Where would we all be without teachers? Some of us are blessed to be surrounded by teachers, not just at school but outside of school too. Regular people who take the time to stop and teach us something new, like cooking or sewing or how to play a game of chess. How to skip a rock or cut and paste a collage. We all have the opportunity to be great teachers, to make an impact on others.

Thank god for the teachers who chose to go to work in our schools everyday to teach our children. It takes great patience, preparation, love, dedication and great care to teach an entire classroom of children. A classroom filled with different backgrounds, ideas, rules, home foundations. Every year a teacher starts first by becoming familiar with new personalities, new challenges, and getting the attention of a classroom 25 plus kids. By the time the year ends they’ve created a new family only to have to say goodbye and start all over again. That’s got to be difficult!

At the end of the day, a  great teacher gets carried into our children’s hearts. They become the main discussion at the dinner table. They get introduced to siblings and families. A great teacher can influence a child to try Turkey at Thanksgiving dinner even if you tried convincing them for years.  A great teacher gently encourages a cautious child to stand in front of a classroom to do calendar until they finally get the courage to do it.  A great teacher creates a timeline of when mommy comes back for the preschool-er who cries everyday. A great teacher brings out the best in the restless child, courage in the shy child, and a voice in the quiet child. A great teacher does more than just teach our children math and reading skills, they inspire, they mold and help our children grow. They add layers to the sometimes bumpy foundation we’ve laid down for them at home. They become part of our life, our story, our family. They inspire us to be teachers.

To all of our teachers, past and present…Thank You!