The new year has begun
First day of school complete-check. Special dinner on the way- check. Everyone excited about the new year--jury may still be out!
My man just came home from his first day of a year that may just be one of the most difficult he has ever had in terms of his assignment. Job action complicates things. People are so divided about the issues and think, largely, that teachers just want a better salary. Far from it! They really want conditions that create an optimum learning environment.Teachers have the same amount of education as lawyers, yet they make less than a third of the salary. Nurses, with a bachelor's degree, make more. Trades folks, journeyed trades people, make more than teachers. RCMP make more than teachers, with a less than six month training! But, like I say, it is not really just about salary!
Students have so much expected of them. They head out into a world that expects them to have good grades in sciences, maths, language and a broad range of experiences. With parents who are working, single parent homes that are just barely hanging on, fractured nuclear families, there is just so much more expectation placed on teachers. They can not and should not be responsible for raising these kids to be useful citizens, yet more and more, they are being asked to do just that. We can not have well-rounded students without their family's input. Students must be good citizens at home first, taught respect and work ethics, common sense and values that will carry them through their adult years. Science and math can be learned, it is true, but these will not replace good values and character built from within the structure of a Godly home.
I am feeling a soap box moment coming on--OK, it is passing--but truly, we have so much to thank our teachers for. The hours spent outside of classroom time preparing lessons that will be understandable, learnable, manageable. Hours spent coaching, road trips out of pocket, the value of relationships built. I would really hope parents could say they spend 6 hours a day interacting with their own children. But it is not likely. So, we are asking teachers for much much more than simply classroom time. We need to value it and be grateful for all that they provide.
So tonight I am trying chicken cordon bleu for the first time. I know the teacher in my home will like it, the thought put into having a special meal for his first night of his new year. Rhubarb tarts and blackberry tarts are in the wings for dessert.
This one thing I know, teaching is truly a gifted calling. Very few who are teachers are truly gifted in this way, but when a person puts their heart and soul into their students, allowing themselves to be vulnerable for the sake of their students, it is a gift of a lifetime.
For the man in my home who is so gifted, I am truly grateful!
My man just came home from his first day of a year that may just be one of the most difficult he has ever had in terms of his assignment. Job action complicates things. People are so divided about the issues and think, largely, that teachers just want a better salary. Far from it! They really want conditions that create an optimum learning environment.Teachers have the same amount of education as lawyers, yet they make less than a third of the salary. Nurses, with a bachelor's degree, make more. Trades folks, journeyed trades people, make more than teachers. RCMP make more than teachers, with a less than six month training! But, like I say, it is not really just about salary!
Students have so much expected of them. They head out into a world that expects them to have good grades in sciences, maths, language and a broad range of experiences. With parents who are working, single parent homes that are just barely hanging on, fractured nuclear families, there is just so much more expectation placed on teachers. They can not and should not be responsible for raising these kids to be useful citizens, yet more and more, they are being asked to do just that. We can not have well-rounded students without their family's input. Students must be good citizens at home first, taught respect and work ethics, common sense and values that will carry them through their adult years. Science and math can be learned, it is true, but these will not replace good values and character built from within the structure of a Godly home.
I am feeling a soap box moment coming on--OK, it is passing--but truly, we have so much to thank our teachers for. The hours spent outside of classroom time preparing lessons that will be understandable, learnable, manageable. Hours spent coaching, road trips out of pocket, the value of relationships built. I would really hope parents could say they spend 6 hours a day interacting with their own children. But it is not likely. So, we are asking teachers for much much more than simply classroom time. We need to value it and be grateful for all that they provide.
So tonight I am trying chicken cordon bleu for the first time. I know the teacher in my home will like it, the thought put into having a special meal for his first night of his new year. Rhubarb tarts and blackberry tarts are in the wings for dessert.
This one thing I know, teaching is truly a gifted calling. Very few who are teachers are truly gifted in this way, but when a person puts their heart and soul into their students, allowing themselves to be vulnerable for the sake of their students, it is a gift of a lifetime.
For the man in my home who is so gifted, I am truly grateful!
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