Teachers

Summer is over and most schools start again in our area on Monday. And my thoughts have turned to not just the students who will be embarking upon a new school adventure but the teachers that will be leading them on that adventure. In my opinion teachers have one of the most important jobs there is. In choosing this profession they have taken the responsibility of educating our children and thus our future. WOW!!! I wouldn't want that responsibility on my shoulders-I could do with the summers and holidays off tho!!!

To say the least school was not my passion. I thought teachers were just teachers because they needed a job. It didn't occur to me until much later in my school life that teachers were parents, had spouses, pets, some of them even had hobbies and participated in sports--OMG!!! They were "human"--what a concept!! That was probably the point where my view of teachers changed somewhat. I realized that most of them truly wanted to see their students succeed and were not there just to have a job and make my life miserable.

In the public school system there are approximately 30 students to one teacher. One teacher has nine months to bring 30 students forward in their knowledge, prepare them for tests to move on to the next school grade, and prepare them for life. They are not babysitters, they are teachers--they have a plan and a mission. They don't always have the support of the parents and often times don't get the respect they deserve from the students. Their job doesn't end when the school bell rings. There are papers to grade and plans to make for future lessons. Teachers spend money out of their own pockets to help your children get an education, whether that be decorating their classroom with certain themes, or providing personalized material that will encourage an interest in learning. Don't think that all of the school supplies and fees paid for resources covers the cost for material needed in any given class.

A teacher's attitude makes a huge difference in the learning process of our children. If the teacher WANTS to be there and WANTS to educate, their enthusiasm shows in their efforts and children pick up on that attitude so quickly and feed off of that. I had a teacher in the fifth grade that I still remember so clearly. She was single, took care of aging parents and taught a room full of children every day, every subject. She wasn't pretty and she wasn't cool and she seldom smiled but she had a heartfelt interest in each and every student in her class. She drove an orange Corvette and I remember commenting to her one time about how cool her car was. She showed up at my house one Saturday in her cool car and asked if I wanted to go have lunch with her (she had already cleared this with my parents). I don't remember where we went or even what the car looked like on the inside but I remember that she took the time to make me feel special one Saturday afternoon.

So, as school starts this year, I would like to thank all of the teachers for their dedication, inspiration, encouragement, patience and most of all for choosing to make a difference in the lives of our children. Good luck to you all this school year and thank you for giving us the next generation of educators, doctors, nurses, CEO's, President's and parents.