was THE day. It was my “D” Day. Okay, maybe it was my “C” Day — my classroom day. It was the first of two workdays to prepare my room for the arrival of twenty-four children who will bring with them noise, energy, questions, answers, ideas, and creativity. Our district has us pack everything away so that the room can be cleaned. Bulletin boards were covered; desks and counters were cleared. It was a barren space.

Yesterday we began making it look like a classroom again — specifically, my classroom again.

When I say we, I mean WE. Us. My own work crew: my family.

That afternoon as I walked away from a classroom that has bulletin boards moved and redecorated, textbooks open and sorted, flyers copied, folded, stacked, and readied for kiddos and their parents, things sorted, moved, tossed, refilled, and a space that is looking welcoming again, I realized that it never would have happened so quickly had I not had the amazing energy and help of my family. And it’s been like that for nineteen years.

As a teacher, I have so much to do. Everyday in the classroom brings work, work, and more work. Days are long — and they don’t end when students exit the building. The stressors are many — legislators, administrators, parents, children, and obligations outside of the classroom.

But that’s only a VERY SMALL part of it, because more than anything, there are the things in this world of education for which I am grateful.

My family — husband and sons, parents, sisters, brother, nieces, and nephews — have all offered support and encouragement as I entered into a new profession with three children at home. I remember when Mr. Gorgeous, the boys, and I were sitting in Wendy’s in Spearfish, SD while on vacation as we told our boys that I was returning to college to complete a teaching degree. Their first response was, “Cool, can I be in your class?” What an amazing response and even today, I remain thankful.

As I worked on my BA, they tolerated requests for quiet, let me practice teaching  them, and critiqued my ideas. (Honestly, the five year old always gave interesting suggestions.) Later, I completed my MS. Again, they were quiet when I needed them to be, served as “lab rats” of a sort as I completed my reading specialization. My husband cooked, folded clothes, herded children and a dog, and helped keep house. Even today, when I get  ready to start a new school year, the boys ask when they will need to be in the room to help get it ready. John saws, builds, cuts, laminates things, picks up fast food, and reminds me to sleep. I could be a teacher without them, I suppose, but it wouldn’t be nearly as easy or half as fun. I am thankful.

When I went to work in a middle school there was a man who taught in the room next door. He became my unofficial mentor. His ideas and leadership were amazing. There were my friends with whom I taught — men and women who gave me ideas and helped me be a better teacher because they challenged me. And today, I work with a team of educators who are amazing at what they do — who help me be a better elementary teacher, who laugh with me, and who encourage me to be a better person. I am thankful.

So far this summer, we’ve made approximately 2,000 trips to our local stores, and at least 1500 visits to Amazon searching for and purchasing exactly the right things for my classroom. Okay, I’m probably exaggerating a little bit. Still to complete my classroom set of composition books, I needed two more. I am thankful for the dear person who sent a giant bag of school supplies to our school, because in the there somewhere were two compositions books and I was saved another trip to the store. It’s not only that generous person, it’s the kind, thoughtful people at our own church who filled four backpacks for our neighborhood school. There are people who bring extra tissue boxes to schools for classrooms full of kids with colds and allergies resulting in runny noses. And so many more… these people — these caring people — make being a teacher manageable; they are some of the many ones for whom I thankful.

And then there are the parents. The parents who prepare their children for school, help them with their homework, and make sure they get the sleep they need. There are the parents who purchase supplies for their child’s classroom. Things like board games, neon colored whiteboard markers, bags of pens, pencils, markers, and crayons, extra paper, and still more tissues — things that make being a teacher a little bit more fun and whole lot easier. Oh yeah, did I mention the Coffee House Gift Cards? How could I be a teacher without my Chai? Yes, I am grateful for parents who see a need and meet it; those who provide support for teachers, schools, and their child. I am thankful.

Of course, I can’t forget my students. The well-behaved and the ornery, the ones who learn easily and those who struggle for every single lesson learned. There are the ones who challenge me daily  with their behavior and their mouth, those who always need to have the last word. Then, there are the ones who bring a dandelion bouquet to their teacher on the first day of school or the jar of flowers from their yard. They are the main reason I do what I do and I am thankful that they share their days, curiosity, and energy with me. I am thankful.

Yes, being a teacher has it’s challenges, but there is SOOOOOOOOO much for which to be grateful — and I am.

I am thankful.