"I have no hope for my profession."

This is what one of my former high school teachers posted on Facebook at the beginning of the school year. She continued to explain that she still loves her students, literature and teaching, however, many of the people who write her paychecks, sign her contract and pay taxes in her school district do not understand how much she gives up to teach. This is the same teacher who took time out of her after-school schedule to read over my writing, and make detailed, constructive comments on every piece of work I handed her. This is the same teacher who I never talked to about my problems directly, but who read my poems and kept all of the painful details they contained confidential. This is the same teacher who donated $25 to my walk for the National Eating Disorders Association when she was under no obligation to do so. If she can lose hope in her profession, I can only assume that a vast majority of overworked and underpaid teachers are in the same boat.

Good teachers do not merely work a nine to five job. They grade papers on their own time, not solely checking off boxes, but writing in-depth comments about how to make improvements. They coach sports teams, run clubs, and direct plays and music ensembles. Teachers have stayed after school hours with me to help me study and answer the hundreds of questions that my extremely anxious and analytical high school self always seemed to have. In addition to the many teachers who make themselves available early in the morning and late into the evening for extra help, I had several high school teachers who were really concerned for the general welfare of their students. For example, during my senior year, my British Literature teacher met with me after school to talk about something that had been bothering me. We came up with a comprehensive plan about how to handle that specific situation, which had a lot of layers to it. However, I think what I remember most about this discussion is how it came up in the first place. He noticed that I wasn't acting like myself and voiced his concern. This was one of the first times in my high school career that someone had expressed an interest in how I was doing and, to be honest, it made all the difference.

Currently, teachers face a crisis unique to their profession. Many people do not see what good teachers are worth because they do not produce direct results. They do not create products on an assembly line ready to be mass distributed and rake in profit. If we think in monetary terms, teachers do have very little to bring to the table. They do not create physical profit which we can measure tangibly. But what good, passionate teachers create is so much more than that. They engage students similar to my high school self, who deal with so much personal pain that paying attention in class is nearly impossible. They provide a safe space for adolescents struggling with mental illness, sexuality issues, family problems… the list goes on and on. Even if the student and teacher do not talk directly about these things, if the student knows that that teacher is affirming, it creates a remarkably tension-free environment. This space can be made different from every other chaotic aspect of their life. I have some understanding teachers to thank for creating a place I could go every day without fear.

We, the kids who lost faith in ourselves, have good teachers to thank for believing in us, inspiring us, and changing the way we look at the world. However, if our society continues treat teachers as disposable, non-essential amenities, we will lose all the compassionate, intelligent people who want to teach. Our government is arbitrarily pigeon-holing education majors into a position in which they must withstand abuse of power in order to influence today’s students. It makes me sad to see many of my former teachers protesting at a school board meeting, not because they are protesting, but because they have to fight so diligently for adequate compensation. It is so important for us to appreciate our teachers before we lose those who have that passion and insatiable desire to teach and inspire our students. Teachers may not create profit, but they influence future business leaders and CEOs. Teachers may not build anything tangible, but they teach the architect of your town basic geometry. Teachers may not create finished products, but they do, however, create a generation.