I'm not sure who said that quote, but it radiates with the truth of a great teacher. I have had the honor of many great teachers in my life, and as long as I'm breathing I will continue to be a student, forever learning from all of God's opportunities wherever they may be.
We all start out with our first teachers being our parents, whether they realize it or not. It is their job to teach us, enrich us with the knowledge they have come to acquire. Some parents get that, and some do not. I was blessed with parents that understood far beyond the norm of the possibilities of gifts to give their children. One I am most thankful for (beyond the truth of Christ's love) is the gift of reading, upon which all other forms of learning are built. They made this a high priority, and I was reading by the age of three (and haven't stopped since). I could write on and on about how wonderful they both really are, but that I will save for many other blogs. Today I am attempting to put honor where honor is due- to our teachers, and how could I do that without first acknowledging my wonderful teacher parents. (for those of you who don't know them, they both really are Teachers and have dedicated much of their lives to private Christian education).
Because of my parents, I knew from a very young age exactly how much hard work, dedication, and time went into being a teacher. Of course, when I was little... four, five, and six, it was fun to stay late after school playing hide and seek with my brother and sister and the other teacher's kids, or playing with all the toys that I didn't get to have all to myself during school hours, or creating projects with all of my mom's crafting supplies in her classroom. But as I got older, I started to notice the other side- how hard they worked, that the job never left them, and that they really cared about each and every student (and sometimes caring hurts). They wanted everyone to succeed. I suppose one of the hardest parts about being a teacher is seeing the enormous potential of a student, something great in them that is within their grasp, but they aren't willing to grab it and there is nothing more you can do.
My appreciation for teachers runs deep. There have been so many in my life. The ones that really stick out, are the ones who knew how to connect. Though, I am still thankful for my geometry teacher, she knew all about angles and degrees... thanks for the "B." But to truly leave an impact, teaching is more than just knowledge transfered from one individual to another. I believe great teachers use passion, they connect with their students and empower them by adding value to them.
I have to admit my education has been blessed, I had the advantage of growing up in a Christian School environment, where all of the teachers not only cared bout me, but about my soul, my eternal destiny. That is powerful. Through eighth grade, that's the kind of foundation I sunk my feet into, then public high school shook me up a bit. But honestly I say that in a good way. God and his perfect timing knew it was what I needed.
It was a whole new world of things I had never been exposed to. Most days my heart felt compassion for the teachers. It was amazing to me that day after day they could still teach a bunch of disrespectful, crude teenagers who didn't care about the history of the constitution, or The Classics. There were many days when I felt like standing up in the middle of class and yelling at the other students for their awful behavior. In addition, many days, if I had been the teacher I think those kids could have easily made me cry (which is one of the many reasons I wasn't cut out to be a teacher). So teachers of high schoolers, I am sending out a huge thank you for all that you put up with and I salute you for not letting go of your passion which our students so desperately need.
And to teachers of all ages, sizes, and subjects, you are appreciated. Our world would not be the same without you. The challenges you face and triumph over, that one student whose life you changed forever, and the gift of teaching that God has given to you is being celebrated!!!
Thank you! Thank you! teachers everywhere!!!
I am I allowed to name names? I wasn't going to because there's always a chance of leaving someone out, but in this case I feel I really must, for these people have impacted my life and I am forever grateful:
Mrs. Clark (1st grade)
Mrs. Johnson (5th &6th grades)
Mr. D (my dad- yep he was my teacher at some point)
Mrs. Dupey (my mom- yep her too!)
Mrs. Sayler (U.S. History)
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