October 5th celebrated World Teacher’s Day.This day, we celebrate educators and educational institutions that help shape the minds of our future. UNESCO claimed October 5th as World Teachers Day because of an event that occurred in 1966. . Each year, UNESCO creates a universal theme for this day. For 2020, the theme is “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future.†A perfect fit for what our world is going through.
Being a teacher is not an easy job. I can attest because as I have been one for four years. When I started my teaching career as a fourth and fifth-grade math, science, and social studies teacher. I had the remarkable experience I was able to spend three years at the same elementary school I myself attended and worked alongside some of the teachers I had previously.
While teaching, there have been days I loved my job and days that I wanted to quit and never return. This is something most teachers experience that at one point or another. I was grateful for the fantastic students I taught. The countless notes of gratitude, artwork, and hugs were often the reason that I was happy with my decision to stay a teacher at the end of the day.
But being a teacher isn’t about the presents or gifts you receive from your students. It is about earning their respect while keeping them entertained and being a person they can love and trust. Rita Pierson, a notable educator, and TED Talks presenter has said that Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” That is a fact. I’ve heard my students complain about one teacher or the other and how they would tune that teacher out for one reason or the other. If a student is uning their teacher out, are they learning? No, they aren’t. Children need to feel that their teacher is there for them one-hundred percent of the time. They need to see that their teacher believes they can succeed at something even if they think they cannot.
Being a teacher is not easy, not only is the pay somewhat low, there is also a demand of meeting state requirements, lack of resources. Teachers wear many hats. They aren’t just educators; they are counselors, nurses, mediators, and sometimes parents. No two students are alike.. As teachers, sometimes, it is hard to wrap our minds around our students’ lives. The one thing we must remember is to remain positive and unbiased. Your students will pick up on what you are feeling, so if you feel confident, they will too.
Teaching is a rewarding job, even if it doesn’t fee that way at times. . I think that now, more than ever, because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, parents are seeing educators in a different light. They are seeing what they go through daily and are beginning to realize that teachers are essential.
So what can you do to help celebrate and honor your child’s teacher for World Teacher’s Day? Here are a few ideas:
-Create a card with a personalized note of gratitude. Let the teacher know you are grateful for all they do.
-Write a poem
-Host a “Thank You” breakfast or lunch at school
-Provide a treat for the teachers
-Purchase flowers for the teachers
-Offer to volunteer
The world needs teachers, and teachers need to know that the world needs them. There are so many people who, later in life, cite a teacher as being their inspiration for something along their journey of life. As teachers, we should strive to be that person
Featured Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
