My whole life my mom has been a teacher. I've heard all of the stories, listened to all of her cool new ideas, and I've seen her change the lives of so many different students. I was lucky enough (or in some eyes not so lucky) to have her be a teacher at one of the schools I attended growing up. For 5 years, I experienced a lot of different things with her being a teacher at the same school. If you had a parent at your school, I'm sure you dealt with the following too:

1. Staying at school way later than any other student

2. You knew which kids pushed their buttons

3. Every teacher knew you and about all of the "bad" things you've done

4. It was so hard to not say teachers' first names when talking to them

5. You couldn't be caught dead in the principle's office because your parent could come around the corner at any time

6. Never having to worry about lunch money because you could just go to their class and get money

7. Being allowed in the teacher's lounge and the rooms with the printers.... all of the kids were always jealous of course

8. Getting the teacher you wanted every year

9. Literally being so bored out of your mind waiting for them to get done after school that you would make your own invisible classroom and pretend you were a teacher

10. But NEVER wanting to be a teacher because you were around it for so long

11. Knowing all of the scoops about the kids and the teachers because you would snoop and listen to conversations they would have with people

12. Getting to know about snow days early

13. Having the same vacations as them... a blessing and a curse

14. Knowing you have the name you have because your parent either never had a child with that name in their class before... or they don't have bad memories of your name from a child they had

15. Getting special privilege with just about anything

16. Knowing when you went into a Walmart or Meijer that they were bound to see a student they had/have

17. They always knew all of the homework you had, so you pretty much had to do it

18. Never having to go to an after school program because you would just stay with them until it was time to go home

19. Never having to ride the bus, because they would take you to school

20. Overall, it may have been different being a teachers' kid but you wouldn't have wanted it any other way

Thanks, mom, for being a teacher even with all of the complaining I used to do. You're a special woman to put up with so many students after all of these years. I love you.