My Wife is a Teacher

My wife is a teacher.

She doesn’t teach because she gets the entire summer off.

She doesn’t teach because her job is from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Monday – Friday.

She doesn’t teach because she is never criticized for the job she is mandated to do.

She doesn’t teach because she’s responsible for a child’s complete education.

She doesn’t teach because that’s the only thing she can do.

Teaching contracts vary depending on the number of professional development days required by the state and school system. So, on those Fridays your students are out of school, or you have the extra-long weekend because school is out generally means that teachers are working, in a professional development meeting. During the summer, most teachers attend at least one professional development workshop. Teachers use the summer to plan for the next year and pour through new curriculum they will be teaching the next year. Also, while you are enjoying the last weekend of the summer, remember, most teachers have been back in the classroom for weeks, mopping, dusting, replacing lightbulbs, rearranging their rooms, hanging new posters, and getting the classroom ready before the start of the new year.

Most teachers arrive early, stay late, and spend hours on the weekend doing school work. Throughout the school year, they sacrifice time at home for activities such as grading papers and preparing for the next day. They are always on the job. Bus duty in the rain? They’ve got it covered. Selling tickets at the Friday night football game? Teachers. Standing in the middle of the produce aisle at Wal-Mart talking about a child’s behavior that day, oh, trust me, teachers have that one covered too.

It takes an exceptional person to be a teacher. Don’t believe me? Shadow one for a week, heck, try it for a day. See how long you last. Only to know that when a child is punished, it will be the teacher who is called into question, not the child who caused the problem.

Parents are any child’s greatest teacher. Teachers only spend a few hours each day over the course of a year with a child, but parents spend a lifetime. As parents, we must accept our God-given responsibilities and raise our children. No teacher can do it alone.

Tonya has a college and master’s degree in education. She is nationally board certified.

However, she doesn’t teach for those reasons.

She teaches because she loves her children and believes they deserve a bright future. And, with God’s help, that’s what she brings to the classroom every day.

I appreciate my teacher wife. Not just during Teacher Appreciation Week.

But, every day.