I have always had a strong appreciation for teachers and all they do for our children, inside and outside of the classroom. I come from a family of teachers. My mom was the art teacher at Moultrie Middle School in Mt. Pleasant for many years before becoming the Art Coordinator in Berkeley County, overseeing all of the art teachers within the county. My mother in law is a retired teacher who started her teaching career in Brooklyn, NY (before Brooklyn was the hip area it is now) and then went on to teach many more years in both Miami, Florida and Atlanta, GA. My brother is a Spanish and World Cultures teacher currently working at Cario Middle and his wife (my sister in law) is a middle school teacher at Christ our King-Stella Maris School.
Having that many teachers in my life, I see first-hand the sacrifice that teachers make after a long day of educating our children (as well as managing them, keeping up with their specific dietary needs, their social and emotional well-being…the list goes on). Then go home and work evenings and weekends to create lesson plans, answer student and parent emails, grade papers…the list goes on.
Even after having a first-hand glimpse at what life as a teacher is like, now stepping into the role as a homeschool teacher to my 4 and 7-year-old daughters, I have a much greater appreciation for our teachers. Trying to teach a child something, make it fun, and hold their attention is a gift and one that I do not possess!
I worked for several years as a nanny before I had children of my own and I loved doing crafts and going on outings. This is totally different though! I’m working from home and trying to run a business but also manage to teach my kids is close to impossible. Hat’s off to all the parents who have stepped into the role of teacher. It is not an easy one and I think we all have a greater appreciation for our teachers and the normalcy of life that school brings.
Teachers have also had a hard transition during this period where they have had to jump into e-learning with very little notice and learn new online programs such as Zoom. They have had to create lesson plans that parents can do at home and children can do mostly on their own. Both of my girls light up when we get on their weekly Zoom calls with their teachers. They miss their friends in class but even more so they miss their teachers and just seeing them gives them a sense of normalcy and peace. Teachers miss our children as well.
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I encourage you all to do a little something special for the teachers in your life. Whether it be a handmade card for your teacher, a drive-by car parade at their house, bringing them flowers or even just a shout-out on social media. Even the little things mean so much to our teachers and make them feel our love and appreciation!
