Those who have younger generations of their family in school will especially appreciate that May 7, 2019, is Teacher Appreciation Day. It’s time for us to observe the hard work and dedication these people put into the education of our youth! Their efforts and interest in ensuring our kids reach their full potential are what makes the school year a positive and meaningful experience for our future workforce and leaders. The passion they put into their work often mirrors that which we put into raising our families—only their task is ensuring the curriculum meets the standard with which we instill good behavior, strong spirits, and positivity and wellbeing into our youth. It’s no small feat, and they seem to handle it with a skill level that’s beyond amazing. So, why not celebrate that?
Most likely, you yourself have a story or two about a favorite teacher from your own childhood and even teenage years. Teacher Appreciation Day celebrates these individuals for the shared interest they have in developing our prodigies into… well, prodigies! No matter the background, the school district they teach in, or the extracurricular activities they have planned to support your child’s learning, they each bring something unique to the desk and the front of a classroom. In years gone by, teachers were considered community leaders. They taught, disciplined, and molded the youngsters of a community to become contributing citizens. Over time, their roles have seen great change, but not their ultimate mission—to help our youth become learned, productive community members. According to the Texas Education Agency, data for the 2016-2017 year showed that more than 350K teachers were employed within the state. In addition to the process of changing and growing young minds, they also have to work within the state’s legislation on education and school-related hot issues such as certification and upgrading and standardized testing, not to mention community wealth (or lack thereof), and propensity for prosperity in all forms of the word. It’s not an easy task. Celebrating them on at least one day of the year is actually quite minimal, when you think about it.