This is Why I Teach: Long Days. Lots of Smiles.

So I’m beat.

Got to school at 4 AM this morning to start setting up for a special event that I’ve been planning for my students for the past two months — a Water Balloon Launch and Hot Dog Picnic.

It’s part of an in-house field trip that I promised my team as a reward for how hard they worked on a recent PTA fundraiser. I wanted them to know that I was grateful for the support that they had shown our school.

Aaron Burden

And it took a TON of time and effort.

Not only have I spent the last few weeks building water balloon launchers, developing instructional materials to turn the experience into a lesson on variables and constants in a science experiment, buying sodas and hot dogs, arranging for coolers and ice to be sent in, and finding volunteers to help me grill, I had just under 3,000 water balloons to fill!

(Pro Tip: Bunch-o-Balloons are LEGIT.)

At times, it felt like a grind.

Whether it was the endless trips to the hardware store for more lumber, the constant tinkering with launcher design, or the stops at every grocery store in town looking for vegetarian hot dogs, I was definitely worn out and wondering whether all of this effort was worth it.

But today was amazing.

My kids were curious and kind and cooperative all day long. They shared ideas and resources with one another. They made sure that everyone got to take turns using the launchers that I built. They picked up every single water balloon piece littering our football field when we were done — and volunteered for every cleanup task that I needed help with.

For the first time in weeks, they were at ease — with one another and with the work that we were doing. There was no angst or stress or boredom today. Just happy kids having fun with each other and with me and with the task that we were completing together.

But the best part is that they laughed. A lot. They ran and they hopped and they skipped and they flossed, and they LAUGHED. Watching them made me joyful. It was impossible not to smile.

I needed that, y’all.

For a TON of reasons, education just hasn’t been fun for me lately.

But today was a blast.

A tangible reminder that if I can push all the crap aside — the ridiculous policies that I can’t control, the paperwork that seems pointless, the public criticism of our profession that is more prevalent than ever before — I can still create experiences that my kids will remember for a long, long time.

This is why I teach.