What does the Dad say?

A couple of days ago, my 4 year old son was coming up with a song (like he is known to do).  This day the tune was a spin off of What does the Fox Say.  He decided to substitute the word fox for the different members of the family.  He started with the baby and said "waaa", then himself saying "I love Star Wars", then to his mother who apparently says, "clean up you toys".  When he got to what does the dad say it was, "I'm too busy."  When I heard this I felt crushed.  I feel like I work hard to make him and my family a priority in my life.  I can see though where I get caught up in my own world at times. 

One of our professors in the UT Principalship Program, Dr. Nelson Coulter, started his class with us by having us write out the 4 most important things that we want people to remember from our lives.  He then told us to make sure those were front and center in everything we do.  (For more of this teaching, see Dr. Coulter's blog post http://www.nelsonwcoulter.com/2014/04/cluttered.html?spref=fb)  As I have worked throughout my first year as an Assistant Principal and in my final year of my Master's program, I think I have let that get away from me at times.  I am grateful to my 4 year old son for the subtle yet powerful reminder that no other success in life can compensate for failure in the home.

Teachers, as you look to teach like a superhero, make a list of the things that matter most, those things for which you would like to be remembered as a teacher.  If your students were making a song about you, how would they finish the sentence, What does my teacher say?