Sunday Night With John: Not Just A Teacher

Let me clear my thoughts, before I start, so this comes through loud and clear. I have heard enough teacher-bashing. I’m not in the bag for our public education system, either. You can read my displeasure with our move toward more anti-bullying policies at: http://jpderryberry.com/blog/sunday-night-with-john-im-anti-anti-bullying.

But, what I’m talking about tonight is the statement I have to witness my wife hear over and over again, "Oh, you’re just a teacher".  It drives me up the freaking wall! There are various forms of this statement: from, "teaching is a good job for a woman,” to "it must be nice to work only part time.” I don’t know when it stopped being noble to teach skills to others and I don’t know when we downgraded and began to step all over a profession designed to enhance our knowledge of the world and prepare us for our future professions.

Being back in Ohio this week led to a Thanksgiving tradition of a trip down memory lane. This trip led to a conversation about where I grew up and went to school. The 9-hour drive home always allows for nostalgia and going into greater detail about memories. I began to think about all the teachers who had shaped my education, my personality, my grit, and my success over the years. While we do not like to admit our life success isn’t solely our own. That our greatest life moments are the combination of a lot of people’s time and energy. Part of that group of people is family, part of it is friends and significant others, and part of it is the educators who saw something special in us.  As my wonderful, educator wife slept in the passenger seat on the drive home to Iowa, I began to look back on the teachers who shaped my life.

There was Mrs. Perry in first grade who didn't yell at me when I peed my pants at the reading table. She was the nicest teacher I have ever had. There was Mrs. Dolan, my fifth grade teacher, and her care for me when my dad was in the hospital. And, she made fifth-grade camp week the coolest thing ever. There was Ms. Panek in sixth grade, who played "mad libs" with us to teach us English and reading. I’ll be honest, the English didn’t stick well with me but the laughter did. Mrs B. single-handed saved 8th grade for me. In high school, there was Mr. Chutas and his science lesson on farting that made it interesting. There was Mr Carlson, who didn't kick me out of band when I gave him every reason to. There was Mr. Dingman, who made physics amazing with the egg drop and bridge build. And Mr. Bell, my favorite math teacher ever and the best coach I ever had, who constantly told me I could make something of myself. There are countless more who left an imprint on me. I’m the man I am today, in part, because these wonderful people decided to dedicate their lives to bettering others.

They are not "just teachers."  They are the conduit into a new world. They pave the way for us to tap into our limitless potential. They are the people who give our passion and creativity direction. They have dedicated themselves to helping produce our next generation of doctors, scientists, authors, actors/actresses, or whatever career their students choose. It is all made possible by teachers willing to educate the next generations. Teachers are not "just teachers." They are so much more. They are our foundation.