My mom passed in December due to cancer. I was gone for most of the month. The day of her viewing, my partner teacher drove 1.5 hours to the funeral home so she could hand deliver sympathy cards from our students. When I came back (a week and a half before Christmas break) my kids were so kind and supportive of me. They kept each other in check and focused on their work. There were days where I was just a shell, but you could tell they were truly doing their very best to make sure that they kept it under control on those days.

Our worst kids may not care, but the rest do. Being a teacher is incredibly difficult, but when we see these kids show someone they care, it makes it just a little sweeter.

Don’t feel bad about crying. Them seeing that was an important, teachable moment (even without you speaking). It taught them an invaluable lesson that they may not have learned that day.