Keep Your Chin Up

It is the end of the year. Exhaustion hits as we deal with the never ending piles of marking, the ongoing report writing and reflect on the year that has been. So I thought it was the perfect time to say, keep your chin up. 

Dear Teacher,
​
I saw you,
Buried in your marking,
Red pen determinately scrawling feedback,
Shoulders tensed like a frayed rope in a game of tug of war,
Eyes trying desperately to stop the dam wall breaking,
I saw you.
 
I heard you,
You said it isn’t fair,
Not today, Why me?
Don’t they get it?
Tired words,
Sparks igniting flames,
Generating fires of destruction,
I heard you.
 
I felt you,
Your exhaustion was palpable,
Your eyes were heavy,
A solider ready to lay down your weapon,
Admit defeat,
I felt you.
 
And I just wanted to say….
Keep your chin up.
 
You can win that game of tug of war,
Extinguish the fire,
Fight that ongoing battle,
Because you are a teacher,
And teachers can do anything.
 
Your students need you,
Their parents need you,
Your colleagues need you.
I need you.
 
Each challenge you face gives me the courage to move forward too,
Each fire that you douse revitalises our positivity in each other,
Each battle you win reassures me that the fight is worth it.
 
Keep your chin up,
Because when your chin is up,
​you can see the joy.

Image by Ben White. Sourced from Unsplash.