I hesitate to start like this because I know how easily it could be interpreted as complaining, but I really think Teacher Appreciation Day is a bit of a joke. Can it be said that true appreciation exists if there needs to be a national reminder to express it? There are absolutely people out there who see Teacher Appreciation Day as having equal importance to things like Dance Like a Chicken Day, or Burrito Day, or Public Sleeping Day. There are also absolutely people out there who are baffled how teachers need a special day to be recognized for their efforts. After all, aren't those teachers and their unions and their summers off some of the main reasons our society is slowly crumbling into dust?
It’s totally true that, in my role as a teacher, I spend about 99.543% of the time feeling completely unappreciated. Generally I’m fine with this. As long as my paychecks continue to clear, I’m good. I’m fine with not receiving basketfuls of well-intended yet perfectly perfunctory Pinterest platitudes (I’m not really that bitter; that’s just a quick Teacher Appreciation shout-out to people who enjoy alliteration and yet also know how much I truly detest it). Nearly any teacher appreciation gift reminds me too much of a student I had just a couple of years ago, who came up to my desk on the last day before winter break, set down a wrapped present and said “My mom wanted me to give you this,” then turned and walked away without another word, his responsibilities having been fulfilled.
The simple truth of it is that (if I can be allowed a high-horse moment) the only people in our society who have any true understanding of exactly how hard of a job teaching is are the teachers themselves. It’s a lot like trying to play Whack-a-Mole on a giant rotating Rubik’s cube with salt water in your eyes and an ever-increasing crowd watching and waiting for you to miss. But, generally, I’m fine with this. Since there’s nothing I can do to change this perception, it’s easier to just accept it as the way things are. Of course there are several moments when I’m much less nonchalant and much more frustrated about it all, and this frustration can absolutely be a contributing factor to the burn out that so many teachers — including me — are at the risk of facing. But this is okay. Because there are always moments of true appreciation that come along, and they tend to make everything worthwhile.
Today my total haul for Teacher Appreciation Day was one handmade notebook paper card, from a girl in my afternoon class who had a few of her friends sign it. But she chose to take the time to do this (even if I’m pretty sure part of the reason she made the card is because she just can't stop drawing). There was also a card I received years ago, that had some gift card tucked inside of it but included a simple message that stuck with me: “Thank you for taking care of our daughter.” There was another card from parents thanking me for bringing their daughter out of her shell. Her mother had talked to me at Open House, specifically concerned that her daughter was so quiet and so easy for teachers to overlook, and she didn't want to see that happen. I made it my mission to be sure it didn't, and she was a different person by the end of 5th grade.
I’ll also admit it’s nice to see former students working their ways into the coming generations of teaching ranks, and knowing that I had some kind impact on them when they were mine, whether it’s because they still remember the books I had read to them in class, or stay in touch after more than a decade later, or because someday I might get a message like this out of nowhere from one of them:
“I can’t remember if I told you this, but appreciation has become exceedingly clear the more I teach, due to its extreme absence. I just wanted to tell you that you are the reason I became a teacher. You taught me to love reading and writing, even at such a young age. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’re an amazing teacher, and I’ll always cite you as the reason for my passion and profession.”
Seriously. I got the message one day. Trust me, a sentiment like that offered genuinely is worth more than 5,000 apple-shaped pads of sticky notes.
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