Time to show our teachers some love!

Cinco de Mayo has come and gone, but don't worry, there is still reason to celebrate this week...today is National Teacher Day! The National Education Association urges folks to take the time to thank a teacher today, and I think it's a great idea! Of course, I might be a little biased due to the fact that I  am married to a teacher, but I am also wise enough to recognize that I wouldn't be here today, with a great job and an active mind, if I hadn't had the support of dedicated teachers through all my years of schooling (or, as my Mother is fond of saying, my many, many years of schooling). This is something to be thankful for.

I think it's especially important now, when there is so much talk about what is wrong with the education system, and long lists of 'schools in need of assistance,' to remember what our individual teachers do. They put in a great deal of effort to provide students with life skills and reasoning capabilities, and they prepare their students to go out into the world. It can be a stressful and very time-consuming job, but teachers keep teaching because they find value in it, and because they care.

I think many people who go into teaching do it because they had a teacher who made a great impact in their life. Maybe there is a teacher in your past who made a difference, or maybe your child has a teacher right now who does their job really well...thank them if you can!

If you want to take a look at what some of our teachers are doing in their classrooms to make a difference, check out American Teacher: Heroes In the Classroom. It's a beautiful book, and very inspiring.