May is the month with holidays such as Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and even Star Wars day on May the 4th. Not many people are aware that there is another celebration in May: teacher and staff appreciation week. From May 7 to May 11, students are encouraged to thank their teachers for all they have done for them. During the lunch hours, Spartan Assembly is selling flowers for $1.50 for teachers and other staff members.
Teaching is one of the most important, but underappreciated careers. It’s important to take this week to stop and think about all that teachers do for us students. Teachers do more for us students than lecture and grade us. They are parents, and coaches and sometimes students themselves, or are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to prepare their students for future success. Teachers spend roughly as much time with their students as they do with their own families. They work long hours preparing lessons, grading papers, attending meetings, helping students with schoolwork after class and staying after school to coach. Even with all of these responsibilities and little compensation for their job, they still love what they do.
I would not be the person I am today without the teachers I have had during my school career. Now that I am graduating, I often reflect on how I’ve grown as a student and as an individual. Teachers tremendously impacted my character, work ethic and helped me to become a truly critical thinker. What I appreciate most about my teachers is that they were willing to learn about me as a person. I wasn’t just a statistic or a grade. To my teachers, I was an individual. I have developed great friendships with almost all of my teachers. They are funny, intelligent people who truly want me to be successful. In the classroom, I learned just as much about how to be a good person, critical thinker and hard worker as I did about English or math or science.
When I was slacking off, they pushed me to be better. When I did well on a test, they recognized my achievements. When I needed a recommendation letter for scholarships and college, they wrote beautiful letters because they knew my character and me as an individual. They made learning fun and engaging for me, which says a lot because I have the attention span of a jr. high student. In the class, stating ideas, even ones thought to be stupid or controversial, were encouraged. It was a safe place for people to share their thoughts without having to worry about being criticized.
Teachers deserve appreciation for their work in the classroom and their influence on the field. This week is a great week to show the love and appreciation for your teachers that they have for you. See teachers as the people they are instead of just educators. It will mean a great deal to our teachers if we let them know that their dedication to us students was not in vain or went unnoticed.
