T is for...

T is for Tea, Ties and Teachers!

Teachers are the unsung hearoes of our world. In a recent article I read on msnbc.com, teaching ranked as the #3 most stressful job in the nation, second only to careers in the medical profession.

I come from a long line of teachers. My grandmother was one, my mother was and so are all 3 of her sisters. I also married one of the world's best teachers. And, even though I am planning for a career as a guidance counselor, I have spent the past two years in the classrooms of some of the most wonderful, caring, dedicated, underpaid, underappreciated people ever.

A typical day in the life includes getting to work at 7:30am, making copies, answering emails, making sure students don't kill each other before school even starts, monitoring classrooms, hallways and bathrooms, listening to students who have drama going in their lives, listening to fellow teachers who have drama in their lives, monitoring situations between students who don't get along, keeping an eye on hyperactive students who can't focus, watching a lunchroom full of students who are constantly trying to get away with something, providing boundaries and discipline to 100 different children a day, considering 100 different learning styles, grading papers, entering grades into a non-user-friendly online gradebook, planning for the next day, preparing materials for the remainder of the week, taking a verbal beating from a parent whose student is failing because they haven't turned in work for 4 weeks, motivating every student to pass a standardized test a mere 3 weeks away from summer vacation...

...oh yeah, and teaching lessons.

I have the utmost respect for teachers who dedicate their lives to the profession, because that's what it takes to be a great teacher. It's not just a job, it is a lifestyle that these brave people have chosen. It doesn't end at 3pm and it doesn't end in June when school lets out. It's constant and I applaud those who are up to the challenge.