A Thank-You Note

Dear Teachers,

Today is the last day of school for FWISD. My children are beyond excited for summer to start. No more getting up early and going to bed early. No more spelling tests and History Fair projects. No more sitting still for hours and hours. They cannot wait for summer to begin.

But before we all scatter to the four winds for 2 ½ months, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you. You, who pour your heart and soul into your vocation. And it is a vocation.

There is nothing more infuriating to me, the daughter of a teacher, to hear people trot out the stale “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” If it’s so easy, let’s see them do it. I would be willing to bet good money, which I should really use on replacing my rapidly-growing children’s wardrobes instead of betting, that those fools wouldn’t last a semester.

You have to be a psychologist, a politician, a parent, and a cheerleader. You have to use your own money to supplement the supplies the school district provides. You have to deal with ridiculous testing requirements and Byzantine regulations and requirements from the State. You have to deal with overcrowded classrooms of children of all abilities. Oh, and you have to try to teach.

This year, I’ve watched both of my children blossom under the guidance of good teachers. To see their minds expand, to watch the delight on their faces as they grasp a difficult concept is a gift that is priceless. A gift card to Starbucks or a coffee mug with “World’s Best Teacher” on it isn’t nearly enough to express my thanks.

So this is my very inadequate thank you. We don’t say it enough. Thank you for inspiring and challenging and engaging and loving our children, despite the odds that are most definitely stacked against you. Thank you for being a teacher.  You have my everlasting admiration.

Lee DuBose is a jack of all trades, master of none. She has been a bank teller, a chef and caterer (both in restaurants and in private service), a bookkeeper, a trainer, a legal assistant, and a writer. She is a proud graduate of the University of the South with a degree in Early European History. She planned to be a professor but realized in the nick of time that professors have homework, which she never did when she was a student, so what made her think that she would do it as a professor? While she has not used her degree in her, er, “varied” employment history, she is fabulous at cocktail parties. Most importantly, Lee is the proud single mother of two absolutely amazing girls, to whom she refers in social media as the Girlchildren.