It matters.

I was sitting here, with a pile of notebooks on my lap, cursing the quickness of the weekend and feeling depressed that my house is a disaster because I spent so much of the weekend grading--again. Sometimes all of the work feels fruitless.

Then I found out that at least one student is noticing. She used one of her free writes to let me know:
"I know teaching can be a difficult job, but Ms. McGowan does really great. She has a caring attitude, enthusiasm, and a love for her students and learning. It is easy for me to learn from her because she has clear written out objectives, every project is important, and she has step by step guidelines to help me through. She is always in class early and on time so that students can ask for help or advice. Ms. McGowan is a great one of a kind person that I am glad to know. She is warm, enthusiastic, and caring. I know that if I need help she will never hesitate to set aside time for me. She makes class enjoyable and encourages everyone to want to learn more. Without her class, I wouldn't be the same. I will miss her when I graduate 9th grade."

I'm writing these words down. I'm remembering them. I'm re-learning that what I do matters.

This is the best teaching year I've had in a while. I'm re-working so many of my lessons and stopping more often to make sure students get it. I'm getting better at what I do.

That feels good.

It matters.