Here’s to all of our Teachers and Administrators!  Friday October 5th is the day we officially celebrate you and all that you give to our students and their families.

If you happen to Google ‘teacher qualities’ you get a list that kinda looks like this:

Without doubt … an impressive list of characteristics.  Our teachers work every day to make the lives of our children a little bit better than the day before — they are leaders in our communities who provide support, encouragement and compassion to children whom they view as an extension of their own families.  Their focus for 200 days every year is to help our children grow into the next generation of adults — intelligent, informed, compassionate, accepting of others, articulate and loving.

Last year in my blog at this time I talked about several of my past teachers — in elementary school, high school and university — a selection showcasing some of the teachers who made a significant difference in my life.  For me they were my heroes.  I couldn’t wait to see them the next day and listen to them, laugh with them — learn from them.  I respected them immensely.

This year on World Teachers’ Day I’d like to focus on what I consider to be some of the most important qualities of teachers.  They are:

1. Compassionate
   

   Compassion Makes the Difference

   • There are countless examples of teachers providing students with that compassionate shoulder to lean on — when their students are frightened, lonely, sad, shy or even angry.
2. Self-less
   • Teachers give of their own time to coach teams, direct school plays, sponsor a club, open their classroom at lunch time for students who need a place to ‘hang’, or participate in a car-wash fund-raising day on Saturday.
3. Dedicated
   • 

     Caring, Loving and Patient

     Whether it’s marking assignments late into the night, tutoring a struggling student after class, or designing an amazing field trip to another land — teachers give beyond what many other dedicated professionals would do in their work.

4. Resilient
   • Teachers battle through colds and sore throats to come to work because the science fair is next week, the band concert is tonight or the graduation ceremony is on Sunday.
5. Inquisitive
   • Teachers take the time to ask the WHY questions about their students — to build upon their strengths even when our students themselves might not recognize them.

I found this great clip of how a teacher, through a simple act of asking themselves WHY, can make an enormous impact in the life of a student.  Take a peek at this short 3 minute video about Mr. Jensen and Clint:

So, THANK YOU …

• to all of my own teachers who helped shape me into the person I am today;
• to all of the teachers with whom I’ve worked over my professional career for inspiring me and reminding me why we do the work we do; and
• to all of the “Mr. Jensens” out there who discover the wonderful talents of the Clints in their classrooms by asking them WHY.

We would live in a world that was far less generous, caring and empowering  if it did not have teachers.

Remember to thank a teacher for being an every day hero to a child.