Teachers

   I spent the morning helping out Riley's class. They were having a science demonstration and needed some volunteers. Every time I walk into a classroom I am blown away but the amount of work a teacher does. Every single day.

  School is not like you remember it. Nor should it be. Every few years the system gets an over haul. Times change and our education system needs to keep up. The one thing that never changes is the teachers influence. And trust me, you should be glad of it.

  Take an average grade three class. Twenty one students. All eight or nine years old. One teacher. No EA's...education assistants. Commonly there is at least one child with either a learning disability or behavioral challenges. One teacher. One or two students are behind in reading while the same amount are struggling in math. Again only one teacher.

  The scene looks like something Picasso created. Many different colors, textures and situations all going on at once. At first glance it's chaos but when you take a few minutes to really study it, you see the chaos is controlled after all.....at least that's how I see both Picasso's art and the modern classroom.

  Every child is different. And teachers must teach all of them. They must make time to help Susie with her spelling while helping Andy with science and keeping Jimmy from eating the paste! Talk about multi-tasking.

  On top of everything else they are front line care givers. Making sure bruises or broken bones are from falling off a bike and not something more sinister. Reassuring children whose parents are getting divorced that they are still loved by everyone. Feeding those kids who don't have enough lunch. It's not a one dimensional job.

  And as if all that wasn't over whelming enough, they have to deal with parents. Adults who believe their children are perfect. Who are convinced that while a child's successes are their own, their failures fall squarely on the shoulders of the teacher.

  Next time you hear someone say, or you say, that teachers are only in it for the summers off and Christmas holiday, ask these questions. Could I do it? Every day? Without losing my mind? Not shouting at the kids? Giving them the tools for success? By the time you get to question three you already know you couldn't.

  Just like police officers, fire fighters and nurses, teaching is a calling. And it usually calls the best.

  Ang