More than "just" a teacher.

So many people think we went into this profession for the weekends off, summers off, and leaving work at 3:15.  I've heard it so many times...oh "just" a  teacher.  "Those who can't teach." It always bothered me when I would hear that. We are more than "just" a teacher.  I'm a nurse, counselor, mom/dad, custodian, mentor, an encourager, an interpreter, a referee, an investigator, a warm smile, and a safety net.  I never felt like I was "just" a teacher.  It was "just a teacher" that led many fourth graders to a safe place and gave them crayons and paper to keep quiet.  It was "just" a teacher that locked her students safely in a bathroom and told them how much she loved them so they wouldn't be scared.  It was "just" a teacher that had her kids  sing Christmas carols to take their mind off of what was happening in the school.  It was "just" a teacher that shielded her kids and gave her life for them.  It was "just" a teacher that sacrificed not that day but everyday.   I've never been more proud to say that I'm a teacher.  I'll admit I was uneasy about going to school today, and did not know what to say to my seventeen first graders about what happened.  I didn't know if they knew of what had happened at Sandy Hook, or if they would even understand.  I gave my kids a bigger hug as they came in and left today, and I was thankful for their talkative little personalities!  I like to think I would know and have the courage to do what the three teachers at Sandy Hook did on Friday, December 14, 2012.  "God is their refuge and strength, a present help in time of trouble."  Psalms 46