Teachers: Real world rock stars

via GIPHY As we head fresh-faced with energy abounding into another new school year, I can’t help but think about the people who make up the other half of our equation during these nine months of the year. The Teachers. I would argue that they are part of a special group that classify as real world Rock Stars. It’s not just the job they do, but there are other aspects of their status that one could argue are rather rock star-esque. Follow my thinking here:

• As the weeks dwindle to days in preparing to head back to school, the buzz is all about Who’s Who in the classroom. “Who’d you get for a teacher?” is the most commonly asked question with squeals of excitement over how fabulous that teacher is.
• Key moments in the school year have teachers being bombarded with paparazzi levels of photography with their adoring “fans,” a.k.a. students.
• Chance encounters - When they’re encountered outside the halls of the school building, forget about it! It’s legit like seeing a rock star out and about. When my girl spots a teacher or aide in the great wide world there’s a gasp, an arm grab, and a “Mom!! Look it’s Ms. _____!!” Followed by, deliberating over whether or not she should approach and go in for a hug.
• It is the be all end all for kids to get tidbits of insight and information about their teachers’ lives outside the walls of their classroom. If there was a People magazine for teachers, the kids would definitely be subscribers. Better yet let's call it our very own (less dysfunctional) version of Behind the Music!

Straight up, teachers are rock stars. They are a grossly underappreciated bunch, and the job they do…It’s certainly not the easiest of peasiest jobs. As our kids' parents we have three straight months of our offspring and then we hand them off for a huge chunk of the day for nine months. (However giddy or tear-filled that hand-off may be). Over the course of the five years my girl has been in school, I’ve spent a handful of actual full days – sometimes just a half day – in her various classrooms. It’s exhausting. And I never had to do any of the planning or coordinating! Seriously, teachers deserve this elevated status, they play such a huge role in our children’s lives, and I don’t think it diminishes as the kids get older. Teachers share their knowledge, heart; they are our children’s cheerleaders when we are not there. They are creative, passionate, adaptable, patient, tough when they need to be...so very many things, thank you teachers! Wishing you a most fantastical school year, may your students be sparkling sponges of learning readiness! (Yes, I’ve used that somewhere else, but the sentiment still stands).