"Struggle as hard as you can for whatever you believe in." -Pinterest!
The people that have impacted my life most, I have met inside of a classroom. This is an obvious place to meet the most influential individuals in a young person's life. In my high school years, I spent 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, 9 months a year for 4 years surrounded by the same (at least mostly the same) people. These people were trained to mold and shape my thoughts, actions, and reactions. They were responsible for taking care of me and those around me for 1/3 of the day for 4 years. We spend a great deal of time learning from and alongside our teachers. So, it is natural that these people slowly become our every day heroes.
I had the same French teacher from 6th grade to senior year (with the exception of 9th grade). She was a great teacher. She taught me to value culture and differences. She taught me that individuality is what makes people extraordinary. My 11th grade environmental science teacher taught me that we can reach more people when we share what we know. She was working in the field when she decided that she could make a greater impact on the environment by inspiring the future of America to care about the environment and "going green." By detailing the importance of sustainable living to her students, she could motivate hundreds of students to make simple changes like recycling, conserving energy, and eating sustainably harvested foods. The impact of just one student per class is greater than the impact she could make alone. My English 12/creative writing teacher taught me the importance of becoming who you are. She also taught me the importance of rules and discipline. She was always pushing us to do our hardest and think outside of the box. She was also very strict! My Spanish teacher taught me the value of discovery. She wanted us to learn for the value of learning...not just to make good grades! There was an English teacher at our school that I never personally had, but she taught me that faith in all things (God, myself, and that things will happen the way they were meant to happen) will take you further than you could imagine. She also taught me about being brave and standing up for what I believe in. My psychology teacher taught me that tasteful humor can brighten any day. My European history teacher taught me that I will never truly know my own strength, but it's okay because those around me can see it. He also taught me that I can do A LOT without ANY sleep. My government teacher taught me that success doesn't come easy, but giving up won't get you anywhere. My chemistry teacher taught me humility by giving me my first and only B on a report card. My statistics teacher ("mom") taught me more than I could ever put in one post...but the most important thing she taught me was that I am valuable and I should not give up on myself.
There are so many more people and so many more lessons that I learned from the people I interacted with on a daily basis in high school, but it would take days to name them all. The point is, the lessons I learned from my teachers go far beyond foreign language, grammar, integers, and war generals. The things I remember about high school are not the tests that I didn't think I could pass or the football game that we should have won...the things I remember are the life lessons that I value greatly. I believe that the educators of America are among some of our greatest heroes. I believe that the people who should go down in history are the ones that struggle daily to maintain our attention and keep us engaged. I believe that the hardest working individuals I know are the ones I've learned the most from.
Reach out to a teacher you know and let them know that they are doing a good job. Thank them for all they do for you and/or your child. Love who they are and the lessons that they are teaching you. Accept that you will one day be thankful for the impact they will have on your life. And know that they are molding and shaping you to be an extraordinary person.
Also, we should pay them more. Because it seems to me that they are doing much more than their fair share to give back to society (:
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