From the time we're young, it's common for us see teachers as these strange, strict people who just want to make our lives miserable with homework. In elementary school, we all thought the teachers lived in the school. In middle school, our mouths would gape open if we saw them at Wal-Mart, let alone if they tried talking to us. And in high school, they stood proudly, with recommendation letters in hand, after whipping us into college-ready shape.
For me, teachers have always been the ultimate authority, even now. My professors are some of my favorite people and they make me fall more in love with my majors every day. I was always taught that teachers have the hardest jobs, and I saw it every day; it's because I saw my mom in them.
It's not enough to say that my mom deserves more than an ounce of respect. Not only did she go back to school to get not one, but two master's degrees, she also has made a bigger difference in her students' lives than I'll ever be able to comprehend.
My mom is a high school English teacher in what is considered an "at-risk" school. Many of her students live with single parents, work multiple jobs, and/or are subjected to area crime on a daily basis. Some have been to jail, and some are failing a majority of their classes. However, many have broken through those barriers and surpassed the expectations set for them, and it's all because of my mom.
I'm not sure if destiny is real, but I do know that my mom was meant to be a teacher. She sees the best in everyone, no matter their background, other grades, or what other people say about them. While other teachers may give up on a student who seems too far gone, she sees a blank slate of potential.
To be honest, she's also a bad ass. She is the kind of person who doesn't put up with anyone's crap and will push her students beyond what they think they're capable of. You don't like "To Kill a Mockingbird?" You will. You have never written a proper essay? You'll be the best essayist in class by the end of the year. All the other teachers let you slide by? Life doesn't work that way.
She's brutally honest, but I think it's because she sees them as her own kids. She wants them to know what happens in the real world if you don't get an education, if you don't try, because she doesn't want the world to overcome them. She has the same dreams she had for my sister and me: make something of yourself.
Does she have students who threaten to beat her up? Unfortunately, yes. But you can bet that the wrestlers in the front row will back her up. Do students curse her out? Again, yes, unfortunately. But there are also the ones who come in every day for hugs and still call her two, three, four, even ten years after graduation, saying just how much she turned their lives around.
She has not only inspired me to love literature, but also hundreds of kids who wouldn't be where they are without her. She's tough, but it's because she cares. That's what inspires success.
Mom, I know your job is draining and sometimes you feel like you're just going in circles. Just know that for every "problem" student, there are way more who will make prouder than you thought you ever could be.
Please go thank the teachers who made you who you are. They need to be aware of the incredible difference they're making.
