It
seems that there is a day designated to "appreciate" every profession
that exists; Administrative Assistants Day, Boss's Day, Nurse's Day, the list
goes on and on. Last week in schools around the country we celebrated Teacher
Appreciation Day. This day is a welcome event to teachers who work tirelessly
every day in what is arguably the most under appreciated profession.
On
Teacher Appreciation Day you will find most every teacher's lounge in the land
filled with goodies, principals walking through halls handing out gifts, and
students bringing in cards and fists full of flowers they've picked themselves.
(Sorry neighbors!) So what's the point in all of this? To appreciate our teacher for the work we do. It's not about being appreciated for
the lessons we craft or the projects we grade. Rather it's about being
appreciated for the people we are helping to develop. Teachers are responsible
for molding minds, inspiring a love of learning, and teaching our students to
be thinkers and problem solvers. By doing these things, teachers help to shape
the adults our students will become. I think that we can all agree that a gift
card to Applebee's is not near enough to show our teachers exactly how thankful
we are for their service, but as parents that's exactly what we attach to the
homemade card that our kids make to proudly hand over on Teacher Appreciation Day. More
important than the dollar amount on the gift card are sweet sentiments that are
printed on the card from the student. So this year when my daughter Zoe printed
these words on the teacher appreciation card for her third grade teacher (who
she adores), my heart broke.
"Thank you for helping me pass IREAD and ISTEP? I love
you."
While these are very important factors in the educational life of
a third grader, are they what a teacher wants her students to appreciate about
her? Don't get me wrong; I am not saying that this is in any way the
fault of the teacher. She has loved and encouraged my daughter this entire
school year, making Zoe love going to school each day. I am simply questioning an educational system that obviously puts more importance on standardized
tests than developing learners.
If you'd ask me what I remember or appreciate about my elementary
teachers, I can guarantee it would have nothing to do with standardized tests. Rather,
I remember that Mrs. Harold, my kindergarten teacher, taught me to tie my
shoes. Guess what? I still use that skill. I remember that Mrs. Marquell, my
second grade teacher, came to school every day dressed to the hilt, complete
with matching heels and handbags. Based on my professional wardrobe I'm
confident I learned something from being with her for 180 days. I remember Mr.
Christopher embraced my bossiness and encouraged me to be a leader in a
classroom full of fifth grade boys. That is definitely a skill that I use
every day in my male dominated tech world. Obviously I know that academics were a major part of my elementary school experience, yet I don't remember the standards that each of my teachers taught me. Still, more than 27 years later, I'm recognizing and appreciating what I learned from these great educators. If you'd ask me about my success on standardized tests, I'd have no idea how I scored on
the Iowa Test of Basic Skills that Indiana students took in elementary school in my day. I can only assume I passed, but I couldn't guarantee it ;).
As Teacher Appreciation Day has passed us this year, we should take
time to reflect on what our students "appreciate" about us and consider
if these things reflect the type of impact we hope to have on them. As teachers
are more powerful than any test score. I know my teachers were.
