Appreciate a teacher, this week and every week hereafter!

May 5-9, 2014 is Teacher Appreciation Week.  In my "previous life," I spent a few years in the education system.  I took on many roles in many places from a social sciences teacher and coach at a parochial high school to a K-5 counselor in the inner city of Topeka.  This is not an occupation for the faint of heart and you definitely don't do it for the money. 

A friend of mine once told me that she took her salary, divided it by the 9 months that she had students, and then divided it again by the hours she spent in the classroom, coaching athletes, grading papers, and making lesson plans and it didn't even hit minimum wage.  Not even close actually.

The thing is, despite not getting paid what they deserve, constantly being pressured to reach standards on assessments, and sometimes taking a tongue-lashing from parents, teachers keep teaching.  They take in your children everyday and treat them as one of their own and give them the skills they need to be successful in life.

As most school years are drawing to a close, take a moment to show teachers some appreciation this week.  Even if it is just a simple 'thank you for all that you do for my child.'  Trust me, those words are more rewarding to a teacher than most anything else.  Thank you teachers for all that you do to make our world a better place!

 

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank....but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." ~Forest Witcraft