A teacher has a life-long job to instill more than just textbook knowledge into their students. There is much more to be learned beyond the four walls of a classroom, but that is where it all begins. Teachers have a unique ability to influence minors and sometimes they don't even know it, but it most definitely leaves a lasting impression.

The average child begins attending school at age four and will finish their primary education around the age of 18. That means they are spending 14 years of their lives in the presence of teachers. A school day is about seven hours and runs five days a week for 180 days out of the year. This means that most times children are spending more time with their teachers than with their parents during the school year. This time away from home provides students the ability to broaden their horizons and can become a remarkable experience if they allow it to.

I will be the first to agree that the science classes or the calculus classes can be boring, but within every lesson a teacher presents, a deeper meaning can be found. Today teachers are being pushed hard and worked thin and in return are repaid unfairly for what they actually do. This is unfortunate because some of the best teachers go unnoticed, yet still continue to positively impact their students.

Let's take it back all the way to kindergarten. It may seem minimal, but even that teacher provided children with the basis for life-long learning. Sometimes, a teacher can say a single thing, maybe even a word of encouragement, that a child will remember forever. These are the things that teachers hope for. The job has become somewhat corrupt by forcing the teaching of certain things to pass a test, but a real teacher will do much more than that.

Without teachers, other professions would be impossible because everyone must learn to succeed. However, we are all teachers and we all must remember to always teach kindness along with anything we are doing. So take a minute and thank a teacher or two because they are more important than you think.