Did you know that today is a holiday? It’s National Teacher Appreciation Day. Yep. News to you, huh? As a teacher, it’s sort of news to me too.
The idea of it is nice. But it’s always nicer when someone doesn’t have to be told to appreciate you. So how were we appreciated today? There were some bagels and bananas in the lounge (if you made it to the lounge). I didn’t look at the newspaper until I ate dinner tonight. The names of every teacher in my district were listed in a full two page layout. We also got an email from our union president and one from our superintendent. The one from the superintendent included a little video about how we’re all appreciated. The catch? You have to be a lip reader since our computers don’t have speakers. Well… at least most of the ones in my school…
Even though it’s this holiday, it seems kind of hollow. Well, not kind of hollow. Just plain hollow. We, like many districts, are experiencing some of the worst budget cuts since I started teaching. We appreciate you, here’s your pink slip. I’m not one of those teachers. I’ve actually got a comfortable amount of seniority. But for those that don’t, it sure doesn’t make for a fun spring.
It’s hard to be appreciated when you’re so used to being blamed for things beyond your control. I think I would rather have a day where people decide to be responsible for themselves and their kids.
