National Teacher Day - say thanks and spell it right
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 05:51AM I can count on one hand the number of times I have posted a direct request that's come to me via e-mail on the Blue Skunk. But I found Mr. Welder's comments and study compelling enough to share here. I'm not endorsing Kars4Kids since I know nothing about it, but the study is interesting and National Teacher Day is worth a shout out.
Hey Doug,
My name is Steven Weldler and I work for the Kars4Kids car donation charity (of radio jingle fame/infamy :) )
May 7th, this Tuesday, is National Teacher Day.
As you used to teach and now write about teaching and education, I thought you'd be interested in this fascinating survey we've just completed.
We discovered that among other things:
- Even though around 75% say that a past teacher had a direct impact on their future success, only 25% of respondents have ever sent a gift or thank you card to a teacher
- A stunning 70.7% say that they would want their children to have the same teachers they had.
- An overwhelming 61.5% of respondents say that their high school teachers had more impact on them than their elementary or middle school teachers
The full survey can be found here http://www.kars4kids.org/blog/national-teacher-day-survey/....
I can be reached at steven@kars4kids.org.
It's a bit late for me to thank my teachers, having graduated from high school over 40 years ago. If not dead, I suspect most of them are senile or in protective custody from former students. I do know my mother shared many of my articles and books with one my former HS English teachers, Mary Farmer, from Sac City, Iowa. I don't think exposing a teacher to such shocks is very kind, personally.
I am blessed to have spent my career working with teachers. In perhaps no other profession is one's personality so closely aligned with one's success - or lack there of. While architects, lawyers, pediatricians, firefighters, and sales managers certainly might benefit from being patient, caring, humble, and funny (combined with a great appreciation for the ironic), I don't know that their vocational success depends on these attributes. And how hard it is on everyone - students, fellow teachers and administrators - when any of these dispositions start to go missing.
While belated, thank you teachers. I've learned because of you, both as a student and as a co-worker.
Image source: You Can't Scare Me, I'm a Teacher
Reader Comments (4)
I would have to say, I agree, that my secondary teachers had more of an impact on me than my elementary teachers. But it's funny, Mrs, Schnaubelt didn't make me a American History Scholar, and Dr. Turkel didn't make me a botanist, Mr. Costigan didn't turn me into an author, and Mr. Low didn't make me an expert on China (more's the pity) The impact, now that I look back from more than 40 years, was their passion for their subject area, that they were so interested in something, that they HAD to share it with all of us obnoxious teenagers. I loved all of those classes, but what I really learned was to find a passion and pursue it. And I did.
Thanks, Janet. I'm guessing they would feel honored if they knew this.
Doug
I love the "happily ever after" graphic. Thanks! I think a good sense of humour is needed in teaching. My motto is, if you can't teach 'em, at least entertain them!
My best teachers made me feel cared for. After that, they could teach me anything!
Vivian,
Funny you mention "care." I working on a column called "Everything I know about engagement I learned in kindergarten" and care is one of things I single out about how school changes from the lower grades to the upper. We never get too old to want to know someone cares about us.
Doug