Results Day is looming, why do we do this?

It's the day before results day (gulp!) and I find myself looking to write. No shame in that I suppose.
I've been racking my brains for something interesting, insightful, topical and/or controversial to write about. However, I think I'm a little distracted (see above.) so I thought I would write something to myself that I'd like you all to share in.

No matter what happens tomorrow, the past 2 years have been a real blast. I have had the pleasure of working with some truly incredible individuals. These people have inspired me, they have infuriated me, they have done things I would never do, they have made me question everything I do, they have made me laugh and they have changed my life. These people? They are, of course, my students. 

A proportion of those young people will be collecting their GCSE results and this will be a huge day for them, it's the crowning moment of their studies.

Alongside this, you have had some incredible personal and professional support from friends and colleagues. All in all, it's been pretty good.

I hope they aren't too nervous tomorrow. I will do all I can to reassure them, remind them of the effort they put in, remind them of their controlled assessment grades, but I don't think it will truly go in and why should it? There's a piece of paper with a letter on that means more than anything I can say tomorrow. 

That makes me a little bit sad. Actually, that makes me a lot sad. However, I digress, this post is not a critique of the assessment systems we subscribe to in our educational system.

Tomorrow has the power to shape the rest of my summer holidays. Good set of results - happy days! Relax and go in confident and fresh for next year. Bad set of results? Unhappy days - all that work? What was the point?! 
(I can only talk about this from my perspective, that of a relatively inexperienced teacher, so I'm sure others will approach tomorrow differently.)

But, I don't like framing it in opposite binaries so, I thought I'd write myself a letter:

A letter to myself, 19/08/2015

Dear Tom,

I hope that when you come back to reading this, you are happy with your results. I hope that everything went swimmingly and all the students made outstanding levels of progress and achieved outstanding grades. 

However, if that didn't happen, don't be too downbeat, don't be too distressed. Teaching is a phenomenal profession and one where you can truly make a difference. That's why you do it, right? To make a difference. 

That difference can be through the very tangible reality of a great GCSE grade or it can be through being a role model, trying to encourage students to be a positive influence on the world. That change might be something you never see, and as sad as that might seem, just remember you have helped to sow the seeds to make a difference.

You teach because you were lucky enough to have some amazing teachers, some people who inspired you to change the world, some people who challenged you, chastised you but ultimately made you literate, empowered and interested in the world around you. These people showed you the power of education and that's something nobody can take away. 

You teach because your fiancée convinced you that you'd be pretty good at it. I have her to thank (and to blame!?) for all of this.

Teaching is a privilege. You are in a privileged position, in spite of its challenges and difficulties, so don't forget that.

Accountability is important. Tomorrow you will be held to account, by yourself and others, for the results you get. That's scary. But just keep in mind, that's only one part of the job (albeit an important one!). Use it as a driver, frame it in a positive way. What did I do well? What can I do better? These are the questions you ask your students, you won't accept them giving up, so don't accept it from yourself.

You are very lucky as an educator, and you get to do something not many other people do. At the start of year, you get to start again, knowing everything you know, it all begins again and you get the chance to be better.

So, remember the amazing memories of the last 2 years, remember the challenges and go and be better.

From your past self.