Some days I want to lay down on the floor and throw a temper tantrum alongside the student who lost his mind when he didn’t get his way.

Some days I want to cradle the student who tells me with a glint in her eye and unwavering voice that her daddy was put in jail last Thursday.

Some days I want to dance and shout and clap when they finally get it right.

Some days I mourn the society they’re growing up in and the statistics they may become.

Some days I’m overwhelmed with the hope for the next generation of humans coming after me.

Some days I feel utterly useless.

Some days I feel needed and appreciated.

Some days I’m overwhelmed at the responsibility I have for them.

Most days I’m so grateful the privilege of being their teacher and the chance to influence their life for good, even if it is just a few hours each week.

The best advice I can give to people who are fearful of the direction our world is headed is to get involved with those who are coming after you, even if it’s just a short amount of time. Use the resources you have and the time you are given and perhaps our limited powers will create more good when the rest of the world seems so evil.

But who knows?

Some days I’m right, some days I’m wrong.

But I’m going to keep trying.

– Kate Gazaway, Reading Teacher