Got A Teacher Who Made A Difference In Your Life? Reach Out And Let Them Know

 I got this email yesterday morning:

Dr. A:

It's been many years since we last connected.  My last memory was the day in your office (Spring 2002 perhaps) when you suggested I apply for the Presidential Management Internship program.  You took time that day to complete the faculty portion of the application as it had to be postmarked by midnight.  It's amazing how a seemingly small moment can have such a dramatic impact on one's life. I have worked for the Federal Government for much the time since and have had a successful career that has allowed me to grow in ways I would have never imagined. 

Thank you.  

Teaching is such an important job, whether it's primary school or graduate school.  You have the chance to change people's lives.  Whether it's helping them believe in themselves, giving them the tools to think critically, helping them understand how some aspect of the world works, or supporting them to take the next steps of their lives.  

And while a good teacher works hard to prepare a lesson and how to present it, you never know what random comment or action will have the most impact.  A number of times students have told me how something I said really made a difference.  And usually it was something off the cuff, not a part of the prepared lesson that clicked for that student.  

This email comes 20 years later!  I've often argued that student teacher evals should be done five or more years after the class, when the student has had time to process what actually took place and can more objectively assess a class and teacher.  I've had several cases where students have told me that the first few classes they thought I was too demanding, expecting too much of them, and that it was only after a year or more that they finally realized what I was up to and suddenly it all made sense.  

Teachers' pay in money these days is paltry compared to the education required for the job, the time and effort good teachers put in.  Teachers' real pay is psychic, the knowledge they've made a difference.  So pay up and let your teachers know.

Think about a teacher who made a positive  difference in your life.  I know that all of you can think of at least one or two such people without any effort.  Look them up, find their contact info and tell them.  Do it now.  

And support schools and teachers who are under attack from the anti-Woke mob who are afraid of letting students search for truth, who are afraid of anyone who believes things that expose their own hypocrisy.  

It's important to know that the Right has been crusading to move public tax money from public schools to private school for a long time.  All the attacks on school budgets, curriculum, teachers, LGBTQ+ content and kids, they're all aimed at making public schools so bad that voters agree to fund private schools with public money.  If you haven't read this Washington Post story, you should.  

And it's why letting teachers know that you value their work is critical, so they don't simply quit, but rather hang in there until we get past these attacks and reestablish the importance of public education.  If the teachers are driven away, we'll lose this fight.