Thank You.

Here’s to you, teachers. The teachers that spend countless hours on lesson plans, the ones who put their own money into school supplies, and the ones that attend parent meeting after parent meeting during the school year. The teachers that manage classes of twenty or more students, day after day, for nine months year after year. The ones that inspire students to succeed and push themselves beyond their limits. We think that without teachers, the magic of learning for students would be lost. Here are just some of the reasons why we appreciate teachers.

1. The teacher that comes in weeks before school starts to decorate and organize his/her class
   “But how else will I organize my class?” We appreciate the effort teachers make, whether it’s coming in a few days or for some, a few weeks early to organize their classroom and decorate it for the school year. We love the themed classrooms teachers come up with and the organizational ideas they put into their classes each school year like this teacher did with her Harry Potter classroom.
2. The high school teacher that spends hours writing recommendations for students’ college applications each year
   Here’s to the teacher who says “no problem” to the many students that ask them for a recommendation for their college applications, even if it’s asked at the last minute before early-decision applications are due. Here’s to the teacher that has 100 requests each fall and finishes each and every one of them.
3. The teacher that stays late to supervise the school dance and spends countless hours decorating for it
   If you’re a middle or high school teacher, chances are you have or know a teacher that has planned a school dance and decorated for it. Here’s to the teachers that have put in long hours decorating, planning, and organizing for Prom, Homecoming, and all the school dances.
4. The teacher that spends their own money supplying their classrooms
   Here’s to the teachers that spend a portion of their own salary supplying classrooms every year, amidst the protest of their loved ones or family members. Here’s to the teachers that brainstorm and spend endless hours on Pinterest and other websites thinking of different ways to decorate their classrooms.
5. The teacher that arrives to school an hour early to help a struggling student
   Here’s to the teacher that gets up early so they can arrive an hour before school starts to help a student struggling with their class. Whether it’s one-on-one tutoring or a morning group study session, the effort and time educators put into helping struggling students does not go unappreciated.
6. The teacher that gives up their lunch hour
   We couldn’t forget the teachers that work during lunch! Here’s to the teacher that gives up their free lunch period to chaperone recess, eats their lunch on their way to the copy machine, or eats at their desk in their classroom so a student can make up a test.
7. The teacher that comforts their students
   Here’s to the kindergarten and elementary teachers that comfort their crying students after a fall or scrape, and the middle and high school teachers that are always there to lend an ear to their students, whether it’s about midterms or college applications or making the 8th grade basketball team.

Many things change in society year after year, but one thing remains constant: teaching. The average school day lasts only 6–7 hours. While a teacher can’t be present the entire day of a student, they are one of the biggest factors for determining a student’s success. Teachers motivate. Teachers touch lives. Teachers inspire. Teachers matter.

Originally published at blog.mheonline.com.