Teacher Appreciation Week
The teachers I know are incredible humans. My sister. My aunt. My mother. My niece and brothers-in-law. My friends. Teaching gives you insight deep into people’s lives. Past the curtains of perfection, the white picket fences, teachers get a glimpse of the spark inside that is the human soul. And they hold that spark in their very capable hands.
At work, children tell me about their teachers from the time they can talk until they go to college. If I ask a toddler how school is going, they immediately say “Ms. Jenny,” the name of their favorite teacher. Or “Jacob,” their favorite friend at school. For our children, this is where social development really starts. The high schoolers will say, “I don’t really like geometry, but Mr. Smith makes it fun. I like him.”
Teachers are, first and foremost, teachers. My son’s favorite teacher this year ends her email with a poignant quote by Margaret Mead: “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” They present subjects to our kids so they can gather information and process it. They mold their minds, first with songs and rhymes and later with didactic reasoning. They find just the right book that will change a child’s life.
They teach the math lovers how to appreciate history and the readers how to do algebra. They teach dance, band and sports. They teach theater and physical education and music. Like a wide fishing net, they cast their subject out into the school and see which kid’s interest will be sparked.
Teachers are resolvers of conflict. From the toddlers who bite and hit to the blustering adolescents who act out their conflict physically in the high school halls or emotionally on social media, teachers are there to break it up. When the fifth grader is left out of the bracelet-making club at recess, the teacher is there to talk to the group about kindness and inclusivity.
Teachers are emotional support animals. The preschooler crying as her mom leaves. The elementary-aged child whose father just died. Grieving the loss of a pet lizard. Not making the team. They see what goes on in the hallways and restrooms. Who broke up with whom. They know there’s a problem with this child or that one and can step in to intervene.
Teachers are healthcare workers. They recognize when a toddler wakes up with glassy eyes, acting not quite himself, and notice the fever. They put ice on the broken arm as they walk her to the school nurse and clean up the vomit of other people’s children. They call for help when the teenager passes out while watching a gory biology video.
Teachers are social workers. They call child protective services when those bruises just don’t have a good explanation, or when a child divulges awful things that have happened to her. They find extra clothes in the front office when he wets his pants. They teach emotional regulation for kids who only experience anger or neglect at home.
Teachers are therapists. Often, they are the first person a child or teen will go to when they are having big emotions they don’t know how to process. They collar our kids when they try to skip class and love them anyway. They see them through all of their stages — even the ones where their walls of defense make them a bit unbearable and a lot unapproachable. Sometimes the only person who believes in a kid and tells him he will become something is his teacher.
Teachers are on safety patrol. Weather drills and fire drills and, unfortunately and saddest of all, intruder drills. Don’t run in the hall, and scissors are only available when you’re sitting. There are too many friends in the bathroom, and no standing on the tables. Until our kids have full frontal lobes, they repeatedly present them with the question: “Is that a safe choice?”
Teachers are guardians. Some children have parents who are not physically present. Some have parents who are not emotionally present or have given up on parenting. For these kids, the teachers and coaches and school counselors are the grown-ups they look up to. This is what you’re good at. And this is how you can use it in your life. You matter.
And finally, teachers are kind of like family. For that school year, they see my child every day. The teachers show up when my kids are happy and carefree. More importantly, they show up when they’re struggling. If I am not too proud to hear it, teachers can show me things about my own child that even I have not noticed.
My kids have been in school since they were months old. I have entrusted them, the most important beings of my life, into the hands of their capable teachers. I owe them a lifetime of gratitude.
Because of all of this, teachers should have a place of honor and respect in our society. Held in the highest regard, and appreciated every single day. To all the teachers, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We appreciate you. Thank you for teaching my kids how to think.
The advice and opinions herein are by no means meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your personal physician, mental health provider or health care professional for medical advice. Opinions are my own.