“Find a passion for your students (…) Because I get so much out of building bonds and relationships with people. And when I can have a conversation and make something click for a student and watch them begin to excel (…)—that is the biggest reward.”
“Be vigilant of the successes. You are interacting with tens, if not hundreds, of students every day. It's easy to get bogged down with behaviors and students not being amped about work or not completing work. There are those students who are really, really benefiting from what you provide. And I think focusing on those interactions and those successes helps to keep that passion, keep that fire going as an educator.”
“My school has teachers do duties around the school, to supervise areas of the school but also to get teachers more involved in students’ lives outside the classroom. So this year I've been assigned recess [duty]. I teach high school. The high schoolers don't have recess, so I'm standing outside as the First, Second, and Third graders play. They see me, a guy they have never seen before, and so they just come and say Hi. And over the past week, two Second grade girls (…) every day they leave lunch, and they say ‘Hi, Mr. Jerry. How are you today? Are you happy?’ And then we have a conversation for five minutes. I don't teach them. I don't see them any other [time of the] day. Maybe I see them in the hallway and I get a ‘Hi, Mr. Jerry.’ But it's just those little interactions. It’s those successes. It doesn't need to be academic. It just needs to be a success.”