An ode to teachers

  

As my daughter begins her last year of high school, I wanted to express my gratitude to the people who have made a real difference in her life: her teachers.  

At Christmas and in June, I will get a bill (actually, a wad of receipts), for all the gifts my daughter has purchased for her teachers. And every year, I will voice my outrage before quietly relenting. While students aren’t required to give teachers gifts, and I’m sure most high school students don’t give to every teacher they have had over the year, I'm glad she does it. People need to know they’re appreciated, particularly those who have so much influence over our children.  

 Even if they sometimes ruin her long weekends with homework, I appreciate them. Even if they espouse questionable political views (most are to my liking), I appreciate them. Even if they've had a bad day, I appreciate them. 

As parents, we know far more about our daughter’s teachers than they might think. Unlike some kids, who when you ask, “How was day?” shrug their shoulders and say, “I dunno,” our daughter regales us with a plethora of school stories. We know who acted up, what the teachers said, and their general emotional state. Most of all, we understand that they go through a lot. 

This is not your typical nine-to-five job. Yes, they do get a lot of time off, let’s not kid ourselves. They get two months of summer, Christmas break, February break, and Easter break! I know, it’s not so simple. An elementary school teacher of mine once told me that he spent on average ten hours a day related to his job. This included class preparation and marking, but likely did not include extra-curricular activities. When all was said and done, even with the days off, he claimed that he put in the same time over the year as someone with a “normal” eight-hour-a-day job. 

Then there’s the stress. It takes a considerable psychological toll managing a classroom every day. My sister, who is a teacher, tells me stories that are difficult to hear. Teachers deal with a lot of issues that kids bring from home into the classroom. I never wanted to teach and I still don’t want to because I fear that kids would drive me to do terrible things. 

 A long time ago I wrote about one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. I was lucky enough to have him for three grades in our small rural school. He exuded a positive energy, someone who really loved what he did. He also did some very funny things, which may not be appropriate today, but which I will share with you now: 

• He once picked up a desk with a misbehaving kid in it and placed them both in the hallway. 
• When he got upset with us, he would throw chalk, aiming slightly above our heads. 
• He played a game with us in gym where he would throw large rubber balls at us. One girl got her head sandwiched between a ball and the gym wall. That was the end of gym period, for that day anyway. 
• He carried around a cup of coffee, which one day got a hacky sack thrown into. 
• Someone allegedly stole a pack of Certs from his desk, which became a very big deal. This was the year’s biggest scandal. 
• He taught us sex education in grade eight, speaking to us like adults. For this sheltered Mennonite boy, it was enlightening. 
• At the end of every year, he would invite the entire class to his place for a party. 

I had experiences with other teachers that were also memorable but I won't share them with you here. Let's just say I was not always in an "easy" class. We caused many teachers to shout and some to cry as we pushed them to the limits of their mental health. 

Let me say this: Thanks for hanging in there. Teachers, I appreciate you.