Shia Shabazz Smith shares how her students motivate her to continue teaching.
Every day, I stand in front of my students and offer structure, encouragement and the steady belief that their lives can expand beyond whatever they’re facing. Teaching, at its core, feels like an act of hope. Lately, though, I’ve been reading about teacher morale.
Reports show that while California teachers are holding on slightly better than others, nearly half are considering leaving within the next decade. It’s not hard to understand why. The past few years have asked more of teachers than ever before, and that weight hasn’t disappeared. Some years, the weight of the world seeps into the classroom more than others. Recently, a student handed me a letter. She wrote that she feels seen and valued in my classroom and thanked me for what I’ve given her and her peers.
Right now, she is living in a shelter but still manages to show up every day. Maya Angelou once said, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” We don’t always name it this way, but showing up takes courage. As teachers, we’re trained to measure progress through assignments, standards and skills. Those things matter, but they’re never the whole story.
Sometimes, the students who need the most from school are the least able to meet it on its terms. And it is those students who are often paying the closest attention. They notice if you greet them by name. They notice consistency. They notice if you don’t give up on them. From the outside, it might not look like success. But to them, it can mean everything.