Reply To: When kids quit….. :-(

[nafmeadmin]

I realize it is nearly a year after the last post, but I wanted to chime in.

I had a bunch of really talented sixth graders talk about dropping chorus for second semester, despite the fact that it is a yearlong class. Like many of you, I was incredibly bummed – to the point where I was asking myself, “Does what I do REALLY matter?” I sat in that mindset during my planning, until finally – after saying a prayer, it dawned on me: the kids who want to be here are why I teach. This simple conclusion changed my entire outlook – so much so that my students later were like, “I’m so glad you are happy again.” (I had been stressed about other things, as well.)

I also wrote a note to myself and put it where I would see it every day. The note reminded me to focus on the kids who want to be there and to smile more – because life is better when you smile.