TEACHERS.........an appreciation thread!!

GreenTeaDisease wrote:

well to be fair, there are a TON of SHIT teachers in the world. hell, I think I had 80% of them personally. but I think as the older ones who just went into it because it's a union job with summers off are starting to retire out and people like your friend and some of my friends are becoming more of the norm- dedicated teachers who know their subjects and aren't lazy.

i'm sure there are, but the ones i know personally aren't like that.

GreenTeaDisease wrote:

well to be fair, there are a TON of SHIT teachers in the world. hell, I think I had 80% of them personally. but I think as the older ones who just went into it because it's a union job with summers off are starting to retire out and people like your friend and some of my friends are becoming more of the norm- dedicated teachers who know their subjects and aren't lazy.

To be fair, there are a ton of shit employees at any job. 80% is a ridiculous number. I'm kind of indifferent about my grade four teacher, but other than that, all of my elementary and middle school teachers were fantastic. I had a few not-so-great teachers in high school, but the majority were great teachers and a few of them were absolutely fantastic!

I'm a teacher, and some of the best elementary school teachers I have come across are the teachers who are close to retirement. Having said that, there are older teachers who have had a tough time making adjustments to all the changes in education. Also, children are a lot more difficult to manage nowadays than when they first started teaching. That, in itself, can be frustrating.

Honestly, if teachers didn't have summer holidays, they'd have nervous breakdowns. People really don't understand everything the job entails. It's very rewarding, but it's a lot of work. People tend to think that a teacher's day starts and ends with the bell. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I had a music teacher who appreciated the fact that I couldn't play any instruments and couldn't sing, so she just used to lend me cd's to listen to and she introduced me to a whole heap of great bands.

I also had a great English teacher called Miss Rae, who was this like old posh type lady, and I used to drive her fucking mad because I used to be a bit of a dick...handing in work late etc. But I guess I must have done something right because on my last day she gave me a hug and a card saying 'stay COOL.'

I had a history teacher who gave me full marks on an essay about marxism, which was nice of her.

I also had a history teacher who said I wouldn't amount to anything, so when I got an A in hisotry a level, i went and saw him and told him to go fuck himself lol.

PJPixie wrote:

I got this email this morning from one of my son's teachers:

"I just wanted to let you know what a great job you are doing with Max and all of the progress that he has made is thanks to all your hard work and commitment. Pat yourself on the back and as soon as I get an Occupational Therapy final draft report I can insert it into the IEP and send you a copy. Have a great day call me or email me if you have any questions."

That made me feel good.........despite all the calls I get from the principal on Max's decision making issues........

How nice!!! If more parents were like you, our education system here in CA would be SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!

and thanks for the compliment above :embarrassment:

(it takes so long to post today--I wonder why!!!! )

PJPixie wrote:

Awesome Post!!

thanks...and i think it's awesome how hands on you're with your son's education.

i remember my mom being really hands on when i was younger...it helped tremendously. when i was born, doctors told my parents that i'd be "slow" due to being born a couple months premature. my parents were always really supportive and pushed me to learn (w/out being crazy about it). with all of their help and w/ my teachers, i am now the only member of my family to graduate from college! take that stupid doctors...i'm smrt

Yeaaah!

Horray to all the great teachers I've had.

Super horray to Yield2PearlJam! Shes not exactly my classroom teacher, but I've learned a lot from here, none the less!

I love you babe, can't wait to help you decorate that classroom with yield sings and the grotesque precious moments ames posters

PJPixie wrote:

I want to show how much I appreciate TEACHERS out there!!
My son is 8 years old and a very bright kid in a social way, learning wise, he struggles.........he spent quite a lot of time in the hospital before the age of 3 years old and that has had an effect on how he learns now..........I'm told that all the time that was spent in the hospital is NON-LEARNING time and he is that far behind now in school.
He is in 2nd Grade and was struggling quite a bit. He is doing a bit better now, actually.......doing tons better. I just want to give a HUGE thanks to the teachers that have given him so much positive interaction and never ever give up on him........even when he's being a brat. I need to give a shout out to YEILD2PEARLJAM who is on the verge of getting her very own classroom and to all the teachers, who day in and day out, teach and help our kids in ways that we just can't. I can't thank you all enough!!

Share any stories here about great teachers from your past, or for your kids.....or just friends of yours. I can't wait to read about them!!

How did I miss this post! It must have been in between back to school night, the intervention suspension meeting, IEP 1, 2, and 3, and progress reports. You know, with all of these budget cuts in CA I have been thinking so hard about the choices ive made. I am working the hardest I have ever worked FOR FREE with the very large possibility that I will not have a job for the upcoming school year, yet i still love my job more than I thought I ever would. At this very moment I am on my computer trying to create a Powerpoint for tomorrow, and such is my life night after night. Everywhere I go I carry a traveling office with me complete with essays, laptop, rubrics, IEP's, and Advil.
During open house I had a student (who is totally awesome by the way. The kind of kid that is too cool for his age) whose father was very ill with liver cancer. Over the last weekend, the father passed away. A few days later at open house the mother came to be and said, " I just wanted to meet Steven's English teacher. He was so anxious to come back to school and talk to you about what was going on in our lives--I just wanted to meet you." The mother was on the verge of tears telling me that she still can not bring herself to talk to her son about his feelings and state of mind. This is all on a regular Thursday evening, and this is a situation not unalike what many teachers see on a day to day basis.
Even with all the budget cuts, and the constant blame for everyone's failure's, and the ridicule, and the lack of support, this still has to be one of the best jobs a human can have.

Thanks Tiff, I feel better!!
...and the best perk: summers off to go see Pearl Jam in NEW YORK!!