Teachers: There's no way to hug them hard enough.

[Mike 03]

Teachers are magic. By the time you realize how much they have shaped you, they are gone...

The purpose of this post is just to say that without any doubt or question in the world, the teachers I had were the biggest influence on me.

They are the ones I can never thank enough.

I don't know what their circumstances were:

Maybe they were not paid enough.
Maybe they had to go into their own pockets to buy supplies for us students.
Maybe they had personal issues they were battling with but still showed up for work every day, no matter what, and we students were too young to understand what that is like.

Or a dozen other complications that teachers have.

Just speaking for myself, if it were not for the teachers in my life, I would be a complete disaster.

And that is not an exaggeration.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. The most under-appreciated profession in the world.

[stray cat]

2. A tough job but supposedly in NY you can make $100,000 per year

with a guaranteed pension and nine month salary and great job security so at least in parts of the east coast things have gotten better for teachers.

[Cerridwen]

3. And that's still not enough.

Teachers, good teachers, are worth their weight in gold.

Give them everything they want and then offer them more.

No, I am not a teacher - good or otherwise. I just think teachers are some of the best people on this planet.

[senseandsensibility]

6. Of course I would bet that's with twenty years of experience and at least

a Masters degree, and only in extremely high cost areas like NY City. Such salaries are hardly typical.

[dflprincess]

15. I assume you're talking about NYC

and somewhere (maybe on DU) I just read that it takes an income of $120,000 in NYC to have a standard of living similar to what $50,000 buys you in Houston.

[maryf]

25. Security is on the wain...

The city may lay off hundreds or more teachers....

[11 Bravo]

48. I have been a teacher for almost 35 years (thank you GI bill) and have never sniffed 100K per year.

[senseandsensibility]

4. Thanks

Lifetime teacher here, and it's always nice to be appreciated. :hi: I appreciate your kind words about teachers in general. Have you tried to contact any of your old teachers to express this to them? Speaking from experience, hearing those sentiments from former students is one of the things that makes teaching worthwhile.

[silverojo]

40. I personally visited my former high school

I spoke to some of my former teachers, and one of them is teaching in a nearby town, so I'll be visiting him one of these days (the one who taught me so much about grammar).

Oddly, the teachers I've spoken to tell me they learned a lot from me. I used to be very sickly, and most of my teachers gave me hell for it. But they've since realized the error of their ways, and it's nice to know they're more understanding of people like me now. Especially when I told them that I now have fibromyalgia and other disorders, they now understand how hard my struggle was, years before being diagnosed.

So that was a good feeling, and I look forward to meeting my former English teacher. :)

[sense]

5. 9 states got an F

Teachers used to be good..... now homeschooling for academic reasons.


Friends:

The National Council on Teacher Quality has released its Yearbook. The
Council rates states on their implementation of a set of recommendations
for ensuring teacher quality. Oregon is one of 9 states that doesn't come
close to meeting the goals.

State Teacher Policy Yearbook from the National Council on Teacher Quality

National report:
http://www.nctq.org/stpy08/reports/stpy_national.pdf

[ulysses]

7. that didn't take too long.

Tell me: when did teachers start to not be good in your measured opinion?

[Cerridwen]

10. That's the system; not the teachers.

That's NCLB and "choked" funding to set up the system to fail to justify privatizing it.

Get the bureaucracy out of the way and let the teachers teach and watch what happens. Let the teachers design their system, rather than a bunch of money-grubbing, ass-protecting, career bureaucrats aided and abetted by sound-bite spewing, pork-barrel hoarding, propaganda catapulting politicians, and watch what happens.

[Catshrink]

14. We bust our asses and get crapped on by this kind of stuff all the time.

It's disheartening to say the least.

[BlooInBloo]

17. I'll be the first to crap on teachers - but it will never be because y'all don't nust your asses...

Hell - there might not be a labor group in the country that busts their asses harder than teachers.

[Cerridwen]

30. And yet, you'll be the "first to crap on (them)."

Why IS that exactly?

"...there might not be a labor group in the country that busts their asses harder than teachers."

And yet you'll be the "first to crap on" teachers.

Wow, amazingly weird priorities you have.

[ulysses]

52. shit's hard to fling accurately, and we're an easy target.

[TahitiNut]

20. The National Council on Teacher Quality is a conservative "echo chamber" funded by ...

... the Smith Richardson Foundation, which 'astroturfs' several conservative purveyors of covert propaganda. They work with such organizations as the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.

[YvonneCa]

21. Welcome to DU. I read most of that report. It is...

...interesting. I disagree with their definition of teacher quality. And yes, I am a teacher.

[Mrs. Ted Nancy]

23. Ironic

In the report, there is a mistake in the Minnesota section. The last sentence in area 1 of the state report begins with Michigan rather than Minnesota. It's on page 33 of the report.

I guess the proofreader had a crappy teacher. :sarcasm:

[AwakeAtLast]

26. If you can tell me what the criteria was and how it was assessed, I'll read your link

but I bet you can't.

[sense]

36. but I bet I can

It's all in the report... just have to read it.

[seabeyond]

29. i have decided the people bitching about schools are parents that dont participate

they are the ones that demand that the schools and teachers take over all raising of the student, do all the character building and raising of the child and then on top of all that, dont support the teacher, then sit back and bitch about how their child doesnt learn, or do what they are suppose to or whatever, just reinforcing lack of support for the teacher to the child, harming the child further. insuring failure.

on the other hand

the parent that is a part of childs life, connected, a foundation, a part of the childs education, interaction with the teachers and availability receive a kick ass education for their children.

[sense]

37. Home schooling, what more participation do you want?

[seabeyond]

45. we have a lot of home schooling in our fundamentalist area. my brother did it two years

with daughter.

someone wants to homeschool, go for it. their choice with their kid. and the choice is made for many different reasons. there is a consistent one in this area. that sex education is taught in the school, and homosexuality is taking over the world and being told it is a good choice to our young. my son is in 8th grade and has talked to me about it thru out his years. the critics are full of shit what is being taught in school

no god in school is another reason. IF you believe, you cannot keep god OUT of school or anywhere else and the whole prayer issue is bullshit. in 60's we never had prayer. talked to father and they never had prayer. so when the hell did we STOP prayer in school. was never in school

the issue of academics.... that hasnt been the reason but for one parent. and they never had child in school to see if the academics lack. i did both private and public and find academic standards higher in pubic. our house is about academics, not sports.

[Goblinmonger]

47. I'll put myself up against

any homeschooling parent on my ability to teach English.

[Cerridwen]

8. I whole-heartedly agree!

Good teachers should be, in my never attempting to be humble opinion, bigger than rock stars or star athletes. They should be paid the way we pay those who do no more than entertain us.

They teach us. They teach those who are our future.

A good teacher will influence so many of us throughout so much of our lives; and then they'll do it again for our children.

I am not a teacher. I do not have children.

Teachers are some of the best people on this planet. I almost wish we could clone the good ones.

To Mrs. H., Mrs. W., Mr. R., Miss F., Mr. H., Mrs. H., Ellen, Merilee, Barb, Joanne, and all those whose names I don't remember right this second, you are my heros. I hope someday you'll know what wonderful things you have taught me.

[Are_grits_groceries]

9. Thanks from me too!

Teaching is odd in a way because you spend a great deal of time with the kids, and then they are gone. Poof! I always wonder if I helped or hurt them. Rarely do you find out.

When you hear people talk about their lives, almost always they will mention a teacher who meant something to them. That's one reason it was easy to keep pushing. You never knew.

A lot of people talk about how easy it is. I want them to substitute teach for a week and then get back to me. Frank McCourt ("Angela's Ashes)told his students it was the hardest job he had ever had. He had worked on the docks and been a stevedor.

It is a job that if done right will wear you out, break your heart, make you laugh, and give you hope.
(Sometimes they all occur in one day)

:hi:

[Cerridwen]

11. Eek! I forgot to recommend.

Mistake corrected.

[BlooInBloo]

12. They do bust their asses, there's no doubt about that.

[Cerridwen]

13. C'mon. One more recommend for the Greatest Page.

Surely, there was one teacher you liked or who had a postive influence in your life.

[KittyWampus]

16. Mr. Blake knew he was loved. I'd go back to visit him. He was first person I knew to die of AIDS

it was like 1983?

He made English fun.

[we can do it]

18. Thank You Teachers, I Love You

One of the most important, underpaid and underappreciated (but not by me) professions. I had great city public school teachers who gave me a great start and and I use what I learned every day!

:grouphug:

[seabeyond]

19. i didn't appreciate them nearly as much as a kid as i do now that my kids are in school

i was good and easy in school and had good home environment so wasn't like i would have been a mess without good teachers, though i did have some memorable ones.... BUT

i have so valued and appreciated all but two teachers with two boys now 11 and 13. that is a lot of teachers seeing as they go up in grade the more teachers they get every year.

some kick ass, your child is important to me, what can we do to help the kid, i am there teachers.

huge hooray to teachers

and screw the people that diss the schools. maybe they are the ones that are not involved with child and the schools and there to help the teachers with the children and support the teachers so their child get the very best, cause i gotta say

puttin in the time at the schools and being supportive of the teachers, we have gotten the very best.

[YvonneCa]

22. Thank you for your post. As a public school...

...teacher for many years, it is always nice to be appreciated. :)

[JackDragna]

24. It's very appreciated.

Considering how often my family tells me I'm wasting my talents by teaching and others spout the "those who can, do.." line, it's nice to get a little love. :)

[seabeyond]

28. spout the "those who can, do... dont ya get so tired of that one. i couldnt teach for anything

in the world. i get frustrated. well, with own kids anyway. maybe not other kids. my oldest, i have suggested he be a college professor of some type. though he is huge in smart and could be so many things and the pay isnt nearly as much as he could make, it fits him. perfectly.

[sense]

38. Your own kids are much easier to "take" without being locked away from real life.

Kids learn very well before we hide them away with one adult and 30 other 5 year olds.....If they were able to live their lives learning about what interests them as they were able to the first 5 years.....they'd be much better off. They have fabulous minds and we put them in school and bore them to death year after year! Dumbing them down, destroying their love of learning. Home schooling doesn't mean you have to teach them everything.... it just means you know them better and can follow their interests so they can explore and discover what they're really good at! School for many is just so stifling. Let them out!!! People need to quit having kids they don't intend to raise and educate. Palming them off on one other person, 30 at a time... what a completely ridiculous idea.

[seabeyond]

46. what assumptions you make. i have to assume you are homeschooling

ergo creating argument to meet your agenda. but always with assumption i understand it doesnt mean shit, just like your critique of my parenting and choices doesnt mean shit, since you know nothing about me. the only difference is i clearly know i make assumptions and could be full of shit.

no... i chose not to just give my boys what i know they are interested in because i dont agree that is healthy. i looked at all these options cause of the parent i am, but i specifically chose not to do homeschooling cause there are disadvantages i was not willing to take.

the education does not end at school. because a parent puts kid in school doesnt mean they are handing off cause they dont want to parent, though i agree with your argument, seeing how i make it often. i am very much a part of the kids school life and education beyond school, at home. i often stress that school is not there to take over the parenting. i dont think, at all, that it has to be one or the other and i think you are limiting the options and missing out.

[sense]

51. Homeschooling

How could anything be better than 1 on 1? I wasn't trying to make you defensive, I was simply presenting an alternative to regular schooling that works very well for millions. I get that it's not for everyone, but stepping outside of the government prescribed box which fits very, very few children is a great option! If you talking about socialization there are studies on that too. They all show that home schooled children are, on average, much easier for everyone to be around because they're socialized by all types and ages of people instead of following what 30 other 5 years old deem acceptable behavior. They are not constrained by peer pressure. They're more mature and better able to interact with everyone in a meaningful way. I'm not saying that all home schooled students are better at anything than all government schooled children, I'm simply saying that the old myths are not true and it's been proven. We are all individuals and making everyone conform to one "norm" isn't remotely normal. School is broken. We need a new model, just like everything else, schooling needs to move into this century and the teacher's unions have no intention of that happening.

It's a not so well known fact that we all learn easier and with better retention when we're learning something we're interested in. That's what the type of home schooling we do is all about. You learn 24/7 and it's not separate from anything else. It's scary to home school... the thought of screwing that up is horrifying. That said, it's the best choice we ever made for our children. I'm not saying I'm the best teacher. I'm not. I'm just the facilitator. Kids are so much more than we allow them to be. The resources available to everyone on the net, in our communities and libraries are enormous and many are free. I'm proud of who my son has become and what he's learned, but I'm not taking the credit for it....I just gave him the time and he ran with it.

As to limiting the options....that's what school does. My son, who entered the most academic college in the US this year, started working on his 6th language. Not exactly limited. He excels in science, math, history, philosophy and martial arts. All things he learned when the interest arose. He used his time well, of his own accord.

[seabeyond]

53. good. i am glad he was so successful. if i were a different parent

or my kids were different (maybe it is just me as a parent) i would be all for it. but there isnt a chance i could get the same results.

we are in the same place, difference universe. you dont have the confidence in the public system. i do. i like what i am seeing, at this point. 8th grade

my oldest is brilliant. way beyond me. there is not a chance i can give him even a little what he is getting from this school or these teachers.

i guess a part of parenting is understanding our limitations. if i did do homeschooling i would totally fuck up the kids, wink

but that is nifty he has been so successful and self motivated

thanks for sharing

[AwakeAtLast]

27. What a wonderful post!

This teacher hugs you back. :hug:

[Greyhound]

31. K&R for Mr. Kraeger, n/t

[Horse with no Name]

32. What I like about small towns

My granddaughters teacher told the class on the first day of kindergarten that ANY time they needed a hug, all they had to do was ask.
You know, sometimes that is all it takes to calm a child that age. I am a nurse and I hug my patients when they need a hug.
I feel badly for the schools that cannot allow this.:(

[TahitiNut]

34. The best nurse I ever had .... HUGGED me.

I can't begin to describe the healing power of a hug. She knew. She was terrific.

Emergency appendectomy ... and much that goes with it. Pneumothorax(?), gas pains, post-operative drainage tube, etc. Ten days and I was able to go home. She held me when I had to walk. She pressed the pillow over my gut so I could fart. She'd also pull the curtain and share a smoke with me. (It was 1973.) She belongs in the Nursing Hall of Honor.

[Horse with no Name]

35. Yep

I've hugged lots of kids--and lots of parents.
It is amazing how therapeutic hugs are for the kids (and the nurses).
Sounds like you experienced it first hand.
Now--this is the SECOND time in your life you are gonna be hugged by a nurse.;) :hug:

[teach1st]

33. Thanks!

On behalf of teachers everywhere, thanks. The immaterial rewards are great. They have to be to counter the pay and conditions and lack of respect we often receive.

To those teachers who want to know how their ex-students are doing...go out on Facebook, MySpace and the myriad other social networking sites out their. Your students are there.

[silverojo]

39. I had a total of one teacher worth a tinker's damn

I don't know if it's the low pay or what, but virtually every teacher I've ever known was lazy as hell:

* Few of them monitored recess. The few who did allowed bullying and made no attempt to intervene.

* None of them corrected papers. They made the kids exchange papers and read out the answers, allowing for rampant cheating among friends.

* Many of them didn't know their subject matter. In 9th grade, for instance, I pointed out to a teacher that "New South Wales" was a state in Australia. She insisted it was in Great Britain. Needless to say, I was proven correct.

* Because I was a good student, teachers would often put me in charge of explaining subject matter to other students. Where were the teachers? One or two of them would be outside the door blabbing, while I was forced to neglect my own work. So I'd have to take my assignments home, while other kids had their work finished before the end of the day.

* My high-school guidance counselor told me not to pursue my goal of becoming a writer, because too few people are successful at it. When I was 19, I was interviewed by our local newspaper for a front-page story about my first-ever published article in a major youth-issues magazine.

I did have a wonderful 9th-grade teacher who was a writer, and was very encouraging when I told her that I wanted to be a writer, too. And my junior-high English teacher helped me a lot, when it came to learning English grammar.

However, teachers like these are far too rare. Maybe better pay would attract better people into the teaching profession? I don't know. All I know is, when I see those bumper stickers that say, "If you can read this, thank a teacher"...I can't help but remember how I was taught to read by my family, long before I ever set foot in a classroom.

There are good teachers out there, of course! The problem is, they're outnumbered by the worthless ones. :(

[sense]

41. I heartily agree.... they are outnumbered by the toxic ones.

If you look at what is entailed in getting a teachering degree and the SAT scores of those entering teacher colleges, all will be revealed. Sadly.

[Why Syzygy]

44. We had one history requirement in high school.

The teacher was a coach and called all of us "mullet heads", and read his paper. Geometry teacher was great, though.
I can't worship at the altar of teachers. I see too many of them on DU with airs of superiority.
I taught my own son to read when he was in second grade. He had lived with his dad during first. He didn't learn to read at school. I also taught my niece and nephew and a few of the neighborhood kids. Too much politics in school these days.

[B o d i]

42. I'll hug a teacher for you tomorrow; we're scheduled for lunch.

She might be a bit surprised, but that's ok. Nice post :-)

[renate]

43. good teachers are the angels that walk among us

They don't see the real results of all their hard work until years later, and that's if their students return to thank them. I know there are many teachers in my past that I've tried to contact and can't find, or they've died before I had the good sense to try to thank them. But, oh, they are remembered, with so much love and gratitude.

:loveya:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

49. Glad To Hear You Had That Experience. My Teachers All Sucked And Can Go Fuck Themselves.

[LibDemAlways]

50. I taught a couple of decades ago and found it to be

a very tough job.

I think there are many hard-working teachers out there who never get the credit they deserve.

When my daughter was in 7th grade three years ago she had a math teacher, new to the school, who simply was not liked by students or parents or administrators. She wasn't perky enough for the administrators and was actually more interested in teaching math than in being the kids' friend, which, at that school was the route to a pink slip at the end of the year.

I thought she was a wonderful teacher. The foundation she gave my daughter in pre-algebra was solid. I wrote several notes letting her know how much I appreciated all that she was doing for her students. That was probably the only positive reinforcement she received all year.

Not all teachers are terrific, but most are doing the best they can under often difficult circumstances. Thanks for taking a moment to honor them.

[aikoaiko]

54. I know its a metaphor, but I once cracked two of my GF ribs when I gave her a big hug

I felt bad.

I had some good teachers who had a immeasurable impact on my like. Particularly my PhD advisor.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

55. Good teachers, yes. Shitty teachers, no.

There are far more shitty teachers than there are good ones.

But I love my good teachers.

[blaze]

56. A request for all teachers

I'm the person who comes into your room to repair a leak or make your room warm when it's too cold or make your room cool when it's too warm.

Trust me. I know when the "all important" tests are in full swing. I won't attempt to put a TOE in your room if it isn't compete ly necessary.

I would *love* to make the necessary repairs before or after hours, but the district doesn't want to spend unnecessary funds on overtime, so we'll do the repairs during schools hours. Not my choice. If I *can* schedule the repairs while the kids are in art class or gym or lunch or during recess, I will. But I take care of fifteen schools and that isn't always possible.

When I come into a classroom, can you acknowledge me? Trust me. I am more that willing to wait for you to complete a sentence. I am more than willing for you to complete a thought. I even enjoy listening to you teach and making your point. But on more occasions than I care to remember, I have stepped into a classroom in order to get some clarification from a teacher about the particular problem, only to be left standing there with no acknowledgment that I have even entered the room. When is the room too hot? Is it in the morning? Is it in the afternoon? Is it all the time? There are so many particulars that can help me identify and isolate the problem, but if I can't ask the person who is most aware of the problem, I will spend that much more time trying to identify the issue. My questions really won't take more than a minute of your time. Probably less.

It really just comes down to a matter of respect.