My Victory On Paper

It has taken almost a year, but I think I'm finally making some in-roads, albeit small, in my school. Today, I saw that my Year 10 class, who are pretty challenging (and whom I see a lot!), are finally starting to produce the kind of results that I always hoped they would.

There really is nothing more satisfying than sharing the moment when a student prints out his or work and looks over it proudly, boasting an expression that screams out "look what I've done!"

We smiled at one another, the student and his teacher, in united recognition of a printed piece of paper, that meant so much more than a simple piece of manufactured wood.

That printout had my blood, sweat and tears ingrained into every atom of it's miserable being. However, at that moment, all was forgotten. The student, the teacher and the paper were united in something indescribable.

If you ever wonder why I, or anyone else wants to be a teacher - that piece of paper contains the very essence of why we put up with so much crap in the goldfish bowl we all call a classroom. The pen, the printout, the exam are so much mightier than the most venerated of swords.