This and That......About Teachers!

                                             

As always, all written comments and opinions are my own. 

Hello Everyone! This post pretty much says it all for me! I have taught for over 34 years now, with 29 of those years spent in Public Schools.The start of a new school year is just around the corner. In fact, for many, it has already started. So today, I am going to write about something that means a lot to me and Mr.thisandthat...the fact that we are teachers.  But, I'm not just going to focus on myself in this post,...but on the many, many teachers I have been blessed to know, work with and interact with over the years. Won't you join me?

I graduated from High School in 1977. I was lucky enough to spend my entire twelve years in the same school system under the guidance of some dedicated and amazing teachers. Not only did they teach me the 3R's, but they inspired me to want to be a teacher as well. 

As I think about a new school year starting I reflect on the many teachers who taught me over the years. Teachers like Mrs. McKown, who taught seventh grade Language Arts. She acted in the local theater and brought dramatic readings to the literature we read. I loved her class! And then there was Mr. Gelber, my orchestra teacher in high school. I also took private violin lessons from him on the weekends. He was a wonderful mixture of musician, encourager and grandfather all rolled up into one. I treasure the memory of learning from him. And how about my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Barlow? She brought literature alive for me by reading aloud from chapter books after lunch every day. It was my favorite time of day at school! I think I began my love affair with books that year!

In case you haven't caught on yet, I think teachers are pretty special people! Three cheers for teachers!

And please don't think I am writing this post just to toot my own horn. I am a teacher and proud to be one. But, this post is for all of the hard working teachers out there who give their lives to the profession every day and don't get a lot of respect in return. You see, I think teachers are some of the hardest working professionals there are in the workforce. And I see the proof of this everyday within the hallways of the schools where I teach. I see teachers arriving early and staying late. I see them tutoring additional time after the school day has ended and spending night time hours at the school to plan, meet with parents or lead student performances. I see Mr.thisandthat staying up until the wee hours of the morning so he can complete grading student papers to give them immediate feedback the next day. I see them putting in hours of their time on the weekend to plan units, write lesson plans and grade papers. And I see teachers doing more and more with less and less. Less materials, less funding, less time, less support.  It's unfortunate that much of what we hear these days about schools and teachers is negative. And, in my opinion, much of the negativity comes from gross misunderstanding about testing that comes from people in leadership who truly know very little about teaching and how students learn and yet they are in positions of power to make decisions that impact student and teacher lives in negative ways. This makes me sad, because I see learning happening in the schools I serve every single day. I see happy students who enjoy learning and teachers who enjoy teaching. I see good things happening in schools...yes, Public Schools...and that makes me happy and proud to be a teacher! 

So, as another school year begins...give a kind thought to the teachers who do the job of educating students every day. It's a tough job, but oh so rewarding! Where would we all be without teachers? How about some applause for them!
They would sure appreciate it!

To summarize....if you can read this.....thank a teacher!

        Happy School Year, Everyone!