from a teacher's point of view

so i think the longer that you are a teacher, the more intensely you feel about your students' learning. like when a student misses more than a day, i'm very concerned as to what they're missing. i agonized for hours over my report card comments to try and balance positive comments with getting the message of how this kid is really doing. when a student who is struggling or is behind misses school, i think "this is going to affect their learning". meanwhile, in the grand scheme of things, if you missed a week of school in grade 3 and now you're 25, i don't think it really matters, right? it's tough to know. when i was in grade 4 and my brother was in kindergarten, we were out of school for the month of september. it was great. i remember it being the greatest trip ever. however, now as a teacher, i cannot imagine one of my students leaving for a month. i'd be shocked and concerned that they would fall behind. i'd be stressed about getting them the right amount of homework. when really...did that month of grade four scar my learning? no. (maybe it scarred matt's...haha) i need to relax a little here. i think it's time for spring break. all i'm saying is to parents out there - if the teacher of your child seems a little stressed that you want to take your child out of school for something, don't take personal offense. we can't help it. that's why we're teachers. :)