Dear Teacher,
Today is your first day of school, again. Though, I know today really isn’t your first day. You have been at inservices enhancing your teaching methods. Those inservices, which use up your precious classroom time. A time you use to get your classrooms in order. Figure out your desk arrangement and where to sit your new, eager learners even though you nothing about them. A time you use to decorate your walls, bulletin boards and chalk boards. This, I know, is no easy feat. But you’re creative, you’ll have no trouble. Your walls and boards will be adorned with bright colors and all things educational. Regardless of the all meetings and inservices, your classroom will be open, ready, and eager for new learners.
Those inservices that use up your precious planning time. You get very little of it in a normal day. So little, in fact, that you often have to come in early and stay late in order to be fully prepared. Not only do you need to determine the lessons to be taught, but you need to find the best method of delivery. Capturing and keeping a student’s attention should be an Olympic event. There are meetings to be attended. There will be papers to be graded and report cards to be done. There will be phone calls home and notes written. There will be concerts to prepare for. But for now, it’s all you can do to just be ready on this first day.
I have a dream that one day teachers will be the role models elite athletes have become. Kids will want to collect teacher cards, not baseball cards. A teacher’s rookie card will be worth thousands. Especially those who have dedicated your life to teaching. Year after year, you return with the exact same enthusiasm and vigor your new students bring with them on that first day. One day, it will be teachers like you who land million dollar contracts. One day.
So, as you start your first day with new group of children, remember, one of those children is mine. He might be a bit stubborn. He might gravitate toward a behavior slightly less than ideal while following others doing the same. He may loathe writing. But he is our child and we love him dearly. Meanwhile, we will remember the extra, unpaid hours you put in. We will remember he is not your only student. We will remember that chances are good you have your own child you would rather be with instead of working.
Here’s to a great first day and to a great year ahead! And that glass of red this evening to unwind from this hectic, crazy, exciting day.
Sincerely,
A parent who understands
So true. And they do it all for the love of children and learning. Grateful for all the wonderful teachers I had as a kid, and the fantastic ones I admire as an adult!
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Thanks Stacy. As parent who is also a teacher, I understand what they endure from year to year. Though I’m not currently teaching, I admire what they do and commend them for it 🙂
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Same here! Taught middle school and high school English for five years. Hard, rewarding work!
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I list teaching among the hardest, yet most rewarding, jobs out there. Every “ah ha” moment brings us back for more! 🙂
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Cheers to that.
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Reblogged this on I Read Encyclopedias for Fun and commented:
It’s that time of year. The kids go back to school. I thought I’d share a post made by Eric, aka stomperdad. He’s a parent who understands what teachers go through.
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Thanks, Jay Dee! I know depending on where you live, some schools have already started back, some started today and some will start next Tuesday after Labor day, Monday. But this is my tribute to the teachers who have all already back in school preparing – or at least trying to. I think I’m going to have to write some more teacher posts… they seem to be a big hit. Thanks for reblogging!
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No problem. I just wrote a teacher post, too. More based on my own experience when I was a kid, but also a response to a news article.
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Love this! If only our society looked up to those who make such sacrifices.
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This could easily be about nurses, police officers, or anyone in the military. Overworked and underpaid 🙂
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I have had some amazing teachers that I still remember fondly. I even remember he content of their lessons…
I myself worked as a school teacher for 3 months, the kids were not the easiest to deal with, but I still enjoyed myself a lot and realised that I am a good teacher. When I left , the students told me that they liked me and that even though my methods were tough (I teach German and made the write write and write to get better) they had the feeling that it had helped them progress.
Great post.
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Thanks for your comment and kind words. Teaching is difficult work but one of the most rewarding. Especially when you reach that one child who you thought was unreachable. I’ve often had my toughest students, the ones I felt I was constantly fighting with, tell me I was one of their favorite teachers. I, too, remember my favorite teachers and what they taught me 🙂
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Remember the days when everyone looked up to teachers? When did that change? I think teachers need to be cherished more. But then the system would have to change and actually allow teachers to be real teachers again…
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More and more of what teachers do is becoming regulated by government and school boards. And, in my opinion, government and school boards are people who used to teachers but are now too removed from the schools to know what’s best.
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Crazy, isn’t it…
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