A parent is so many things: caretaker, encourager, discipliner, supporter and coach, just to name a few. When your parent is also a teacher, the normal parental role can change quite a bit. My mother's career as a teacher has shown me a lot about her, and I am so grateful for her and her teaching abilities. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week this past week, I'd like to share how grateful I am for my mom and her devotion to the classroom. Here's what it means to be a teacher's daughter.
It means never going to a grocery store without stopping at least five times to talk to her students, fellow teachers, or past students' parents. #celebritystatus
It means being in the same school was both awesome and horrifying.
I loved being able to find my mom during lunch to ask for a hug when I really needed one, but I wasn't always a fan of her dancing down the hallway or kissing my cheek in front of the middle school boy I liked.
It means playing school with my siblings was one of our favorite games, because we got to act just like Mom.
It means summers were full of setting up her classroom for all the incoming students.
And yes, we suffered through the hot, sticky summer classrooms because there was a possibility of an afternoon ice cream trip.
It means being able to call her and get excited together about assignments.
It means seeing the passion in the profession of education.
And often wondering if you should follow in their footsteps.
It means breakfast for dinner and "fend-for-yourself" nights happened pretty frequently, especially around parent-teacher conferences.
It means homework was never an option.
It means they'll always insist on second chances, especially when it comes to teachers you may initially dislike.
It means they're the first one to encourage you to continue your education.
And they'll probably encourage a visit to their alma mater too.
It means they might have missed a few softball games for staff meetings.
It means after dinner, the table was home to homework to complete, papers to grade, and lesson plans to write.
It means everything is a lesson.
Most things I complained to you about turned into a lecture that ended in a lesson, but from all this I learned a lot about how to handle myself and things in this crazy life.
It means realizing that teachers are people too.
It means having a whole wing of teachers supporting you.
It means understanding just how much work a teacher does beyond the hours the students are in the classrooms.
It means seeing their influence and impact on their students, and feeling proud to call them your parent.So even though last week was Teacher Appreciation Week, to us teacher's kids, we appreciate you every day. Thank you for all you do, inside the classroom and out. I'm proud to be the daughter of a teacher.
