Teacher Appreciation Week

As we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, it again seems appropriate to dedicate this column to the efforts of our teachers who continue to work so tirelessly to positively affect the lives of our students in the Newton community.

When I first entered my classroom as a novice high school English teacher, teaching did not appear to be nearly as complicated and complex as it is today. There were not the many federal and state mandates in place; the quest for school accountability embodied by the Quality Performance Accreditation process was not even looming on the horizon; No Child Left Behind referred to making sure all students were accounted for in the auditorium or on the field trip bus, not to raising the bar for many facets of the educational process. Technology consisted of constantly ruining ties and white shirts by running ditto and mimeograph machines. How things have changed!

And yet, in many other ways, things have not changed very much at all. Our teachers continue to do the most important work that takes place in our community on any given day – they impact the lives of our students, preparing them to become productive citizens in the 21st century world. Of greater significance is the fact that the world requires more of our students in many ways than did the world of past generations. And, students coming to us in 2009 are more dramatically impacted by that world than perhaps we were when we were in school.

In addition, educational institutions are faced with more complex challenges than ever before, not unlike those challenges facing our community, our state and our country. The current financial dilemma is just an example of the ambiguities and uncertainties which seem to permeate our profession and our lives.

The glory of it all is that we continue to rise to ever-increasing challenges. Because of our teachers, students are being exposed to greater learning opportunities than at any time in our history. Perhaps Albert Einstein said it best: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” We could dwell on the present difficulties, but prefer instead to consider the possibilities and opportunities which we have in educating our students. Every day in our classrooms presents new opportunities for teaching, for learning, and for educational success.

Teachers have become true “miracle workers,” demonstrating that it is possible to perform daily education miracles with limited resources and significantly increased demands. A great testament to that statement is the fact that all of our schools have continued to make significant student achievement gains even with higher targets to reach.

I hope you will join me this week in saluting our teachers who continue to provide the educational expertise, dedication and perseverance that has served our students and community so well for the past 136 years! Remember in your own educational experiences a teacher who “made a difference” in your life, being thankful for that teacher’s involvement and personal interest in you. We have the greatest jobs in Newton – we create the future through the work we do with our students every day. Let’s pause to thank our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week (and perhaps every day for that matter) for the fine work they perform in USD 373.