Teachers are my Heroes

[proud2BlibKansan]

School is on the precipice of resuming and another summer vacation season is closing. The bells ringing, will announce the start of a new school year, sad parents will wave goodbye to their children and chaos will resume in the hallways. Teachers will stand tall with enthusiasm, despite a constant assault on their pay and benefits. Once again, they will face the burden of additional administrative duties, while we ask them to assume the role of a surrogate parent. If you think about it, they spend more time with our kids than most parents.

Teachers are the front-line warriors in the war against physical bullying. Many schools assign teachers to stand outside their classrooms like gargoyle soldiers safeguarding students from prowling bullies. These passionate educators, who love their students and display extraordinary levels of empathy, intervene and report bullying incidents to school administrators. To avoid district scrutiny, many of these reports are ignored or diminished. A recent report in the State of Florida demonstrated the inconsistency of bullying data between school districts.

The stewards of the classroom often volunteer their time and reach into their own pockets for supplies cut by frugal budgets. Grading papers consume their weekends and summers are devoted to additional classes to improve and widen their knowledge. I had the pleasure of being an adjunct college instructor for one semester. While the pay was essentially non-existent, I cherished the opportunity. I now understand the time commitment of educators.

The next time you are flipping through the channels, pause on a baseball game for an inning. Watch the player swinging the bat. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees will earn 32 million dollars this season. Every time he steps to the plate and digs his spikes into the batter’s box, he will earn approximately $47,000, regardless of the outcome. Most teachers would do back-flips, if they could earn that amount as an annual salary. Keep in mind, the best performing baseball players only reach base thirty percent of the time. Those are unacceptable odds for the classroom champions. Teachers are true American heroes. They should be exalted for their sacrifices. I salute each and everyone and thank you for your devotion to your profession and our children.

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