by Patrick Hurley

Created on: September 26, 2010   Last Updated: September 27, 2010

Do teachers give 100%?

From a career standpoint, yes. They have committed their lives to preparing future generations to lead our country.

From a full-time perspective, no. No employee can come in every single day and give an unblemished performance. We are only human.

Part time industrialists may accomplish that percentage. Like a construction worker 80 stories up on a skyscraper slowly inching along a narrow, steel beam knowing that one misstep could cost him his life. He is giving 100% every single second for good reason. It is called survival. It is the same with a tightrope walker working without a net or a race car driver who must concentrate fully on every turn as he speeds along at over 200 miles an hour.But,can teachers give 100% every single day at their jobs?

No. But, they make incredible efforts in a variety of ways.

From a labor standpoint, teachers are relentless. They work overtime getting their lesson  plans ready, grading and preparing tests and organizing class projects and evaluating their outcomes constantly at the expense of their family and personal time.

From a point of passion, teachers are in the top 5% of American workers who care about their job and the people they work with, especially their students. It takes a person with a deep soul to manage a group of young strangers every semester and use every skill they have to help these kids realize their potential. Even with the young person does not want to be motivated that day or ever.

From a point of diplomacy and psychology, a teacher has to be an expert in both areas as he or she deals with administrators, other teachers and parents. This is the hardest part of their job. They are constantly evaluated, criticized, gossiped about and misquoted as they go about the business of making everyone happy around them while they fend off the scrutiny and complaints from their superiors and unhappy parents who always think their son or daughter is an angel.

To further complicate a teacher's job the state departments of education require that students be taught the basics in class, primarily in English, math and social sciences. This restricts every teacher from spending their time on the subject matter they signed on to teach and forces them to follow state guidelines instead, dominating most of the class subject matter.

Yet, day after day, these school role models are up to the task ensuring quality education both in the areas of mandatory assignment and their preferred lesson plans as they overcome illness, personal family issues, ennui, burnout, stress and sometimes, exhaustion.

In that sense, let us ask the question again, "Do teachers give 100%?"

Compared to other employees in other full-time occupations and under all these qualifying circumstances the answer is...

Yes.

Three golden apples for our teachers.

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