I got home yesterday and turned on Nightly News with Brian Williams. I love catching up on what is going on in the world, and NBC just does it right. There was a segment about education, so my head immediately turned with interest.
After displaying “statistics” stating that our children are behind other countries in basically all subject areas. How uplifting, I know. They turned the focus to a room full of teachers being asked, “How many of you spend out-of-pocket money on your students?” Every hand in the room shot up. The next question: “How many of you spend more than 60 hours a week doing school work?” None of the hands budged.
It’s no secret that teachers don’t go into their profession for the money. In my mom’s words: “Teachers are special.” Just because most teachers are willing to sacrifice time and money for their students, doesn’t make them easy targets to take advantage of.
Not long after watching this segment, I found an article online titled, “Many Teachers Have Little or No Experience in the Classroom.” Talk about a downer. I have realized that when politics and the economy are struggling, people blame education. Yet again, an easy target.
I’m not trying to make excuses or throw a pity party. I’m here to say that things are going fine in education. Teachers are trying new things and doing their best to care for their students. Teachers are underpaid and underappreciated. If you don’t teach, you will never understand the work it takes to touch the lives of every student.
Do yourself, your children, your community a favor: thank a teacher.
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