Teacher Appreciations

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

As we welcome June and the close to another school year, teachers are trying to maintain control of their classrooms as students become weary of lesson plans and homework assignments. Summertime freedom, after all, is only days away. Soon, bathing suits will become the uniform of choice and family vacation planning will replace packed lunches and study guides. Yes, silencing the early morning alarms is almost here. But before the final bell rings, a thought or two about the teachers who teach our children.I’m sure many parents are taking stock right about how much their children have grown over the past academic year. Included in their reflection, no doubt, is the appreciation for teachers who expand and nurture emerging minds. Teachers know that knowledge transforms potential into reality. They’re charged with navigating the spectrum of student needs. Finding the unique key to unlock each individual mind is nothing short of an art. Teachers not only encourage students to release untapped talents, they also accept the challenge of tough love when expectations for students are met with, shall we say “an attitude.”I remember with gratitude when my oldest daughter’s fifth grade teacher sought to teach her students to be writers. Throughout the year, this educator cajoled and encouraged her students to expand expectations for themselves. Limericks, book reports, and self-illustrated anthologies lined the walls of the classroom. Through the teacher’s eyes, each student had the opportunity to feel accomplished and proud. My daughter, too, began to think of herself as a writer. To this day, her talent in composing prose that articulates splendor not only flourished, she went on to become an English teacher so she could pay it forward to others. Building a successful educational career begins with these elementary building blocks. Eyes are open from the inside out. Encouraging each child to believe in his ability to learn and then designing a plan which can reach a multitude of varied minds is nothing short of amazing.I appreciated even more when my son’s high school chemistry teacher gave him a zero on his senior final exam when my son thought skipping the morning session in order to bring donuts for the class would somehow charm the teacher into giving him a bye for the test. Well, she didn’t. My son squeaked by with an overall passing grade, but hopefully the lesson on that exam day transcended the knowledge of the Periodic Table. The teacher later told me the donuts were quite tasty anyhow.

Teachers not only educate, they encourage, challenge, mentor and are required to possess the stamina of an Iditarod sled dog. I love enough teachers to know the dedication to their students is all-encompassing. Certainly, the worldly benefits of teaching are quite underwhelming. I don’t think many enter the profession of teaching with the expectation of owning a second home in Tuscany; but that’s another conversation. Teachers teach for the satisfaction of knowing they’re instilling a passion for reading, igniting a love for history, or opening young minds to the world beyond through the study of a foreign language. A good teacher can change the trajectory of any young person, and can even lift those in the midst of challenging circumstances at home. Teachers offer the realization that everyone can be in charge of their own destiny through education. And that is empowering.

I hope this summer allows for some recharge time for the teachers among us. If my daughter, son-in-law and sister were here, they’d remind us that professional obligations stretch well into the summer recess. I wish the more restful pace of summer will allow all teachers to recharge their lithium batteries of professional dedication. As they take some deep breaths, I hope they know our gratitude fills the air surrounding them.