Reassurance

When you are working in the classroom, it is really hard to know if you are doing a good job. Do higher or lower test scores reflect how well or poorly I am teaching, or are they more indicative of the student's sugar intake that week, or how things are going at home? When the kids have a rowdy day and I have to raise my voice to be heard over them, do they understand I am only trying to be heard, or do they think I am shouting at them? And, most importantly, do they understand that when I redirect their behavior, it is only the behavior that is bad, and not them? 
Obviously, much of the success or failure of our work is a balancing act, and it is really hard to know just when the balance is quite right. 
My reading groups, for example, seem to be walking the line between fun and work pretty well. My math group may be a little on the chatty side, but they also continue to successfully get through work and participate well. But how do I know I am really doing a good job?
This month, I was having a funky day, where everything seemed to be slipping my mind. At one point, I just started laughing and told my teacher that is wasn't my day today. As I shook my head at my own confusion, one of the kids reached out and grabbed my wrist. He looked up and said, "Miss Jill, you are doing a great job today."
Feedback from our director and supervisors, our teachers, and our teammates are good, but feedback from the kids is the best kind. 
So, thanks kids.

- Jill