I am a teacher.

I cannot speak for every single teacher because I know that there are lazy people just as in ANY profession.

But too many people discredit the whole for some of the parts.

I am a teacher...
And it's so much more than a job...
It's a calling.

I hear things in class about your family that would turn you 5 shades of red if you knew they told...but I just laugh because it's good to know everyone is human.

I answer the hard questions that I don't have answers to...like "do you think my daddy's ever coming home?"

I teach the art of thinking. Think about that one.

I have a Bachelor's Degree in education from Texas A&M University.  Teaching was not my "back-up plan."

I shelter a child from the laughter and questions of their classmates after they've accidentally wet their pants.

I come up with ways to keep a child awake and attentive when they have no bedtime.

I am the mediator in every dispute.

I play disciplinarian when parents do not...all while trying to maintain order in a classroom.

I teach 20 different students on 20 different levels of understanding, so that each one will feel successful in their own way.

I answer to parents who arrive at conference in their pajamas and have rescheduled 5 times, but think I'm not doing my job correctly.

I influence character. My eyes, ears, and heart are always listening and watching.

I am a role model. Your child spends more time with me each day during the school year than with you.

I am a safe shelter.

I supervise and assist in the rebuilding of the Titanic and Oregon Trail wagons, so your child can be a historian too.

I could be sued and lose my teaching license if someone irrational decides that a crying child can't be hugged, or success doesn't deserve a pat on the back.

I explain finances to children...how to manage money whether they are in need or have plenty.

I am a world tour guide, even though they may never actually leave our city limits.

I am a nurse. Bandaids are gold, and I can only pray nothing worse than an upset stomach ever happens to one of my students because I love them.

I have shed many tears in just two years over the stories of students, or of having tried a million ways to help a student understand something.

I make the call about whether those bruises actually came from a bicycle accident or not. 

I watch and assist in 50 attempts and then rejoice in the trill of success.

I spend hundreds of dollars from my meager paycheck each year, so that my students will have hands on activities and authentic experiences. 

I find the answer to every why question...so that they never stop asking why.

I teach social interaction because video games can't.

I purchase snacks for the child who, after leaving school, won't eat again until they return tomorrow.

I manage your little league, dance, and sports camp forms, but I can't even get homework returned.

I motivate students to keep learning and stay in school, so they can be the first generation in their family to make it to college.

I attend all day workshops during the summer, when I'm not lesson planning and researching.

My day is never monotonous or repetitive.  I don't get to be sick or sad because I must be at the top of my game every single day.

Heaven forbid anything every happens, but I will take a bullet, a hit, or jump in front of a car for your child.

I am an entertainer because at some sad point, parents stopped asking "what did you learn today?" and started asking "did you have fun today?"

I calm the anxieties of children over a state test that doesn't accurately test their abilities.

I am a community service advocate because we can't produce a generation that doesn't give back.

I don't reinvent the wheel, but must invent 100 different ways to explain it...sometimes in the middle of the day in front of 20 students. 

I am at the mercy of a government that no longer believes education is a priority.  I don't want more salary, I want better for my students.

I work (prepare yourselves) year round. I would LOVE to teach year round. I teach from 7:30-3:30 August though May. I stay at still until 4:30 at least...sometimes 6:30. Then, I go home to a stack of assessments to check to monitor understanding and lesson plans for the following day. In the summer, I attend workshops, tutor, read books on teaching, lesson plan, and prepare materials. If I only worked 7:30-3:30, your child's papers would never be graded; they would never have learning activities; they would never get after school tutoring; they would never have modified instructional assignments.

No, I sure don't deserve the pay of a CEO, but that CEO had teachers too.  And whether you admit it or not, your teachers impacted your lives in a way very, very few people have or can. 

So don't increase my pay...
I don't need your praise or thanks...
I don't need gifts and notes...
But I deserve respect. 

I am a teacher.