A letter I received from a former student:

[iemitsu]

50. you are more than an inspiring teacher you are also a wise individual.

you deserve the recognition (and more than is) contained in this letter.
the passion a teacher has for the subject and the honesty and respect shown toward students influences the impact the subject has on any one of them.
students know when you care. and, as you say, "you can't fake it".

the smallest, most insignificant things we say might mean the world to a student. they listen more than we think they do.

once, during my lunch break, i overheard three girls debating the physical attributes of their male classmates. in my typical, sarcastic way, i interrupted them to interject, "everyone is beautiful when they smile and no one is when they frown". it meant nothing to me other than interrupting their gossip. they did not respond and i forgot the incident.
a year later another student, who had entered the room just as i was sharing my wisdom with the trio of girls, came back to school to visit. she reminded me of the event (which i did not remember until she recounted it) and said that the comment had made her change her mind about dropping out of school. she was in advanced courses and getting fine grades and i never suspected she was discouraged with school. i still have no real clue what was up that day or why such a lame comment would have made her change her mind. she didn't explain it. she, a native student, hugged me, thanked me, and gave me an eagle feather she had painted so i would remember her. i'm looking at it now (its in the curio cabinet).

no career was inspired by this incident but it is validating never-the-less. and it reminds me how important it is to consider the things we say to kids. we have more influence than we imagine.

good luck. i hope your school year is wonderful.