PEN Mondays - The Moments That Matter

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4 min read

If you’re new here, welcome to PEN Mondays, where we explore more of the socio-emotional aspects of teaching. You’ll see us again on Wednesday with a brand new tech tool and academic study to supercharge your classroom.

Let’s be honest: lunch breaks in schools aren’t exactly a peaceful interlude.

More often than not, it’s 23 frantic minutes spent microwaving leftovers, answering three emails, and playing referee to a pencil-throwing standoff. And yet, somehow, amid all the chaos, you’ve probably found yourself giving that time to a student - maybe explaining yesterday’s math concept again, or simply letting a kid sit in your office because the cafeteria was just too much today.

Here’s the thing: that moment - the quiet one, the unplanned one, the one that made you sigh, “Well, there goes my break” - might just be the most important teaching you’ve done all week.

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Teaching Beyond the Desk

We often talk about the power of great lesson plans, curriculum alignment, and data-driven instruction.

But ask a student what they remember, and it’s probably not your perfectly differentiated literacy block. It’s the way you always said good morning, or how you let them eat lunch with you when they had no one else.

Some days, it’s walking a student through a concept they swore they’d never understand - not because you had to, but because you wanted them to get it. Other days, it’s remembering to ask, “You doing okay?” weeks after they’ve left your class. These aren’t footnotes to the work. They are the work. And they’re often what turns a classroom into a safe place, and a teacher into a person worth remembering.

The Thank-You You Might Never Hear

Let’s be real. Teaching can feel thankless.

You spend your energy pouring into students, and most of the time, you don’t get to see the long-term effects. They graduate, move on, grow up. You might hear from a few - usually the ones who were already writing thank-you cards in grade five - but most of your impact happens quietly, like seeds planted in soil you don’t get to revisit.

But every so often, you’ll get a glimpse.

A student you thought you didn’t reach circles back with a smile. Or you hear from a parent that their kid kept your writing tips through college. Or, maybe, years later, a student ends up doing something incredible - and you’ll find out you were part of the reason they believed they could.

You may never get the full credit. But make no mistake, you helped make it possible.

You Don’t Need to Be a Hero to Be Life-Changing

There’s a temptation in teaching to think the only moments that matter are the big, dramatic ones - like saving a kid from dropping out or completely turning their life around.

But that’s not fair.

The truth is, the small, consistent moments are what really change lives. Not because they’re flashy, but because they’re faithful.

The student who couldn’t speak up in September and now runs morning announcements? That’s you. The kid who hated reading but gave a novel a second chance because you recommended it? Also you. And the student who now eats lunch in a loud cafeteria because you helped them feel safe enough to try again? Yep - you again.

So Keep Showing Up (Even If It’s With Coffee Breath and Mismatched Socks)

You don’t need a cape. You don’t need a Pinterest-worthy classroom. You just need to keep showing up - tired, imperfect, sometimes emotionally exhausted - because when you do, your students see that.

They see that showing up is possible, even on the hard days. They learn that consistency, care, and kindness matter.

So whether it’s one more explanation after the bell, a quiet lunch shared in your office, or just a heartfelt “Hey, I’m proud of you,” remember this: you are shaping something bigger than test scores.

You are showing students that they matter, that they are capable, and that someone believes in them, even when they don’t believe in themselves.

And that - no matter how small it feels in the moment - always matters.

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