Appreciating Teachers

I am a teacher. There, I've said it. Today it seems that "teacher" is a bad word in the media, on the streets, and in the hallowed halls of our government (and don't even get me started with the attitudes about Teacher Librarians!) Everyone seems to know better than us how to fix education. As I entered my grocery store yesterday two older gentlemen were talking and one said, "well, it's the fault of those people who are teaching those kids...." Great. I wonder who taught him to read, to reason, to think, and to question.

I don't normally do this type of post, but school is starting up again all over the country during the next month, families are receiving their students' standardized test scores in the mail, and I know that once again teachers will be faced with the powers that be telling them to work harder, try some new strategy, and explain why every student in their class is performing at a proficient level.

The actor Matt Damon made a speech recently in support of teachers, which I thought was good because it was blunt and to the point. Don't get me wrong, there are bad teachers out there, but the whole system isn't broke, and we aren't all slackers.

So to all the teachers out there, have a fantastic start of the school year. I hope you love your job, want to go to work every day, enjoy being with your students, and are creative in your work.