"Be Truly Amazing"

That's our new slogan. You can see it on the new t-shirts that our employees (myself included) wear to class. It's a little cheesy, I'll admit that much, but I think that one of the most important things a teacher can do for their student is to instill in them the idea that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to. Above all other things, this is the foundation upon which I intend to build my teaching career. If anything, maybe my students will believe in themselves simply because I believe in them. This is a great responsibility and I do not take it lightly.

I love what I do. The best part of my day is when I walk into the classroom and eagerly anticipate the arrival of students. I can often be heard saying as I open the doors, "are you ready for battle?" to our employees. Because it is a battle. Each day presents new challenges and obstacles for us, as Kumon instructors, and students to overcome. We are armed with knowledge and, hopefully, enough patience to find a way to relate material to our students. But for me, it isn't completely war. It's a labor of love. It really is. While I am labeled as a teacher, my main objective is not to just teach. What I attempt to do is to love my students by being the best teacher that I can be for them. For me, this is easy. For one reason or another, teaching has allowed me to positively contribute to the world around me. I will be forever thankful that I've been able to travel this path in life.

In the last post, I ended with the question of how I was to determine if teaching, if Kumon was going to be what I would do with the rest of my life. I hope the previous two paragraphs have given you a sufficient answer. Teaching isn't what I do, it's what I am. I am a teacher. If you think about it, we all are called to be such a person at times in our lives. I just choose to do it on a daily basis. And I get paid for it as well. haha. I could always use money to spend on new sneakers.

But all joking aside, I'd like to refer back to the title of this post. I'm going to give you a quote that I came up with myself, that I use frequently, to help motivate my students. It goes something like this:

"[enter student's name here], do you know what the difference is between people who do great things and people who don't? I'll tell you. The people who achieve great things do everything that they possibly can to be truly amazing. The people that just get by only do what is required of them."

My job, any teacher's job, is to find a way to help our students do everything that they possibly can to succeed in life. But they have to want it. We can't make them do anything. Still, it doesn't mean that we can't try. I promise you, parents and students alike, that I will always try my best. I will always do everything that I possibly can. In that regard, I, myself, can also "be truly amazing."

Pour on the cheddar, the gouda, the bleu and the swiss. It's a cheese factory up in here.

Phil