Well, I said it yesterday and I must say it again today. Y’all are the absolute best! I keep revisiting “Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!” because your answers make me smile. It doesn’t matter whether this is your first year teaching or your 39th (!!!) year: your positive energy and enthusiasm for teaching shines through. I’m so happy and thankful for each of you!
Okay, today is the second day of our Teacher Appreciation Week celebration (woo hoo!), which means that when you answer today’s question, your name gets entered in our super-duper prize drawing. Just be sure you answer before the end of the day on Saturday, May 7. Have a super day!
Today’s Question:
So far this year, what has been your proudest moment as a teacher?
I got a call last week from a high school teacher who does Teacher Cadets. A student in my very first class (4th grade)is honoring me at a banquet for having a positive impact on her life. What an honor!
My proudest moments have been many!
Their shining accomplishments in math skills
are among the highlight of this year,though.
They are doing so many cool things during calendar
that no other class before has done!
I think seeing that look on a student’s face when they finally “get” a hard concept is priceless. I see it often during math when we learn to multiply by two numbers or learn to divide by one or two numbers or even decimals. It is great to see that a-ha moment!
I teach an early childhood special education preschool class with mixed ages 3-5. I’m so proud of the progress my students have made. One of my proudest moment so far this year has been when one of my students took her alphabet ring to the principal and named all the letters and their sounds. At the beginning of the year she did not was not able to name 1 letter of the alphabet, colors, shapes, numbers, and she often ran around the classroom, attending for only about 5 minutes. She has come SO far and will be able to function in a general education classroom with support next year! YEAH.
I teach Sunday School and will also be returning to a regular three year old preschool classroom this fall but I enjoyed every week at Sunday School watching the children grow in love and faith. We had seveal great themes and lessons throughout the year. The children were always eager to learn about God and his wonderful world. My proudest moment came when I got a heartful letter from a parent saying how much she appreciated all that I did and how great it was that I got the children so excited to learn so much about God and they are so eager to learn more. She said her son always looked forward to Sundays! I finally saw the complete puzzle. My efforts from here to there do make a difference in the life of a child. It makes me feel good to know that the efforts I put in are worth it in the end!
My proudest moment is when we have been working on a skill that maybe has taken some awhile to get and they look at you and their eyes light up like (I finally understand). There is nothing like that feeling. It is also wonderful when they come up to you and say I love you. It touches your heart.
A proud moment for me was when I was checking out at the grocery store and the checker was a student I had when she was 5 and is now 18 and remembered me! She started telling everyone that I had been her preschool teacher.
After a long day in a classroom I go home and help my son, who is in second grade (and struggling)with his homework and he tells me he wishes I could teach his class.
I wish all teachers could love their jobs and the kids like I do! It’s such an honor to see the growth in each child, but it’s even more important when it’s your own!
I am a first year special education teacher. I have a student who came to me with limited vocabulary and instead of asking for things she would just scream and cry till you gave her what she wanted. A few weeks ago her mom told me how glad she was that I am her daughters’ teacher. This student is now making verbal request and able to tell me when she is upset and why. Her vocabulary has increased so much in just one school year. I am so proud of how far we have come!
The proudest moment was always at the end of the end when I could see the students ready to go on and seeing them later doing well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
I completed my student teaching this year and I had two proud moments. I was teaching my students that we are all like puzzle pieces, shaped different but we fit together. As we were putting together the puzzles pieces the students decorated with pictures of themselves, one student shouted “Ms.N I get it!” and he proceeded to re-explain what I had been trying to teach them.
At the end of my student teaching I had a parent come up to me and ask if they could write me a letter of recommendation, because she felt I taught her son well. That comment/action really touched my heart!
I’m sure it will come this Friday. We are having a big mother’s day celebration that we have been working on since February. There will be singing and dancing and many special things for mom. The morning is filled with love and happiness. It always make me very proud!!
My proudest moment was last week when I actually SAW the progress that my students made this year. I work with students that have a severe language deficit and at the end of the year we have to post test them. This year I have all of my students testing at or above their age and are heading to regular 4k and 5k next year. My work is not in vain.
My proudest moment have been seeing the accomplishments all of my daycare children have made in the last year. With these accomplishements we will be celebrating with a Preschool Graduation ceremony for their families. Seeing their excitment as they help make the decorations and learn their songs shows these kids are off to a great beginning when they enter school.
One of my proudest moments is when a student who was a struggling reader began 2 read above the target goal each six weeks
My proudest moments have been when the kids learn about themselves–and they have fun.
My proudest moment was when a mom sent my principal this about me:
It was a particularly sullen day in November, and my daughter was early to school, dragging her feet. Grumbling about unfinished homework, she walked into her favorite teacher’s room. Entering junior year, my daughter told me that when she needs her daily fix of news, politics, pop culture, or singing, Ms. Holloway is the person to go to.
I doubt it’s intentional that an adult appears intimidating, especially in a school setting, but it’s common nonetheless. Not with Ms. Holloway, though. She is an English teacher, and also the driving force behind the school newspaper and literary magazine, as well a coach on the girls’ cross country and track teams. She is a woman unique to the education world. She expertly balances her roles as a leader, teacher, coach and a friend, making her a favorite among students and teachers alike. She’s just fun, personable and relatable. Not even on my kid’s worst day does she imagine herself incapable of a smile if she’s near her favorite teacher. Her teacher has a genuine interest in students’ lives, and she is someone the students with and trust. She respects the students as much as they do her. She believes in the young. She teaches what textbooks do not. She breaks the rules, shattering the walls that typically divide adults from adolescents. When I pick up my child after sports practice, I’ll stop in her room. There is always an abundance of students, food, laughs and music. In every aspect of her career, she has motivated and inspired students to be better people and writers. Ms. Holloway is not only my daughter’s favorite teacher but she is also her mentor, coach and friend.
I loved the parent comments & the comments from my Principal when the class of 3-yr-olds all sang the “bug song” proudly singing about the “head thorax & abdomen”! The grown ups were so impressed! 🙂
My proudest moment was when I had a parent tell me that in the beginning of the year I wasn’t the teacher they would have picked for their child, but they realized now that I was the teacher their child really needed this year. I then had another parent tell me what a great job I had done with their child. Having the parents see the growth and progress that I am making with their children, makes it all worth it!
My proudest moment as a teacher was when I taught an hispanic child her colors. She knew her colors by actually “seeing” the color on her or another child.
If she was shown a crayon, she couldn’t tell me what color it was. That made my day when she could point out colors on herself or another person.
Way to go, Sally!!!
My proudest moment this year was the little boy who I literally had to peel off his Mom for the first week of school came running in to the building and yelled Mrs Taig Let’s go to school.
My saddest was this week when the same little boy looked at me and said Mrs. Taig will you miss me when I go to kindergarten.
my proudest moment was when the child in my class that gave me the most difficulty, said that I am her favorite. I felt like my work paid off! 🙂
I teach special education preschoolers. It is great when the ones going to Kindergarten can write their first name! They are soooooo excited.
My proudest moment came when overhearing a collegue telling my student teacher how lucky she was to work with me, and that she (my collegue)loved working with me and watching me teach.
My proudest moments have been when all my first graders earn a medallion during Awards Day because they read and earned their Accelerated Reader points at the end of first grade!
I had a student, with special needs, come mid year who would not say a word, then when spoken to he would speak, and now he talks all day long!
My proudest moment came on the preschool playground. It was early spring and I had a 3 year old girl who had not said one word to me all year. She was Greek but the family (including a 5 year old brother) all spoke some English. This girl always held her body very stiff. I had a sudden inspiration to give her a quick hug. After that she did not hold her body stiff and she became quite talkative.
As a preschool teacher I have many small and large milestones and proud moments. During this time of year I like to take a step back and look at each of my children’s growth. I am so proud to see how grown-up they are, how many skills they have mastered, and how much I will miss them as they go to Kindergarten next year. 🙂
I’m always proud of my students and their great accomplishments. Today something warmed my heart and made me feel proud of myself. There is this fifth grader who struggles quite a bit and has a poor attitude toward school. He found out today that I am going to be his tutor this summer. When I told him, he said, “Really?…Cool.” If you know him, that’s a huge compliment! Made my whole week!
My proudest moment happened at the end of April when I DRAed my lowest readers and they have jumped four levels to where they should be. Now my entire class is right where they should be in reading! I am so proud of all of them. They have worked very hard!
It had to be sharing the news with a very worried Mom that her daughter had jumped 3 reading levels. After being stuck at the same level for all of Gr. 2 and half of Gr. 3 it was amazing!
My proudest moment was when a 4th-grade teacher stopped by to tell me that she loves to see my students’ (pre-k) work hanging up outside of the classroom. She said she is amazed at what the 4 and 5-year-olds are able to do. 🙂
One of my proudest accomplishments this year is with a little boy in my class of three and four year olds. He came into the classroom not understanding English, and unwilling to participate in anything we did. He would not dance, sing, color, etc. In February, he started asking me words in English. He would point to something and I would say it in English. He would repeat me, then I would say it in Spanish. Sometimes I had to ask him how to say it, which really made him proud! He has become my buddy and now participates in most activities. One day, he was mad and he threw a major fit. When he calmed down, my co-teacher was explaining in Spanish that his behavior toward me was inappropriate. He said, “Because Ms Chellie loves me?” I really do enjoy my class and working with the children, so it was wonderful to hear that they know I love them! I watch him now, actively involved with the other children, and it makes me stand a little taller!
My proudest moments this year have all been language based. The little girl who spoke no English when she started and is leaving speaking in complete sentences with a lot of detail. Then the girl with special needs who started with 50 words and no is volunteering information and telling her friends what to do. Or the little boy who is using his vocabulary words months later to tell his mom that they are nocturnal since they sleep in all the time. All of the students have learned so many new and exciting words this year. It’s been fun to see!
My proudest moment was this year, when I taught a struggling reader how to flip her vowel sounds during a small group and witnessing her teaching it to another student who was also struggling, in another class!
Everyday the students smile, laugh, and tell me they love me…are all my proudest moments!
…opening my current issue of Kindergarten Mailbox magazine and seeing TWO of my original ideas featured!! So cool!!
My proudest moment as a teacher was when I had been out sick for 3 days (which I rarely am) and when I returned back the day of our Holiday party…the parents were so appreciaive and presented me with a lovely card and gifts….the card said my dedication really showed.
But better yet the kids just couldn’t stop hugging me and saying how much they missed me….
This was a proud moment because I was new to the school this year, and being new you never quite know what people are thinking of you and your teaching style …plus your focused on learning the school and school culture.
It was comforting and exciting to know the impact I had/was having on my class.
My proudest moment is sitting and watching all my students reading independently and having made so much progress. It’s amazing how much they learn in a year!
My proudest moment was when a colleague shared with me that her class told her that our class always does such “neat stuff” after seeing our pond display on the wall. My students were so proud of their work and excited to share it with the other students. It was such a culmination of all my Kindergarteners had learned this year!
My proudest moment was and has been accepting a job helping Special Ed. students at a Middle School. My concentration for my Masters’ is Early Childhood and never thought I would or could do Middle School but so far, so good! You don’t know until you try!
I had many this year for all different reasons. However, the proudest was when I paired up with the high school art teacher, right before Halloween, so her students could paint pumpkins with my Kindergartners. Little did I realize that most of the students in that high school art class were in my kindergarten class. All of them remembered me and kept sharing their favorite moments when they were in kindergarten. It was also neat to hear the high schoolers ask my Kindergartners if I still had certain puppets, still played their favorite games, and many other things they remembered. The art teacher even commented how neat it was to hear the high school kids share their stories with my little students. They also wanted to tour my classroom to see if I still had certain items that they played with.
I have two proudest moments! My first is there is this little boy in my class that has special needs and when he first started you couldn’t understand what he was saying very well but as the year went on he has gotten better with his talking and he is a lot better to understand him now. The other moment is there is another little boy in my class that when he started he wasn’t potty trained so the other teacher and I were doing are best at the center to get him potty trained and his parents were working hard at home to get him potty train. Now he is potty train and I am so proud of him. I am very proud of both of these boys and how far they have come. These are the moments that make me love my job more and more.
My students (with behavioral-emotional disabilities) worked in teams to make gifts for guests at a homeless shelter.
My proudest moment in teaching is when my two year olds learned to share their feeling to their friends with out yelling and throwing a tempertantrum. When they say I am sorry and ask their friends if they are okay with out being asked to do so by the teacher.
I was so happy when one of my struggling readers commented that the pile of flashcards for the words he knew was getting taller each day! He was so proud of his skills.
One of my proudest moments was when one of my students, who I had been working with daily, had been struggling with using a pair of scissors over the school year, said “look at me cut!” and when I looked at him, he was holding the pair correctly and was totally focused into cutting out a circle!! The look on his face was priceless!! He was so happy! I told him that determination pays off! And if first you don’t succeed, try try again!
I have a student in my 5th grade class, who has struggled with learning in her prior grades. She is a student who requires a teacher to repeat, rephrase and redo on a daily basis; but when a concept finally makes sense to her, she never forgets the material.
My proudest moment came when I opened a card from her one morning, and it said…”Mrs. Mahan, you are the best teacher ever! There will always be a special place in my heart for you!” The feeling is definitely mutual, for she will forever have a special place in my heart, too!
My proudest moment was when one of my little boys who was struggling told is mom that he wanted to write his letters because Ms Bette said she was proud of me for trying. He can now write all of his letters and is the best in the class. Yes, I am proud of him.
I am very proud of all my children and everything that they accomplish, little or big. A smile is the best thing to see on a child. Honestly, one of my proudest moments this year was not with a child at all, it was with their grandparent. They thanked me for all that I did for them. They said that they couldn’t thank me enough for taking care of their grandaughters and they didn’t know what they would do without me, they even said the girls fight over me at home and that I’m ‘Their Whitty’
😀
It’s nice to feel appreciated, even if it’s just words!!!
I have been proud of all my students. They have been working so hard this year.
I am proud of one of my students who has struggled most of the year to learn to hold a pencil correctly and he has nearly mastered it. Another student came in to our kindergarten class in late FEbruary after being home schooled, he has slowly blossomed and is now talking to the other kids and playing at recess. He is also reading aloud in class.
My proudest moment as a teacher would have to be having 2 brothers who started the school year unable to communicate without pointing and they didn’t talk. By November they were speaking in complete sentences that you could understand. Other staff, who were present when they enrolled at the school would stop by my classroom and comment on it because they were talking. The grandmother who was raising the boys was also amazed and continues to sing my praises 5 yrs later.
My proudest moment this year was just last week! I have a retained kiddo who has just really struggled with writing in his journal all year (can’t think of what to say, how to spell words, ect.). Last week he brought me his journal to read and it was AWESOME! 3 sentences that I COULD READ without any help from him! And he was soooooo proud of himself, too! It was a great day!
One of my students who has autism tends to shy away from social situations. A couple of weeks ago, he volunteered to introduce our guest speaker. He stood up in front of about 20 people, read his introduction, and did a fantastic job. I was so proud of him!
The day my student’s say I can read all by myself. Thsi happens at different times for each student but as soon as they say it aloud it is a life changing experience.
I have one student who has struggled with most aspects of kindergarten. However, when teaching subtraction, she is finally excelling. With the help of manipulatives she is able to solve subtraction sentences and is finally gaining confidence in herself, which has spilled over into other areas of her academics! Love when my students finally realize they are able to succeed!
We just completed most of our year end assessments and ALL of my students have made tremendous progress!
My proudest teacher moment was when a special needs student completed all of his work even though he is only required to complete half of it!
My proudest moment was hearing from a parent who I had as a student over 20 years ago. He told me that he still remembered so much from my class and hoped that his son, who is now in our K class, would be lucky enough to get me as a teacher!
I am a 1st grade ESL teacher. Most of my students are in their 2nd year of learning English. But this year, I received a student that had just moved from Mexico 2 weeks before school started. She was SO shy at first … it was hard to get her to say/repeat anything. But now she is talking in English AND reading in English!! And not just decoding the words, she is COMPREHENDING what she is reading! She has made SO much growth this year – it has made me SO proud of her! 😀
As strange as this sounds my proudest moment this year has been when one of my boys made it through his first full day of preschool without crying or vomiting and came in with a huge smile on his face the next day. He started out the year and had to leave at the end of Sept. because he just couldn’t make the adjustment. He returned in Jan. and after a bumpy week the next week he came in had great day and the next day of school came in with a huge smile, no tears and at the end of the day his proud mom picked him up and had tears of joy streaming down her face!! Made my heart smile!