Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up!
Teachers are my colleagues. I am grateful for my former teachers, and my current “teachers” in life. I am thankful for my children’s teachers – today and in years past.
Whether you are a parent, a teacher, or a student, I offer the perspective of having worked alongside and collaborated with teachers most of my career. Teachers go above and beyond every day. Here are just a few examples I have witnessed:
- the teacher who regularly pays for a student’s lunch (because he can’t afford it) so the student is “ready to learn”
- the teacher who arrives to school early and/or stays late to help a student who is struggling academically
- the teacher who takes extra time to coach a student on social skills during his/her “lunch time”
- the teacher who plans lessons or grades assignments after work hours on evenings, weekends and holidays
- the teacher who shows a student that they believe in her when she feels as if no one else does
- the teacher who attends school events after hours such as concerts, science fairs and games
- the teacher who spends dollars out of their own pocket for classroom supplies, books and other necessities for learning
Do you believe these instances describe an inspirational teacher showcased in a Hollywood movie? Think again. I guarantee you know a teacher in your own community doing these things — on top of their already demanding job of teaching, mentoring, coaching, guiding, and facilitating young learners in groups of 20-something or 30-something.
Teachers also care about our children. Teachers make an emotional investment in students and their skill set for life. Check out one teacher’s (Chase Mielke) powerful appeal to students to achieve success at life.
We are all students in life. Teachers need your heartfelt thanks, whoever those teachers are in your community. Today, I reached out to one of my high school teachers who made a great impact on my life. What will YOU do today to show how much you appreciate a teacher in your life?
Find out more about Teacher Appreciation Day and get ideas for thanking the teachers you appreciate.
