My experience of teaching for so many years has taught me one thing. I genuinely love being a teacher. Not because of the paperwork, the endless lesson plans, or new deadlines overnight…, but because I truly enjoy being around children. I deeply cherish, especially when little children come running toward me with enormous smiles, excitedly wishing me whenever they see me, their energy, honesty, and unpredictable little comments can brighten even the most exhausting day.
I still remember my student, Eva. When she first entered my classroom, she was extremely quiet and hesitant to speak. Gradually, however, she blossomed into a confident young girl who could express herself beautifully. For the past four years, she has continued sharing her YouTube speeches with me, every single time, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride. Her thoughtful wishes that pop up on Teacher’s Day and during festival never fail to make my day brighter. This experience is heartwarming, as students share their achievements with me and wait for my praise and encouragement.
Time has flown by, but I still feel incredibly happy when former students cheerfully come forward to greet me. Sometimes I may forget their names, but I never forget their faces. I smile warmly and greet them back, secretly hoping they do not realize I am desperately trying to remember which class they belonged to. Especially my ‘mischief managers’- the energetic troublemakers they are often the first ones who come forward and never forget to wish me. Back then, I often wondered whether I would survive the school year without losing my voice completely while asking them to sit down and follow classroom rules. I would feel that once they moved to the next grade, they would not remember us. Yet those very students are often the ones who remember their teachers most affectionately.
Looking back now, I still remember my very first student. She would write tiny heartfelt notes and secretly pass them to me after cleverly informing another teacher that she urgently needed to use the washroom. Children, I realized early on, are surprisingly skilled strategists when emotions are involved. As the years passed, I often found myself wondering whether I would one day witness my students growing into successful adults while I grew older – and whether they would still remember me somewhere in the middle of their busy lives. Today, I realize that this, perhaps, is the true reward of teaching. Not certificates, promotions, or achievement files, but the simple fact that a student remembers you years later with love, gratitude, and respect.
Seventeen years have passed, and when I look back, I still remember how challenging it once felt to take up new responsibilities. I remember that I was not very confident, yet my supervisor believed in my abilities even when I doubted myself. When I look through my achievement file now, genuinely it surprised me how much I have achieved, and I feel proud that I took up the challenges that came my way. Sometimes I pause and think, “Did I really manage to do all this while simultaneously controlling classrooms full of tiny humans?” Every challenge I accepted shaped me into a stronger and more capable educator. My hard work, dedication, perseverance, and commitment to supporting children in their growth have become my greatest strengths. Over the years, there was once a time when we hardly used a laptop in school. Today, technology has become an inseparable part of education, and we have all grown alongside it. Teaching is a journey filled with laughter, chaos, growth, unforgettable memories, and countless little hearts that leave permanent footprints on our lives.
Sandra Rocha
