I, as well as many of you, am a product of the public education system. Kindergarten through my senior year of high school I woke up every Monday through Friday and went to school for a long day of learning.
Every day, as I entered the school building, the same people were waiting for me: my best friends, my school friends, and my teachers.
Public school teachers are a special kind of people. They chose their career, CLEARLY not for the benefits, but because they have a passion for educating the future of our country and for making tomorrow brighter.
Teachers go above and beyond their job description. Their pay ends when the school day is over but they often stay many hours later tutoring students for free, attending meetings to better be able to assist their students, making lesson plans for the next school day, and the list could go on.
Unfortunately, many teachers even have to leave for their second job when the school day is over since they are unable to adequately support themselves off of their salary as a teacher.
Why do we consistently and shamelessly manipulate our public school teachers?
We can all agree that the children and young generations of this country are extremely important to the success of the future of our country. Teachers are responsible for educating these students and giving them the tools they need to have bright futures and the ability to be successful in whatever they may pursue.
Parents educate their children as well, but no one spends as much time with a child in an educational setting as a teacher does.
I have seen first hand the amount of disrespect teachers face, as my mom is a public school teacher.
As it turns out, no one seems to be on the side of public school teachers.
They are abused in the sense they are not valued enough to be given the benefits and pay any professional deserves, and they often lack support from the side of employers and parents.
Public school teachers are not anywhere near treated with the respect they deserve.
These people educate your children, aid them in becoming good American citizens, and build their ability to be able to be successful at any academic level.
We should be praising teachers and thanking them for all the blood, sweat, and countless tears they put into their job.
Teachers truly care about their students and they consistently put their own needs aside to help their students.
When they’re not doing that, they’re out shopping for school supplies with their own money so that their classroom environment can breed success. Public schools lack necessary funding, so teachers are forced to figure it out themselves on their own dollar.
Just because teachers are passionate and care about the students of this country and will stop at NOTHING to do what is necessary to help with their success, it does NOT make it ok to constantly ignore their needs and push them lower and lower on the list of priorities.
Teachers refuse to make their students suffer just because they are suffering themselves. And so they are continually ignored and not taken seriously.
Think back to all that your teachers have done for you. I would dare say that you would not be where you are right now without the help and assistance of all of your public school teachers.
Now that you’re older, if you want to show a teacher some appreciation, demand change.
Teachers don’t need flowers and thank you cards. While those things are nice, at the end of the day your teachers are still struggling.
If you want to really show how thankful you are of your teachers, fight for them to be respected. Stop hiding from the fact that your teachers aren’t paid enough, given real benefits, and lack support from all around.
Support them like they have supported you throughout your entire academic life. It’s the least you could do.