Thank You Teachers

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. In honor of those teachers who have touched my life and the lives of my daughters, I am sharing some of my vintage school supplies.

Being a teacher is no easy job. I know this because I am also a teacher. Much is made in the media these days about what teachers don't do. I want to say thank you to teachers for all that they do do.

Good teachers decide to go into the profession because they want to help children and make a difference. It sounds like a cliche, but many educators do what they do because they have passion for the job.

Teaching isn't a 9-5 job as some would believe. A teacher's day doesn't end after the kids go home. Teachers spend many evenings and weekends preparing lessons, grading papers, calling parents and attending board meetings, sporting events and recitals

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A teacher wears many hats. They are nurses for those students who come to school sick. They are counselors for those students who need someone to listen. They are advocates for those students who come to school without a winter coat or with an empty stomach. They are stand-in mothers and fathers to all of our kids while our kids are in their care.

Many teachers spend alot of their own money buying school supplies, decorations, treats and rewards for their students and classroom. Thank you to those teachers who will spend their hard-earned money so that during the hours between breakfast and lunch, a hungry kid can have a snack or a student will be acknowledged on his or her birthday with a pencil and a treat.

Teachers in the 21st Century are trained not only in the 3 R's, but in how to keep our kids safe in case of harsh weather, violence, terrorisim, or bullying. They need to know about Autism, ADHD, speech disorders, emotional & behavioral issues and many other things that kids deal with. They are trained in CPR and first-aid - like how to use an epi pen on a student who is allergic to peanuts.

Teachers are just like you and I. They have their own families at home relying on them. Many teachers go from teaching a class of 25 to doing homework with their own kids around the dining room table.

So not just this week, but every day, I want to say thank you to all of the teachers out there who believe that each child is somebody's son or daughter and a gift from God. Thank you to those teachers who will encourage our children and teach them that they are valuable, worthy and special.

Thank you teachers!