Teachers are often the most unsung heroes in our society. They play a crucial role in shaping future generations, imparting knowledge, and installing values. However, despite their importance, teachers go unrecognized and underappreciated. Spending their own money on supplies, taking on the shape of a therapist, and fighting a system that's not meant to support them.
Teachers are vital for us to be the country, community, and society we have. But then why are their pay so insufficient, the support so minimal, and the gratitude so disconnected? I think it starts with the way we live life now. Blame shifting, little accountability, and complete entitlement. Teachers are handcuffed to a culture of mixed singles. They are told to teach content that is changed daily, forced to abide by not pushing back on rules/guidelines that make no sense and make it almost impossible to teach, Their classrooms are overfull, understaffed, and undersupported by parents, budgets, and staff.
They have challenging students that take up all their time and leave the students that come to learn with little support. The idea is that the students that need the help get the help. But the students that are maintaining are left to their own devices. This is not the teacher's fault, is the system. The little support or voices to shift how teaching is done. They are judged by testing the performance of the students and not on the base that maybe that year they would handed new curriculum that truly makes no sense but told their is no other option.
Not to mention the shift in parents' prescriptive that their child is always right and teacher the teacher is wrong. A teacher could have 25 students in their class with an hour to teach a subject. One student interrupts and their lesson plan is off now. They have to deal with that but still know the pressure of making sure all the students understand the lesson. Then add the email from parents complaining, about students being rude or inconsiderate to other students. And always having to approach every scenario with a customer service voice. Dont rock the boat, can't hurt feelings, upset parents, or make waves.
Everything is used against them, No one is ever happy and in the end, get little respect or gratitude. But yet each year they wake up and go to school with new students and a fresh outlook. Why? Because they love their job, they want to help your child succeed and ultimately love their job. In their heart, they went into teaching for one reason. To help, to love and to support. Not the paycheck, not the emails, not the shitty emails from parents.
So maybe in your day-to-day busy lives when you send your kid off to school you forget that those teachers are spending most days with your kids supporting them, helping them, loving them. A little thank you could keep them going.
Thank you teachers
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