ToT: Catch Up Day-Warning You May Be Overwhelmed

So, I'm declaring today my official ToT catch up day. I will attempt to catch up on all missed topics in short little bursts through out the day today.  Why am I playing catch up now? Well, let's just say the summer is about to get a little hectic for me, and my computer time will be even more limited than usual.

The first topic I'm going to attempt to cover is from May 27th: Write about someone you admire and why. I have to be honest, I could write about several people for this post. We have written about women we admire in the past, but this time I'm going to approach the topic a little bit differently. I'm not just writing about one person in particular that I admire (after some thought, I just couldn't narrow it down to one person), but I'm going to write about a group of people instead.

Teachers.  I admire teachers immensely. Teachers have always been asked to go above and beyond their job descriptions. They don't get paid nearly what they are owed, and most of the time they have to use their own money to purchase items for their classrooms.  Teachers are responsible for teaching our children, for educating them according to state and national standards, and often times they must stand in as a source of comfort and love when our children are away from their parents during school hours. They are molding future generations.  What a responsibility. It's a lot of pressure, and so many of them do an outstanding job. They are to be commended and appreciated.

Given recent events in our society, it seems that teachers have an added role to their job description: the job of protector.  I've been so moved by teachers shown in the media that have stepped forward to protect the children in their care.  Some of them gave their lives, and others willingly put themselves in danger to protect their students. What love, what bravery, what self sacrifice. It's a lesson those students, parents, families, fellow teachers, and hopefully the world in general will never forget, and can learn from.  To put someone above yourself like some of these teachers have recently done, is an act that is a rarity in this day and age. Teachers are heroes.  They are to be appreciated, respected, and admired.