My guess is you may not remember what you wore on the first day of 7th grade, but you might remember your homeroom teacher’s name. I sure do, and I will always remember Mr. D quite fondly. I’ll also never forget Ms. Scoby, Mrs. Sherriff, Mr. Sherrod or Ms. Goss. I’ve been blessed to have had some really great teachers along the way. In my little world those teachers are famous. Those are the names of the all stars. They’re the teachers that helped to make me the person I am today, and I think of them often. Whenever I’m in a book store or library I think of Mrs. Sherriff, my 6th grade English teacher, and how she initiated my love of reading. When I’m having trouble explaining how to solve a math problem to my kids, I think to myself, “How would Ms. Goss, my high school Calculus teacher, explain this?” She had a way of making numbers come to life. It was like magic! She used her little itty bitty piece of chalk like a magic wand.
Those are the things I think about with my own kids on their first day of a new school year. Is this new teacher going to be on their all star list? Is this teacher going to mold and shape them and forever inspire them to be the very best version of themselves? I get so excited for my kids and for their teachers.
I don’t know if teachers realize just how much of an impact they make on a child. I believe teaching isn’t just a profession it’s a calling. It takes a special kind of person to do the job of preparing our kids for the world they’ll inherit.
As children all over the country prepare to head back to school let’s all say a special thank you to the men and women who will be famous in our kids lives. Those all stars may not be seen in the papers, the magazines or on the news, but their highlight reals will be played over and over again in the minds of our kiddos. And in my personal opinion, that’s the best kind of famous you can be.
We welcomed our teachers back to school with a simple Star Wars inspired survival kit, because the good Lord knows nobody needs the force to be with them more than a teacher does.
Love this Carmel. You are so right. Truth be told, for some kids, they spend more time with their teachers than their own parents. My daughter, a high school science teacher and coach, could attest to that. The boxes you put together are awesome!!