Over the course of my long and eventful life, I have learned and forgotten many things. But one thing that has stuck with me is the name of each and every teacher I ever had. These were the women and men who propelled me forward, who opened vistas and dared a kid from a working-class family to dream big. I was the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college. I never would have gotten that far without the teachers along the way who helped me build a ladder for personal and intellectual growth.
Mr. Rather, Education is the greatest human resource. I am a retired school psychologist and along with other educators have launched a non-profit to transform the classroom and boost academic achievement and emotional well being. We are applying 40+ years of science that shows when we look at trees or images of trees it calms us, helps us focus and engage. We accomplish this by installing ceiling mural of trees in classrooms. When you walk in to a classroom it feels like you're sitting under a tree. Tree ceiling murals are installed in six school districts in California and Colorado, and it's working as the science predicts. We have teamed up with the University of Oregon and Dr. Richard Taylor to measure the results of the tree murals in classrooms. Would you consider looking over our project at natureintheclassroom.org, and helping give visibility to our fundraiser to transform the classroom. We have plenty of anecdotal stories from teachers and kids showing the trees at work. The best one is from a kindergartner when I asked her what she liked about having a tree in her ceiling. She was sitting on her calves, straightened up, flicked her hair back and says to me, "It calms me up". Thank You, Ernesto
Thank you so much for your tribute and kind words. I am a retired Spanish and English teacher with 30 years in the profession. Teachers infrequently receive such wonderful praise and gratitude, but it is most definitely appreciated. Teaching is a difficult task with many rewards, despite the myriad difficulties and huge investment of time. I have to admit to being pleased to be a retired teacher during this most difficult year, but I tip my hat to all of my colleagues who have so graciously accepted the challenges this year and who have performed miracles.
Thank you!!! So many have questioned if teachers have done ANY work this year, but it has been THE hardest year in over 15 years for me. I deeply appreciate your gratitude. :)
I love this commentary on your experience at Love Elementary School. And I appreciate YOUR appreciation of the teachers and principal who graced your education. Like others here, I, too, am a retired teacher; I taught most grades from 1st to 12th, and my primary focus was junior high school. I loved those kids who had one foot in adulthood and one stilll in childhood. Thank you, Mr. Rather, for bringing to the fore my memories of teaching.
I never taught in grades K-12, but I did teach at the local community college, and it was a challenge at times, but I enjoyed it. I volunteered at a local elementary school to help students who were struggling to read. I had great respect for the teacher that I was working with, because she was very patient, even though some of the students could be challenging. My biggest test was teaching a college-level class to a group of profoundly gifted students, ranging in age from 14-17. Now, those kids were a challenge because they were so darned smart! I had to be one step ahead of them at all times!
Where I live, teachers were heralded as heroes shortly after the pandemic shut down the world last year. Too quickly, educators were forgotten as such and even vilified when schools remain closed as many other professions returned to work. I’m a 30-year public educator, and I’d like nothing more than to see my students face-to-face. My district just returned to in-person teaching and learning within the month, with about 50% of my school’s students choosing to return. I miss them, the high fives, hugs, the thrill on their faces when they “get it!” My school principal has cheered us on during Teacher Appreciation Week, but few else have, so thank you for this thoughtful, grateful piece. It means a great deal to us educators to be remembered by our students—I can only imagine how proud yours were.
I am a retired middle school English teacher and with the miracle of the internet, I have reconnected with many of my former students. It has been a blessing to hear their memories and their personal successes. Teachers rarely know what their impact is on the children they teach. I so admire the current teachers who have continued to dedicate devotion of learning and the love of children through these difficult times. They have learned to adjust, to master new techniques, to juggle their own personal responsibilities while serving the children. Teachers are under appreciated in this country for the hours of their dedication and their commitment to make a difference in children's lives. I loved my career and have passed the candle to the next generation. I am proud of what they continue to provide. And thank you Dan Rather for your fond and meaningful memories of Ms. Simmons who touched your life. We so seldom know that that we have made a difference.
As so many have written this post stirred my own memories of teachers. Once in 7th grade when I was about to be inducted into the honor society, my English teacher told me to invite my parents the ceremony. I explained that they were divorced and my did was not present in my life. I have no memory of what I said to her but I will never forget her words to me. She told me "you are 12 going on 40 and you don't have to be. Be gentle with yourself and try just being 12 for now there is plenty of time to be grown up later." While that may seem like a strange thing to say to a child it is hard to express how that resonated and stayed with me at a time I needed permission to just be 12.
Like many of your posts Dan, as I continued to process what you wrote I moved beyond those fond memories to the other important point you raise that doesn't get talked about nearly enough and that is the chronic lack of support and resources for these heroes. How many of us know teachers who have to personally pay for supplies to support their students? Who can't afford decent housing because we pay paltry salaries to individuals who are responsible for ensuring a future full of educated, caring adults? Who have, over the years as we fail to deal with other societal issues, had to learn to deal with bullying, signs of abuse and neglect, childhood trauma, food insecurity and more? Paying them a meager salary to teach is bad enough, expecting them to be social workers also is asking too much of these heroes. They deserve better. If we want a future generation nurtured the way you were Dan, who go on to become caring, competent adults, who can parse truth from lies, be educated on all aspects of our history and contribute to society in positive ways, then collectively we owe it to educators and students (and honestly society as a whole) to advocate on their behalf.
I taught middle school math over the course of forty years, both full time and as a substitute after retirement. It always struck me as what luck I had teaching in a small rural upstate New York village where I could be given the opportunities to work with and engage kids in all kinds of ways to strive for their best, be it in-class to extracurriculars; and also work closely with some awesome colleagues. What luck to be able to do that every day!! It wasn't all easy, mind you, but overall for me, it was the best job in the world.
Beautiful. I used it to express my appreciation to my nephew and favorite teacher who does what you admire in a Minneapolis school building and virtually every day.
I cannot tell you how much your writing about teachers touches me. I retired after teaching English for 30 years in a public high school in southwest Ohio. I loved my job. I am still in touch with some colleagues with whom I worked and with many students that I taught over those 30 years. Teaching is the best, hardest, most frustrating, and most rewarding job in the world. I am so blessed to have worked in a profession I loved. Thanks for a concrete reminder.
This made me misty eyed. I sit here remembering my first grade teacher and her gentle kindness toward a terribly abused, frightened child. She was the first person who made me think I might not be the waste of space I was told I was every single day at home. She made me feel something that I did not know what it was until I was older - she made me feel like I mattered to her. One day she asked each of us what we liked about school and she patiently waited while I squirmed, incredibly frightened at needing to speak up around other people. I managed to choke out that I liked to read and to take spelling tests. I ducked my head and waited on her to berate and mock me but instead she smiled and handed me a book she said I might like. I almost burst into tears at such acceptance and kindness.
Those tiny sparks of light were everything to me. I thought of her on my first day of college, each time I made the Dean’s List, as I stood in the door of a C-130 preparing to make my first jump during jump school; during each first that I have accomplished in life I remember her kindness and encouragement. I was able to thank her before I left for the military many years ago but I so wish she were still here so I could thank her again.
Mr. Rather, Education is the greatest human resource. I am a retired school psychologist and along with other educators have launched a non-profit to transform the classroom and boost academic achievement and emotional well being. We are applying 40+ years of science that shows when we look at trees or images of trees it calms us, helps us focus and engage. We accomplish this by installing ceiling mural of trees in classrooms. When you walk in to a classroom it feels like you're sitting under a tree. Tree ceiling murals are installed in six school districts in California and Colorado, and it's working as the science predicts. We have teamed up with the University of Oregon and Dr. Richard Taylor to measure the results of the tree murals in classrooms. Would you consider looking over our project at natureintheclassroom.org, and helping give visibility to our fundraiser to transform the classroom. We have plenty of anecdotal stories from teachers and kids showing the trees at work. The best one is from a kindergartner when I asked her what she liked about having a tree in her ceiling. She was sitting on her calves, straightened up, flicked her hair back and says to me, "It calms me up". Thank You, Ernesto
Thank you so much for your tribute and kind words. I am a retired Spanish and English teacher with 30 years in the profession. Teachers infrequently receive such wonderful praise and gratitude, but it is most definitely appreciated. Teaching is a difficult task with many rewards, despite the myriad difficulties and huge investment of time. I have to admit to being pleased to be a retired teacher during this most difficult year, but I tip my hat to all of my colleagues who have so graciously accepted the challenges this year and who have performed miracles.
Thank you!!! So many have questioned if teachers have done ANY work this year, but it has been THE hardest year in over 15 years for me. I deeply appreciate your gratitude. :)
As a SPED teacher, I want to Thank You for this beautiful piece. Very lovely.
This essay brought a tear to my eye. Schools are harbingers of hope, love, and everything that makes a society good, and frustrating.
I love this commentary on your experience at Love Elementary School. And I appreciate YOUR appreciation of the teachers and principal who graced your education. Like others here, I, too, am a retired teacher; I taught most grades from 1st to 12th, and my primary focus was junior high school. I loved those kids who had one foot in adulthood and one stilll in childhood. Thank you, Mr. Rather, for bringing to the fore my memories of teaching.
I never taught in grades K-12, but I did teach at the local community college, and it was a challenge at times, but I enjoyed it. I volunteered at a local elementary school to help students who were struggling to read. I had great respect for the teacher that I was working with, because she was very patient, even though some of the students could be challenging. My biggest test was teaching a college-level class to a group of profoundly gifted students, ranging in age from 14-17. Now, those kids were a challenge because they were so darned smart! I had to be one step ahead of them at all times!
Where I live, teachers were heralded as heroes shortly after the pandemic shut down the world last year. Too quickly, educators were forgotten as such and even vilified when schools remain closed as many other professions returned to work. I’m a 30-year public educator, and I’d like nothing more than to see my students face-to-face. My district just returned to in-person teaching and learning within the month, with about 50% of my school’s students choosing to return. I miss them, the high fives, hugs, the thrill on their faces when they “get it!” My school principal has cheered us on during Teacher Appreciation Week, but few else have, so thank you for this thoughtful, grateful piece. It means a great deal to us educators to be remembered by our students—I can only imagine how proud yours were.
I am a retired middle school English teacher and with the miracle of the internet, I have reconnected with many of my former students. It has been a blessing to hear their memories and their personal successes. Teachers rarely know what their impact is on the children they teach. I so admire the current teachers who have continued to dedicate devotion of learning and the love of children through these difficult times. They have learned to adjust, to master new techniques, to juggle their own personal responsibilities while serving the children. Teachers are under appreciated in this country for the hours of their dedication and their commitment to make a difference in children's lives. I loved my career and have passed the candle to the next generation. I am proud of what they continue to provide. And thank you Dan Rather for your fond and meaningful memories of Ms. Simmons who touched your life. We so seldom know that that we have made a difference.
As so many have written this post stirred my own memories of teachers. Once in 7th grade when I was about to be inducted into the honor society, my English teacher told me to invite my parents the ceremony. I explained that they were divorced and my did was not present in my life. I have no memory of what I said to her but I will never forget her words to me. She told me "you are 12 going on 40 and you don't have to be. Be gentle with yourself and try just being 12 for now there is plenty of time to be grown up later." While that may seem like a strange thing to say to a child it is hard to express how that resonated and stayed with me at a time I needed permission to just be 12.
Like many of your posts Dan, as I continued to process what you wrote I moved beyond those fond memories to the other important point you raise that doesn't get talked about nearly enough and that is the chronic lack of support and resources for these heroes. How many of us know teachers who have to personally pay for supplies to support their students? Who can't afford decent housing because we pay paltry salaries to individuals who are responsible for ensuring a future full of educated, caring adults? Who have, over the years as we fail to deal with other societal issues, had to learn to deal with bullying, signs of abuse and neglect, childhood trauma, food insecurity and more? Paying them a meager salary to teach is bad enough, expecting them to be social workers also is asking too much of these heroes. They deserve better. If we want a future generation nurtured the way you were Dan, who go on to become caring, competent adults, who can parse truth from lies, be educated on all aspects of our history and contribute to society in positive ways, then collectively we owe it to educators and students (and honestly society as a whole) to advocate on their behalf.
This essay warmed my heart. I am a retired educator. Thank you!
I taught middle school math over the course of forty years, both full time and as a substitute after retirement. It always struck me as what luck I had teaching in a small rural upstate New York village where I could be given the opportunities to work with and engage kids in all kinds of ways to strive for their best, be it in-class to extracurriculars; and also work closely with some awesome colleagues. What luck to be able to do that every day!! It wasn't all easy, mind you, but overall for me, it was the best job in the world.
Beautiful. I used it to express my appreciation to my nephew and favorite teacher who does what you admire in a Minneapolis school building and virtually every day.
I cannot tell you how much your writing about teachers touches me. I retired after teaching English for 30 years in a public high school in southwest Ohio. I loved my job. I am still in touch with some colleagues with whom I worked and with many students that I taught over those 30 years. Teaching is the best, hardest, most frustrating, and most rewarding job in the world. I am so blessed to have worked in a profession I loved. Thanks for a concrete reminder.
This is so beautiful. Your touching tribute to your elementary school and principal was wonderful.
This made me misty eyed. I sit here remembering my first grade teacher and her gentle kindness toward a terribly abused, frightened child. She was the first person who made me think I might not be the waste of space I was told I was every single day at home. She made me feel something that I did not know what it was until I was older - she made me feel like I mattered to her. One day she asked each of us what we liked about school and she patiently waited while I squirmed, incredibly frightened at needing to speak up around other people. I managed to choke out that I liked to read and to take spelling tests. I ducked my head and waited on her to berate and mock me but instead she smiled and handed me a book she said I might like. I almost burst into tears at such acceptance and kindness.
Those tiny sparks of light were everything to me. I thought of her on my first day of college, each time I made the Dean’s List, as I stood in the door of a C-130 preparing to make my first jump during jump school; during each first that I have accomplished in life I remember her kindness and encouragement. I was able to thank her before I left for the military many years ago but I so wish she were still here so I could thank her again.