Show Your Appreciation

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! Remember to tell a teacher you appreciate all they do - whether it's your child's teacher, a teacher friend, or even a former teacher! Do you know what a teacher really does? How do you feel about being in a room with children/young adults ALL day? It's very challenging yet rewarding work.

I'm no longer a teacher but speaking from experience a Preschool teacher does more than just teach. Working with small children in their very first school environment is exciting, challenging, and very rewarding. There's nothing like seeing that light go on inside of them when they learn something new. It is a wonderful experience to share in the celebration the first time a child writes his/her name, or ties their shoe, or builds a tall tower, or even washes their hands using all of the correct steps (and there are many!).

A Preschool Teacher wears MANY hats. He/She is a nurse handing out ice packs and bandaids, a plumber when the toilet inevitably overflows, a cook serving snack, a construction worker repairing broken furniture, an air traffic controller controlling all of the "disagreements" between children throughout the day, a counselor for children who don't have a great home life, I could go on and on. It always amazes me that although a teacher wears all of these hats throughout the day/week they are among the lowest paid in AMERICA.

Speaking from experience, I know for a fact that the people who clean our classrooms make almost as much money as the teachers in the classrooms. I will never understand the American educational system. I will never understand why a postman makes more money than a teacher. Is your mail more important than your child? A living, breathing, growing, laughing, human being? Is managing a fast food restaurant more important than the person who shows love and tenderness to your child all day long? I will NEVER understand how Americans value children!?!

Ok, stepping off of my soap box. In other words, THANK A TEACHER.

I thank each and every teacher out there that is doing what they love to do while paying off their student loans and wondering how they are going to make it through the day. You can do it! Hey, if nothing else, summer is right around the corner!