Page Content
Making a difference is truly a joy
Why do I love teaching? This is a question that I respond to differently on different days, so I find it best to address it as a cumulative reflection. Most of us have dwelt on the thought “Why am I doing this?” from time to time, but these are usually fleeting moments, I believe. I have the advantage of being in the twilight of my career and my memories have aged not unlike a fine wine—the more I have to look back on, the better the memories. I tend to focus on the difference that I made in kids’ lives and dismiss mundane undertakings like completing report cards, attending staff meetings to write education plans and implementing system initiatives to improve PAT results . While not every memory is vintage, they are still enjoyable and better when shared with others.
My years in math class were not without frustration, but there were so many lightbulb moments for students that the struggles became part of the success stories, and I’ve left memories of the daily grind behind like chaff. I recall a young man at June report card time. He had just squeaked by, but his comment warmed my heart. He said “Thanks Mr. Jeffery. I don’t hate math any more.” High praise indeed.
So many of my school memories come not from the classroom, but from extra curricular activities. I think of my trips with concert and jazz bands. My Grade 8 and 9 concert band was the very first tour group to be led through the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. While that doesn’t seem important, some of the kids talked to their friends at home about “being the first”—not what I expected their memory to be, but many times the impression is made where we least expect it.
Our school bands performed outside the school many times and have been recognized on the plaque marking the establishment of the community band shell. I watched many students pose for pictures at that marker. They were part of something lasting.
I clearly remember the parental pride I felt when I accompanied our Grade 9 French immersion classes on week-long field trips to Quebec City when each of my children were participating. The pride came from the tremendous work so many of my school colleagues had done with my children. Once we cleared security, all conversation was in French for the entire trip. I’m sure they cheated in their rooms at night, but they functioned very well in a French environment and received many compliments from the citizenry of Quebec City and Tadoussac.
So many of my lifelong friendships are with colleagues. We bonded while at school but continue our friendship even though some have been retired for more than a few years. We understand each other and share the common experience of working every day to make kids’ lives a little bit better. We still have late night sessions around the backyard fire pit where we reminisce about school years past. While doctors change people’s lives, I don’t think they get together and talk fondly about that appendectomy in ’87.
In this very magazine, I read my good friend Norm Yanitski’s article, and I truly hope that I am one of the “outstanding people he has met along the journey.” Norm was the principal of our crosstown rival school in the 1990s, and we coached basketball against each other. We were intense but always friendly. Funny thing, though. I remember regularly beating them soundly, but Norm’s recollection is entirely different.
I always talk to the new teachers at their inductions about one of the joys of teaching. Here is a quote from my presentation.
“The long-serving teachers here have had that trust for a long time and know what I am talking about. They now get to hear what a difference they have made when they hear from former students. This is truly one of the joys of teaching. You never know when, know where, or know who, but it will happen and years down the road a student will recognize you somewhere and will have to stop and tell you what a difference you made in their lives.”
It is a joy to know that your life’s work has made a difference. Some of the differences may have been small, but when you put them all together, for me it has been more than worthwhile. Every time I step back into a school, I get a feeling of belonging. This is where I was meant to be. It has truly been a joy.
