I’ve been feeling compelled to write about teacher appreciation but didn’t know what to say. When I ideas did come, I told myself why they weren’t good ideas, but then this came to me.

Children are the world’s greatest gift. Teachers have the true blessing of teaching them.

Teaching is more than just teaching.

Saying good morning to children is more than just saying good morning. It’s letting children know they have a fresh start each and every morning. It’s giving them breakfast if they didn’t eat. It’s giving them a hug if they didn’t get one before they left home. It’s hearing about something great or not so great that happened in their lives the night before.

Parents give us their children for the greater portion of the day. Their most precious treasure…we get to hold in our hands for 8 hours. We get to be the ones to build a family in our classrooms. We get to be the ones who show children that it’s okay to not get it right, more than once. We get to show them perseverance, how to laugh in the face of failure, and be stronger, better, because of it. We get to build relationships that could last a lifetime. We get to guide children through learning how to interact with one another, how to respect one another, how to put self in the backseat, and how to listen without being eager to get a point across.

Teachers and children are the greatest gifts to the world.

Teachers who are at the point of giving up, remember why you started, and hang in there, you’ve got this. There are children who need to hear your story of victory, of overcoming.

Teachers who are in a good place, content, happy, what do you need to do to be uncomfortable? To challenge yourself to take that big leap you’ve been delaying?

Teachers who are retired, congratulations and thank you for your service. Have you ever thought about mentoring a young teacher? Volunteering and mentoring students? What big next step do you want to take in your personal growth? The world needs your expertise and wisdom, how will you share it?

Undeniably, teachers are valuable. Children are precious. Together, we change the world. Thank you teachers.