As Teacher Appreciation week wraps up, I’ve wanted to
write something up to show appreciation to the teachers of Minneota High
School. All week, I’ve struggled to start this because it’s hard to put
into words how much teachers mean to me personally and professionally.
As a high school student, I was drawn to the
teachers that spent time connecting with me and actually showed that they cared
about me as a person. The teacher that asked me how the game went the
night before, the teacher that would joke back and forth with me, and even the
teacher that would challenge me to work harder or to make better decisions was
the teacher I wanted to be around. I had a business teacher who helped
“keep me on the right path” my junior year in high school. She was able to provide guidance that even my
parents weren’t able to provide at the time.
I’m not sure where I’d be today if I didn’t have that teacher “invest”
in a relationship with me.
I became a teacher because I wanted to make a
positive impact on students. I wanted to make a difference for a child
much like a teacher made a difference in my life. I enjoyed twelve years
in the classroom as a teacher. Looking back on that part of my career, I
remember my co-workers and the students I connected with not the individual
lessons I taught. Those don’t stick out to me, but I do remember
thinking, this profession is changing, and it’s changing quickly.
Six years later, there is a nation-wide teacher
shortage. Here in Minneota, we finally feel that pain. We have no applicants for an open English
position and no applicants for high school counselor. We are three weeks
from the summer of 2019, and for the first time in my tenure, we may enter the
summer with unfilled positions. I can
remember when I was doing my admin internship sorting through 40+ applicants
for an open social studies position. Those days are gone.
Why is there a nation-wide shortage? I
believe It’s hard to be a teacher in 2019. Students are addicted to their
phones and many forms of social media, making them harder to entertain/engage
in a lesson. For many reasons, student apathy is very strong. Did you know that we have 46 students in
grades 7-12 who are on our academic ineligibility list? We offer ICU for
grades 7-9, re-takes on most assessments, and have an aggressive academic
policy that formally checks grades every three weeks and still, for those
students...apathy is winning. There are many other factors making this
profession harder than ever before, but I won’t get into those because I want this to be about hard-working teachers and the challenges they face.
I salute our teachers of Minneota High and all
teachers who are doing it well for this generation of students. As a
parent, when is the last time you’ve said “thank you” to your child’s
teacher? If you have a child in
elementary school, have you ever realized that there is a good chance that your
child’s teacher probably spends more hours (awake and interacting) of the day
with your child than you do? It’s crazy to think, but in many cases, it’s
a fact! Parenting is the undisputed #1
job in terms of shaping a child’s life.
However, teachers own the #1A spot in terms of shaping a child’s life. Teachers play such an important role in a child’s
life, and yet they are quick to get blasted in an e-mail and rarely given a
sincere “thank you” for the good work they do! Parents, consider taking
some time to “thank” a teacher for not only providing your child a quality
education but for providing mentoring, friendship, and even parenting here at
school.
Teachers of Minneota High; you are consistently
meeting and exceeding the high expectations set forth by your administration
and school board! Many of you are revolutionizing the way you teach to
offer a better, more modern lesson for our students. Many of you spend your own money on things
for your classroom for other people’s children. Many of you lie awake at
night worrying about your students. Many
of you give your best patience to your students vs. your own children at
home. Some of you are going back to
college to get a master’s degree so that you can offer more college classes for
our students. I know that teachers, in general, are underpaid and
underappreciated by society. I know that the profession seems to
be getting harder each year. I also know that you are making an
impact on students. Your guidance, your advice, and your mentoring IS
having an impact! You are already elite and yet you strive to be better still, for your students! I’m proud to be your
principal, and I’m proud that my daughter gets to be shaped and impacted by
professionals like you!
Parents, please THANK a teacher, thank them all
for it’s a hard job and an extremely important one!
