Overworked, under paid and stymied by politicians and administrators, teachers continue their labor of love against all odds. Each August finds them rebuilding their classroom, making it an environment rich in knowledge and pleasing to the eye. Each weekend throughout the school year, they spend their own money on poverty-stricken students and classroom materials not provided by the school district. Summer after summer, teachers seek part-time employment to supplement their modest income as they listen once again to the painfully untrue adage of how they only work 9 months out of the year. If they only knew...

Teachers touch the lives of thousands throughout their careers, teaching not only reading, writing and arithmetic, but trying to build solid citizens capable of handling themselves socially, emotionally and professionally. With too little learning or discipline occurring at home, teachers are often faced with violent criminals, needy outcasts, prima donnas and the walking wounded, regardless of the grade level they teach.

In spite of rigid curriculum and petty administrative demands, teachers work hard every day to provide the individualized instruction required by each and every student. Students often arrive in the classroom unprepared to control themselves, inadequately or improperly fed and without the emotional or academic support they should be receiving at home. As any observant parent knows, every child is different. What works for one may be counterproductive or even disastrous for another. Focused more on measurable, standardized results, school administrators care more for their own professional standing than the realistic academic needs of the students, ignoring the knowledgeable input of the teachers.

The teaching profession requires a college education and yet, when the time involved with creating lesson plans, correcting papers and exams and thinking of ways to reach out to students is factored in, most teachers earn less than minimum wage. The demands on teachers' time are far more than most people realize. Teachers are required to take trainings in such absurd skills as how to "deflect hugs from kindergartners" and how to sweet talk violent students into behaving when those students actually need and would benefit from reasonable and effective punishments.

All too often, teachers know their students far better than the students' own parents. Teachers are skilled professionals who care deeply for the well-being and accomplishments of their charges and who have the skills to bring out the best in the youth of our nation. Unfortunately, they are treated so poorly and hindered so frequently that they often break down and give up, leaving the profession they love for something less heart-breaking and better paying.

Teaching is a labor of love. Teachers put their heart and soul into providing a loving, welcoming and challenging learning environment for their students. Perhaps it is time for school official and private citizens to start giving teachers their due: a significant pay increase, the freedom to work with students in ways that they know will be successful and the recognition they have long deserved.

Learn more about this author, Kate Johnson.
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