The "dreaded" school supply list

I recently read this article from HuffPost and thought I could share some similar sentiments about our teachers. Our friends.Listen. I hate shopping for the things on the school supply list as much as the next person. And now having three kids in school, it is taking every single bit of my PhD education to make sure I get it right! Nonetheless, there are few people less acknowledged for their hard work and impact on our entire world than school teachers.  I truly believe that. If you think your work or job is harder or has greater impact, I encourage you to spend more time in a classroom. I don't say that to demean any other profession, I simply want to honor the truly remarkable work that all teachers do on a daily basis.

A glimpse of the morning of a teacher

Consider all that a teacher has to do in just the first hour of their job each day. Prepare their classroom, prepare their lessons, get materials for their lessons, perhaps a professional development meeting BEFORE school, check emails, prepare themselves mentally, prepare themselves emotionally, greet each child when they arrive, give instructions to each child about getting him/herself prepared for the day, ensure each child is doing what needs to be done.... (I could go on forever here...)This doesn't take into account the way teachers "see" every child and his or her needs.The way they adjust the wording of their instructions to ensure each child gets it.The way they look around the room to see whether any child needs academic or emotional assistance.  (Again, the list continues)I think we, as parents, remember the hard work of the day-to-day toward the end of summer when we are ready to pull our hair out! But I must admit, there were too many days last school year that I was numb to remembering how impactful my kids' teachers really were. My kids were growing. They were learning. They were sharing new things they had learned FROM THEIR TEACHER. 

Don't just think about it, take action

So as you are preparing to gather all of your school supplies, and perhaps as you purchase a few extras (as mentioned in the article above), might you also consider creating a monthly "Thank you" plan for your kids' teachers? Even as simply as a thank you card? Or a random act of kindness to show your gratitude towards them?  Last year during the month of December, my kids and I worked through a month of daily random acts of kindness. Several of these random acts included people from their school (e.g., telling the principal one great thing about their teacher, giving a candy bar to the custodial staff, writing a letter to their teacher, etc.).One thing I know for sure, no one has ever turned down kindness. And nothing but good comes from modeling kindness for our kids. photo cred: Pexels.com - nappy