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We all had that teacher, or several teachers, that greatly influenced our lives.

Do you ever do a math problem and think back to the way a specific teacher taught it? Or look at something grammatically and consider the way an English teacher explained it? Or try to remember a historical fact and have a flashback to a moment from your history class?

All of us do. 

As we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week, we hope you consider your own experiences. We hope you realize that a good teacher can influence lives for generations. They can turn lives around.

Teachers are under more pressure than ever to ensure students perform well in their class. It’s 2023, meaning the general public may complain about the textbooks their children are using or about the way historical facts are laid out in a classroom. 

All it takes is one social media post and a lot of anger can be thrown a teacher’s way. 

In the day-to-day of their jobs, teachers have to somehow keep students on track, but also keep them entertained so they don’t mentally check out. Almost no one would describe math as fun, but a good teacher makes it fun enough that it sticks in our brains forever.

The same goes for science, social studies and English.

Teachers of our younger students have to make sure they keep the whole day fun. They set the standard for what school will be for the rest of a child’s life. A bad experience in pre-K or kindergarten could mean that a student starts off disliking school.

But teachers aren’t just educators. They lend a listening ear when a student needs an adult to listen. For younger students, they have parent-teacher conferences to discuss how kids are doing learning their numbers and the alphabet. They get many of those young students to open up a book for the first time.

In middle and high school, teachers deal with the type of drama only teenagers can generate. They try to prepare students for the next stage of their lives. They celebrate their student’s successes, often giving them the push they need to pursue something much greater.

For some students, who unfortunately don’t have much of a home life, they are the definition of an adult. 

This is also a world where school safety remains an ongoing talking point. Teachers make sure all doors are locked. They wear badges so they can notify other staff members if they see something strange. Remember fire and tornado drills from when you were in school? Well, teachers today also lead active shooter drills and have to explain to students why those drills are taking place.

If teachers gave out business cards, the title of “teacher” should have an asterisk behind it. They are greeters, therapists, advisors, protectors, cheerleaders, problem solvers, peacemakers, role models, arbitrators, troubleshooters, and yes, finally, educators. 

We’d argue the job of a teacher is immensely harder in 2023 than it was in 1993 or even 2003. We don’t know how you do it.

But we’re so thankful for you do. 

Here’s to all of the teachers in Troup County. 

Thank you for all you do for our students every day. It’s truly making a difference. Never forget it.