A challenging job!

Teaching is without a doubt one of the toughest jobs on the planet.  Not physicially as there are certainly jobs that require much more strength.  It's the work load, the responsibility, the heart-breaking burden of carrying the lives of so many children for a whole school year.

Teaching is much more than standing in front of a bunch of kids talking as many people who aren't in the field of education think.  It's teaching our material which we must be proficient in of course.  It's helping them grow as human beings, knowing their learning styles and learning challenges.  It's keeping them safe both physically and emotionally.  It's keeping up with all the changes in education and technologly.  It's trying to find new ways to reach them while keeping up with test score madness. 

For most people the work day starts and stops at a certain time. For teachers, the work day begins in late August/early September and ends in May/June.  Because we've got those kids on our minds the whole way through.  We can't walk away from the job mentally until that last grade book whether physical or online is handed in.  And then we can have the time off that others experience on the weekends year round.

Of course, many jobs have gotten trickier these days with the constant intrusion of technology. But the classroom teacher is always thinking, always prepping or correcting or logging in data until that last day comes.

Let's give our teachers the respect they deserve for the valuable job they provide for our kids, our communities, our county. It's a tough job that most people would not be able to do well.