a Middle School Business Teacher
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In my experience, the need for recognition or appreciation changes over the course of our lifetimes. When I was young and unsure of myself, I really needed the reassurance that I was doing things right. Now that I am older and more comfortable with who I am as a person and as an educator, the praise or recognition really needs to be genuine. I actually prefer constructive feedback and meaningful suggestions for how I can improve over just being recognized as doing a “good job”. This is why the superficial things that are done during teacher appreciation week don’t mean much to me. The teacher who puts her heart and soul into their work gets the same candy and cutesy rhyme in their mailbox as the one who rolls up with a negative attitude every day and does the bare minimum. It is meaningless. Being self-reflective in my practice, recognizing my strengths and weaknesses, and having the respect of students, families, admin, and coworkers on a daily basis means way more than occasional recognition at this point in my career.
As is often the case, your mother was right. But, sincere recognition/validation is nice too. It can be something small, like a kid who suddenly gets it, and you see that light turn on. It can be running into a kid years later and their face lights up as they remember who you are. Or a parent who just takes the time to say thank you. Or a colleague who tries out one of your lessons or techniques, and tells you how it went. Hang onto these and remember them on the rough days.
Even though recognition feels nice, don't let it be your motivation. Do it for the sake of your students and the difference you are making knowing that you have done your best. It can be hard to keep going without recognition though.