Dear Colleagues:

From the time the first teacher stood on the banks of a river drawing counting marks in the sand or used cave pictographs and campfire stories to pass on tribal history, teachers have improved lives. They still do.

That’s why I take every chance I can to share with the public the work of our excellent educators. There is no more important profession than teaching and I am proud to be a member of a professional community that continuously has advanced civilization.

Parents often tell me how teachers have changed the lives of their children. This happens in school hallways, parking lots, at PTO gatherings, along store aisles, on the phone and through handwritten notes, emails, and social media. The other day a parent stopped me to say her child loves her teacher and wakes up each morning excited to go to school. Another parent said he’s sure his soon-to-graduate senior will miss her favorite teacher as much as her close friends. It happens all the time.

During the recent We Notice celebration sponsored by the County Student Council, teachers shared letters from parents and students that described, in so many eloquent ways, how teachers prepare young people for adult life.

Teachers create passion in a student who never cared for science but went on to pursue a career in medicine. They discover an interest in music within a child who struggles with reading, turning that child into an extraordinary singer. They take cars to be washed on Saturdays to raise money for school clubs. They work two jobs to make ends meet. They take lots of work home to be ready for the next day. They reach into their own pockets to pay for school supplies. They add granola bars to their grocery carts to ensure everyone in class has a snack at break.

They do whatever it takes to help young people be successful.

Spouses, partners, friends and parents notice the personal qualities that help teachers meet the needs of each unique learner—patience, attention, commitment, enthusiasm and caring.

Many of you may remember role-playing a teacher when you were a child. Some of you were drawn to the profession because you loved school. Others became teachers because school was a struggle and you knew how much children need excellent teachers to find success in life.

It’s easy to remember those excellent teachers. Mrs. Hiers was one—she was my high school biology, chemistry and physics teacher, when she wasn’t serving as a guidance counselor. One day, she handed a biology lab report back to me and shared in a soft voice that I had a real affinity for biology. That sparked possibilities I had never considered. It led me to major in biology and to become a science teacher, beginning a career I have loved ever since.

This is National Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to remember how teachers make our lives better, a process that starts during childhood and never ends.

Thank you for choosing to teach.

Regards,

Pam