In case you don't know, I love teaching. However, when most people describe why they love it they often explain how much the love watching the "light bulb" go off for their students. That is not what I love about teaching (not that I don't enjoy watching students "get it"), No, for me there are far more wonderful aspects of this job . 1) Watching students learn to advocate for themselves and communicate. I have received very few emails from parents this year. Instead, students are emailing me themselves. They are asking questions about assignments, requesting retakes, and requesting my feedback. They are the ones telling me they will be missing class for two days or that their internet will be down on Friday. This thrills me because I know how hard it is for them, but I know this is one of the most important skills they will learn.This is why my first lesson of the year was email etiquette. By the way, my students are TWELVE! They are amazing!