Teacher Appreciation Ramble

I almost picked up an LSAT application in college.  Late in my teacher education program, I seriously considered becoming an attorney.  I had inspiring instructors to blame for that.  I was a social studies education major and my schedule filled up with courses in law and government.  I enjoyed the logic and back and forth of the legal argument.  I loved going to class to hear about and read about cases where the little guy took their troubles all the way to the Supreme Court to set precedence that defined the rights of an entire country.  How can you not be inspired by that?  I was convinced that to elevate the little guy, I had to become an attorney.

Once I started student teaching I realized that this was not true.  This is not a knock on attorneys.  This is was an adjustment of my professional logic.  Those inspiring college instructors influenced me to inspire my students with the same stories.  I learned really quickly that as my students became as invested and as curious as I was, I was creating informed citizens.  It is much more rewarding thinking that I am preventing the existence of the little guy.  The notion that you can build empowered people with your daily work should inspire anyone to become a teacher.

Fast forward to the present.  I can see this turning into a ramble.  The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a whole new respect for teachers.  I have to admit that I love seeing the admiration for the work of a teacher on social media.  I feel like people have gotten a little taste of what teachers do.  Just a little taste.  These classrooms have two to three students in them.  These teachers can let school out early when the day gets tough.  These teachers don't have to worry about their students' safety and well being over a weekend.  Don't get me wrong, parents at my school have done a great job helping our kids with their work.  It still cannot substitute for a person giving their professional lives to countless kids that don't belong to them.  I hope that this feeling of admiration for teachers during the pandemic is genuine and permanent.

I hope you take time to reflect on the teachers that have impacted you.  I wrote about my turnaround teacher in a blog post a few years ago.  I think we all have a teacher that we will never forget.  I can't say that about any attorney (sorry guys).  When I tell my students that I wanted to be an attorney at one point, they always ask why I didn't.  The consensus is that being a lawyer is a way cooler job.  They don't get what us teacher types understand and that is okay.  I only hope that my teachers and I help them find their purpose and chase their personal missions.  We have the opportunities and unique skill sets for this that parent-teachers do not have.

I know I'm rambling, but think about the scene in Saving Private Ryan when he reveals to his men that he was a school teacher?  That was a huge turning point in the movie because all of those soldiers can relate to a teacher.  They put two and two together and saw his leadership skills and it all made sense.  Teachers are special people even in the movies.

I could do this all day.  Let's reduce the ramble into a bullet-ed list.

• Teaching is not a job, it is a life.
• Teacher's work is never done, only improved.
• Teachers make more decisions in a day than just about any other profession.
• Teachers have to deal with the constant moving target set by policy makers.
• Teachers get bashed online, but can't bash back.
• Teachers are being asked more and more to be familiar with psychology and prescription meds.
• Teachers are learning survival practices in the event of a shooting.
• Teachers are in very short supply.

Honestly, I could go on and on.  It's easy to ramble on and on about something that means so much.  Teachers, you mean a lot to a lot of people.  Please know your worth and know that you are appreciated.  Danielson may think you are "Proficient" but I think you are all rock stars.  Ramble over.