Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Show Your Appreciation, But for What?

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. 



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