Teacher Student Relationships: “Mama Rose, can we talk?”

“Mama Rose, can we talk?” she said as tears are starting to well up in her eyes. “Of course!” I always say, not really knowing what will come next.

A little background before we begin.

I have only been teaching going on 3 years in high school. Before that, I was a 4-H Agent and I loved my job, but I love my job even more now.

We hear it all the time, but let me say it again: teachers put up with a lot.

Not just the everyday things that are involved with our jobs, it’s what I am about to share with you today. I first and foremost build a bond with my students. I believe that this is the reason I normally have a great classroom atmosphere, nipping any negativity in the bud as soon as I see it and making my students feel like they are family. We may have family that we just don’t really care for, but we still respect them.

When I stepped foot into my very first class of freshmen in January of 2017, I knew that these kids would become my babies. In high school, we all have had that one mentor or teacher that we poured our heart and soul into. As an Ag teacher and FFA advisor, our babies mean the world to us and boy they end up sometimes oversharing. We are with them so much, we know them better than their parents in some cases. As I look back at that class now seniors I am reminded of the wonderful blessing God had put into my life when he gave me those kids. Some never took an Ag class again, but those who did have made a lasting impression on me. I know that we are normally the change-makers in their lives, helping them to decide which class to take or what path of life they want to live. It is our job to help raise them, mature them, sometimes nurture them, and give them every opportunity that we can in order for them to succeed. 

This is the beautiful side of teachers that we all see. We often forget that most teachers (those that actually are in love with their job–you know the difference) take home the burden of these kids. We pray for them, hold them close to our hearts in order to help them make their life decisions. We DO NOT see the rest of the story.

I have helped these students in their most desperate time of need. I have watched them as they started a new and exciting high school “relationship” and then when they needed it, I was their rock to lean on when they were dumped. I have mentored them for their college careers, given them the opportunity to vent about another teacher or student, laughed, cried, rejoiced with them from the biggest of victories to the mightiest of mountains. I have leaned on God when I couldn’t hold their burdens any longer. I have helped a kid through suicidal thoughts, talked them down off of the tallest ledges, and given them peace in knowing that this is not all that life has to offer, this, high school, is just the beginning of their beautiful journey. I have watched them grow. In all my days when kids are driving me crazy and I hear my name about a million times in one day, I think back to those moments and my heart is so full. Although sometimes I would come home sobbing in knowing what my students faced, I would remain their strong and constant confidant. I have had sleepless nights over other people’s children as I watch my own on her monitor. Each student has a story and I am humbly blessed to just be a small part of this chapter of life. The names Mama Rose, Rosie, Jessica, and just plain Ms. Rose will always hold a special place in my heart as I get to watch these kids grow into beautiful adults.