Editorials Archive
Thank the many teachers in your life
, News reporter
05-08-2008
This week is National Teacher’s Appreciation Week, and while I don’t write about every week that recognizes someone, some organization or some cause, I have a fondness for those that taught me and for those that teach today.
Can you remember a special teacher in your life? Perhaps they weren’t actually in a classroom setting. There are many teachers in our lives. Maybe it was a parent, a friend, or someone else you looked up to, but my column today focuses on the teachers in our schools and the many gifts they give to us and our communities.
I can remember all of my classroom teachers. The ones that stand out were almost always the ones that taught me through using my five senses and more. Because their heart was in what they were doing, so was mine. I learned to see by using more than my eyes, and to hear not just through my ears but also with my heart. I can touch with my fingers and hands, but also with the tone of my voice and the words that I say. I can smell the flowers and the sweet scent of success. I can even smell unpleasant odors, but I can also detect when something is amiss and needs more investigation on my part. I can taste more than food, actually savoring a job or assignment well done.
We learn much more than curriculum from these dedicated men and women. We learn life skills – at least that’s what I saw after I was more into college. Because of school, and my own work on the farm and the family business, I learned to be a good employee. I came to understand the importance of being on time and putting in an honest day’s work. I learned to be productive, reliable and to follow through to the very best of my ability.
I was given opportunities to grow, to venture out of my comfort zone (sometimes willingly and sometimes with a little ‘boot!’), to experience newfound confidence and to see beyond what was apparent. In other words, my future wasn’t yet determined – and I could become whatever I decided to put my efforts into! The sky was only limited by my own doubts and fears – or hopes and dreams. We all have that runway in the airports of life when we are in high school. Future opportunities increase or decrease by the choices we make – which really only means we can choose restraints or more sky. I have made some of both choices, and prefer to point myself towards hopes and dreams. It’s much less painful.
In honor of the wonderful teachers of my youth and of the ones I know today, I wanted to share this story by an unknown author.
The Creation of the Teacher
(Author unknown)
The Good Lord was creating teachers. It was His sixth day of ‘overtime’ and He knew that this was a tremendous responsibility, for teachers would touch the lives of so many impressionable young children. An angel appeared to Him and said, “You are taking a long time to figure this one out.” “Yes,” said the Lord, “but, have you read the specs on this order?”
TEACHER: must stand above all students, yet be on their level…must be able to do 180 things not connected with the subject being taught…must run on coffee and leftovers…must communicate vital knowledge to all students daily and be right most of the time…must have more time for others than for herself/himself…must have a smile that can endure through pay cuts, problematic children, and worried parents…must go on teaching when parents question every move and others are not supportive…must have six pairs of hands.
“Six pairs of hands?” said the angel. “That’s impossible.” “Well,” said the Lord, “it’s not the hands that are the problem. It’s the three pairs of eyes that are presenting the most difficulty!”
The angel looked incredulous, “Three pairs of eyes?!! On a standard model??” The Lord nodded His head, “One pair can see a student for what he is and not what others have labeled him as. Another pair of eyes is in the back of the teacher’s head to see what should not be seen, but what must be known. The eyes in the front are only to look at the child as he/she ‘acts out’ in order to reflect, ‘I understand and I still believe in you,’ without so much as saying a word to the child.”
“Lord,” said the angel, “This is a very large project, and I think you should work on it tomorrow.”
“I can’t,” said the Lord, “for I have come very close to creating something much like Myself. I have one that comes to work when he/she is sick… teaches a class of children that do not want to learn…has a special place in his/her heart for children who are not his/her own…understands the struggles of those who have difficulty… never takes the students for granted…”
The angel looked closely at the model the Lord was creating. “It is too soft-hearted,” said the angel. “Yes,” said the Lord, “but also tough. You can’t imagine what this teacher can endure or do, if necessary.”
“Can this teacher think?” the angel asked. “Not only think,” said the Lord, “but reason and compromise.”
The angel came closer to have a better look at the model and ran his finger over the teacher’s cheek. “Well, Lord,” said the angel, “You’re job looks fine, but there is a leak. I told you that you were putting too much into this model. You can’t imagine the stress that will be placed upon the teacher.”
The Lord moved in closer and lifted the drop of moisture from the teacher’s cheek. It shone and glistened.
“It is not a leak,” He said. “It is a tear.”
“A tear? What is that?” asked the angel. “What’s a tear for?”
The Lord replied with great thought. “It is for the joy and pride of seeing a child accomplish even the smallest task. It is for the loneliness of children who have a hard time to fit in and it is for compassion for the feelings of their parents. It comes from the pain of not being able to reach some children and the disappointment those children feel in themselves. It comes often when a teacher has been with a class for a year and must say good-bye to those students and get ready to welcome a new class.”
“My,” said the angel, “The tear thing is a great idea…You are a genius!”
The Lord looked somber, “I didn’t put it there.”
Please, take a moment to remember the many teachers you’ve been given. Remember the many gifts you have thanks to them. Have you taken the time to thank any of them lately? A card. A letter (even to the editor) is a nice way to let them know they are important. We invite you to share your memories with us.
It isn’t easy to be a teacher, but it is very rewarding when the light goes on inside just one child. A Hebrew Proverb says: “A child is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit.”
