When Teachers Give More Than Grades: The Emotional Reality of Education

“Sometimes teachers struggle, like mental health as well. I mean you don’t realize. They always seem to have it put together, but nine times out of ten, I know personally, I don’t have it together. I might seem like I have it together, but, nine times out of ten, I don’t,” says teacher Kristen Snipes.

Teaching is one of the most important professions on the planet, yet teachers always seem to be unappreciated the most. Teachers play one of the most essential roles in shaping others lives and futures. Their dedication, patience, and passion for teaching shows how much they care about their students and the subject they are teaching. They often go above and beyond with not only academic knowledge, but also providing life lessons and moral guidance.

“Don’t let a moment ruin your experience,” a quote that senior Selvin Jenkins has been living by ever since a past teacher gave him this advice. “It keeps me thinking and wondering, why stop when you could do more,” Jenkins explains.

When teachers give their students advice they can live by forever, they form a special bond. A bond with a teacher shows students that their teachers truly care about who they are and who they become, but students aren’t the only people that benefit from these bonds.

History teacher, Kristen Snipes, explains how the littlest things always make the biggest impact. “It can make my day 100 percent. You can be having a bad day and a student can say something or do anything small and it honestly can brighten your whole day,” Snipes explains.

However, students aren’t the only ones who seem to appreciate and motivate teachers, their colleagues and administrators also play a crucial role in pushing teachers to teach. Snipes explains why feedback from fellow educators shapes who she is as a teacher.

“I’m one of those people, I want you to tell me what I can improve on, because I always want to know how I can improve and how I can do better,” Snipes says, “Even though I’ve been doing this for twelve years, there’s still things that I struggle with and there’s still things that I want to improve on each semester.”

With Snipes being a history teacher, she experiences students’ appreciation by providing them with the knowledge they’re going to need in college or university, but Jenkins appreciates the performing arts for a different reason.

“They give me the opportunity to play or sing or go out there and give it a shot, pretty much twice a semester now,” Jenkins says, “It makes me feel great, getting to play great music with people who understand and say, ‘Hey, music means something to you, and we’re here for you,’ and it’s just great. Both chorus and band teachers, all the time, have just been there for me and I really appreciate it.”

The guidance that teachers give ultimately inspires students to do better. Many students don’t realize it now, but their teachers have given them the guidance that can help them in the long run. “We promise we’re not doing this to hurt you, we’re doing this to help you,” Snipes says, “You may not see it as a student, but we’re building some type of skill that will ultimately help you, whether it’s in class or in life.