Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Everyday should be "teacher appreciation" day.  It takes a gift and a heart to want to teach and teachers are often the reason for a student's success story.  My mind just explodes with memories of my own teachers and of course our two children's teachers.  It seems like yesterday when Emma had her first Latin class at Edgewater High School.  Now, she has her Master's degree in the Classics and teaches Latin!  Christopher has always loved reading but became a proficient writer in high school due in large part to the academic challenges his English teacher gave him.   

I love teachers.  I can't begin to tell you how many in my family teach!  Jon's mom, Terri taught over 40 years!  Two of my three sisters teach, my sister-in-law teaches and several of my nieces teach.  And, of course, Emma and her husband teach!  Teachers do not have the easy hours many think they do just because school is out early each day.  My kids stay late to help with extracurricular activities and have weekend study groups for their students. 

One of my favorite charities, besides the Track Shack Youth Foundation of course, is A Gift for Teaching (AGFT). I was lucky to sit on early discussions many years ago when AGFT was just beginning.  Jon and I grew up here in Central Florida, went to our public schools and it was a natural as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to send Emma and Chris to our local neighborhood schools.  Living downtown meant many of their classmates had more struggles and their schools were Title 1 schools.  AGFT was and is today a godsend for many teachers.  My kids will tell you that their teachers and experiences at Fern Creek, Howard Middle and Edgewater made them the responsible adults they are today!  (I may have added a little extra to their quote but that's just the proud mom in me.)  Isn't it interesting that Teacher Appreciation Week is the same week as Mother's Day?  Teachers that love teaching are sometimes like parents and the memories of our teachers make me smile. 

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! 

Betsy