Being treated like a professional

I'm a preschool teacher. I spend most of my day making messes, refereeing arguments, modeling appropriate behaviors, and cleaning up messes. I live in the land of boogers and milk mustaches, smeared marker and broken crayons, and the adults that I talk to are parents who privately think that I am nothing more than a glorified babysitter, even though I have a bachelors degree and routinely speak at education conferences.

So today I am thankful for professional development opportunities. Today I got to spend the day with other professional adults who understand my language, who are fluent in developmentally appropriate practice, literacy domains, and project work. These are women who not only understand what I REALLY do every day, but who value what I do everyday, and who inspire me to continue doing the work that I am doing even though it is not glamorous and prestigious.

I need this, I thrive on this, and I will go back to my classroom on Monday with more energy than I usually have on a Monday, and for that, it is worth it!