Children

Yesterday was my youngest child's birthday, and it made me reflect on how having children changed me as a teacher. Before I met my wife I thought that homework was the be-all end-all of my classroom, but that all changed when I met my wife and her daughters. 

She likes to joke that she is a microwave, not a crock pot. With her it was an instant family. I quickly learned that what sounded like excuses from my students was probably true. I would hear time and time again that they didn't do their homework because there were a lot if tasks that they needed to do when they left school. After having a family I found out that it was entirely possible for them to not have been able to do their homework. There were times that after work, we would pick up the girls and have to go to the grocery store. By the time we got home we had to feed them, and get them showered and ready for bed. There wasn't any time for homework. 

Having kids softened me up as a teacher. I learned to work with the students and not against them. They really have made me a better teacher.