by Cary Anne Fitzgerald,
PDHP Parent/Community Outreach Coordinator
It is Teacher Appreciation Week. This is a big one this year. Despite this week, it often feels like the world forgets about the contribution of teachers, but those who occupied a seat in their classrooms – whether in real or virtual time – will never forget.
Teacher, you spent time, energy, and your own resources decorating a welcoming learning environment. You prepare yourself to greet your students daily. You work long past the dismissal bell. You worry through the night. You unknowingly become a safe space for many children. You rarely break during the day to attend to your needs, focusing on those of your students. You probably call them “your kids” and they have probably accidentally called you mom or dad as you have nurtured them, just like family should. You open eyes to wisdoms while searching to unlock varied learning styles. You encourage those eyes to search within for talents and to look beyond you both. You see them, you spark them and you set a fire.
Teacher, your kids stand up taller, they speak with more confidence, they smile wider. You made them understand, believe and be an integral part of something that you have created. You leave them better than they were before; you are thanked and you are cherished. You are recalled in the recesses of their minds as they move along the paths you’ve lit for them. You are the silent prayer when it gets too hard or too tough. You are remembered as those paths become travelled. You are invisible but present in their homes, among their friendships, backing up their contributions in work and society. You remain part of their generations to come. You are hope that all these things will be.
As I said in the beginning, the world will forget, but you know that one – your kid – who will always remember. Thanks for being there for them. All they needed was you, Teacher.