Thank a Teacher!

It’s that time of year again, when everyone can smell the freedom of summer. The students begin to get antsy, and teachers stress and work intensively to make it to the end zone. I always feel like it should be an easy slide home, but it always proves to be just as hectic as the beginning of the year. Now is the time to thank teachers for their hard work. I have heard complaints before about how other jobs do not get the same type of accolades, so why should teachers? My response is as follows:

People deserve and perform better through positive recognition of their efforts and work. It’s amazing how far a few kind words and a token of gratitude can go. All people who show exemplary dedication to their work deserve this recognition. This includes mothers  and fathers (who yes, get a different day), and employees in all different fields. So why do I celebrate my son’s teachers? They are the ones who take care of him when I am not there. They give him the support he needs to grow and flourish, teach him lessons about life, and are an integral part of his experiences. A good teacher can have a profound effect on a child. With the proper guidance from both school and home, my son will develop solid foundations as he grows up. His teachers are my partners, parenting from a different perspective.

As a teacher, I know how much of myself goes into my students. It is not just about reading, math, and writing. There are daily lessons about becoming caring human beings, about demonstrating tolerance and love, and about dealing with difficulties and conflicts. Teaching is not just about improving the minds of America’s tomorrow. Tightly woven within the job is supporting impressionable young scholars’ social, emotional, and mental well-being. It is both exhausting to worry about 30+ students, and exhilarating to see their successes.

My son and I made this craft to give his teacher, but also a heartfelt personal note from me along with a gift. I wrote the poem thinking about what his teachers have done for him this year. First we traced his hands on a piece of construction paper and I added a heart. Then I cut out the hands and saved them for later. We used a sponge to paint pink and white to cover a white piece of construction paper. Then I put the cut out hands and heart on top of the page and we sponge painted with purple on top. When we were finished, we just peeled off the hands. After it dried, I glued down the poem and a picture of my son. This page went into a class book along with a page of his drawings.

The notes I get from students and parents help carry me through the rough times. They remain special even as they have moved on in their lives. I encourage you to take some time to think about your child’s teacher from this year. What has that teacher uniquely done that has made a difference for your child?