Local Teachers Making Preparations for Back to Work

Drive by any of the local schools such as St. Joseph’s Academy, Reed School, Ladue High or MICDS, and you will see cars pulling in and out constantly. Yet it’s just the end of July.

The summer hiatus is about to end, and teachers are getting back to what they do best—teaching young students.

After having the summer off, most teachers come back to school with fresh ideas and and a renewed sense of pupose. Once the summer adventure stories are shared with peers, attention turns quickly to class room preparations.

At the elementary level, teachers are decorating their rooms in anticipation of all those fresh, eager faces bursting through the door.

At the high school level, teachers work on scheduling, trying to decide which classroom will they shift to each day and what clubs and activities they will sponsor.

Today’s typical students are more multiskilled and sophisticated than in the past. High school students want activities that range from eco studies to recycling to Shakespeare. Teachers must be prepared to meet those challenges.

Teaching is still a noble profession. Don’t listen to the politicians who, for whatever reason, want to demean what teachers do for a living. I think all teachers should make more than $100,000 per year. Of course, that’s not going to happen, at least not any time soon.

More times than not, students are spending more time at school with their teachers than at home with their parents.

I once worked in a school district where the parents expected teachers to take over the responsibilities of raising the children, something they were not always willing to do at home.

Some say the best part of teaching is June, July and August. Where I worked previously, the superintendent said those months were set aside for adult learning. He wanted his teachers in the classroom, not on the deck sunning themselves.

So it’s back to reading, writing and arithmetic. Or learning with computers and other wireless devices.

In my job, I am constantly in contact with coaches and teachers. I admire them for what they do. They are on the front line of education today. What they teach matters. If they are not fired up, who is?

So when you come into contact with a teacher, make sure and give them a full measure of respect. They went into this field because they love kids, and they simply want their students to learn a variety of new things. They get their reward out of watching students learn and grow and advance to the next level of education and prepare for professional careers.