Thanks for teachers

After a wonderful break, it's time to get back to work. I did have a nice Monday. Busy, but not so busy I was crazy busy. My schedule right now is just the way I like it. I have enough work that it's interesting and a challenge, but not so much that I'm working in the evenings and on Saturdays like I did last year.

Say what you want about teachers, I think they are some of the most under appreciated of our work force. Most teachers I know spend far more time at their jobs than the required 7.5 hours daily. Additionally, they spend money out of their own pockets for their kids-this was illustrated again this week when I learned that a teacher paid for one of her students to get her glasses repaired. This student lives in a household where neither parent attend teacher conferences or school programs, in fact, neither parent has even met the teacher. This family has one cell phone which the dad has with him while he works out of state. They have one vehicle, which the dad has with him, you guessed it, while he works out of state. Dad is supposed to be sending money home to his family.

This little girl has needed her glasses fixed since September. Notes home to mom were uneffective. Phone calls to dad were uneffective. Visits to the home were uneffective. Finally, the teacher asked the girl to bring her broken glasses to school, and the teacher then took them to be fixed.
This student, not surprisingly, is struggling in school. A registered letter is going home to mom this week to explain about the girl's lack of progress. Will this get mom involved? Who knows? Past history would say no. But this little girl has a champion on her side who is fighting for her, and that's none other than her teacher. I've known teachers who have paid medical insurance premiums for families, bought clothes and shoes for kids, brought food to families in crisis, and supplied paper, pencils, markers, crayons, Kleenexes, and books for their students. It happens all the time, and most times, others are unaware of these sacrifices. You say there are no heroes? Contact me. I can put you in touch with some.