OCR Text |
Show Teachers deserve congratulations too Good teachers definitely do make a difference. It's graduation time once again, and everywhere you look there are grads of all shapes and sizes stumbling around in their caps and gowns, with tassles drooping listlessly over one eyeball. They all have that burned-out look that three or four years of school tends to give students, and they all appear exceedingly relieved. Wherever you look and don't see a graduate, you will see a tribute to graduates. In every newspaper edition, on every billboard and in many television programs, you continually see or hear messages of congratulations for the grads of 1982. These about-to-be former students certainly deserve the praise and congratulations. They have worked long and hard. But there is another group of people which is, for the most part, equally or even more dedicated to the educational process than are the students these faithful are the teachers. fMike Cannon In addition to seeing, on every hand, tributes to this year's graduates. It's equally as easy, in the media and elsewhere, to find hearty criticism of today's teachers and the educational process as a whole. C Good teachers definitely do make a difference. Many of the teachers I've been privileged to associate with are not the kinds of people who teach because they "couldn't do anything else." They have often been those who have succeeded and contributed professionally and teach because they enjoy the profession. There are certainly many fringe benefits in the profession, and unfortunately money isn't generally one of those benefits. True, there are those teachers who have fossilized in intellectual growth or communicative skills. And it is sometimes easier to get by with mediocrity in an educational setting. Other professions are sometimes quicker to remove the inept but not always. And it's not to this minority that this column is written. There is waste, abuse and laziness in any and every profession and organization. There are also many excellent performances by dedicated pros. There are many such pros in the teaching profession. It's the person that makes the job; and not generally the job that makes the person. Most successful suc-cessful people, teachers included, would succeed wherever they were located. As is true in any job, the teacher who makes a difference is the one who commits himself to excellence and is continually growing and improving in and with his vocation. The outstanding educator also seems to have a strong interest in the welfare of others. Teachers seem to have slipped some in our society with regards to the respect they receive. It's easy to dump the blame for many of society's failures right into their laps. There are many other factors involved in lowering student interests and abilities with regards to school. Next time you're privileged to be influenced by a good teacher, let him or her know you appreciate their efforts. Sincere thanks doesn't purchase as much as money, but for today's educators, it might be about all they get. |